Renewable Electricity Generation Technologies

A component in the America's Energy Future study, Electricity from Renewable Resources examines the technical potential for electric power generation with alternative sources such as wind, solar-photovoltaic, geothermal, solar-thermal, hydroelectric, and other renewable sources. The book focuses on those renewable sources that show the most promise for initial commercial deployment within 10 years and will lead to a substantial impact on the U.S. energy system. A quantitative characterization of technologies, this book lays out expectations of costs, performance, and impacts, as well as barriers and research and development needs. In addition to a principal focus on renewable energy technologies for power generation, the book addresses the challenges of incorporating such technologies into the power grid, as well as potential improvements in the national electricity grid that could enable better and more extensive utilization of wind, solar-thermal, solar photovoltaics, and other renewable technologies.

This book makes intelligible the wide range of electricity generating technologies available today, as well as some closely allied technologies such as energy storage. The book opens by setting the many power generation technologies in the context of global energy consumption, the development of the electricity generation industry and the economics involved in this sector. A series of chapters are each devoted to assessing the environmental and economic impact of a single technology, including conventional technologies, nuclear and renewable (such as solar, wind and hydropower). The technologies are presented in an easily digestible form. Different power generation technologies have different greenhouse gas emissions and the link between greenhouse gases and global warming is a highly topical environmental and political issue. With developed nations worldwide looking to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide, it is becoming increasingly important to explore the effectiveness of a mix of energy generation technologies. Power Generation Technologies gives a clear, unbiased review and comparison of the different types of power generation technologies available. In the light of the Kyoto protocol and OSPAR updates, Power Generation Technologies will provide an invaluable reference text for power generation planners, facility managers, consultants, policy makers and economists, as well as students and lecturers of related Engineering courses. · Provides a unique comparison of a wide range of power generation technologies - conventional, nuclear and renewable · Describes the workings and environmental impact of each technology · Evaluates the economic viability of each different power generation system

Effects of environmental, economic, social, political and technical factors have led to the rapid deployment of various sources of renewable energy-based power generation. The incorporation of these generation technologies have led to the development of a broad array of new methods and tools to integrate this new form of generation into the power system network. This book, arranged into six sections, highlights various renewable energy based generation technologies, and consists a series of papers written by experts in their respective fields of specialization.The Handbook of Renewable Energy Technology will be of great practical benefit to professionals, scientists and researchers in the relevant industries, and will be of interest to those of the general public wanting to know more about renewable energy technologies.

The European Union's (EU) common Energy Policy commits the EU to generating 20 per cent of total energy consumption from renewables by 2020. The European Commission proposed national renewable energy targets for each Member State and it was suggested that 15 per cent of UK energy be derived from renewables by 2020.

An up to date account of renewable sources of electricity generation and their integration into power systems With the growth in installed capacity of renewable energy (RE) generation, many countries such as the UK are relying on higher levels of RE generation to meet targets for reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In the face of this, the integration issue is now of increasing concern, in particular to system operators. This updated text describes the individual renewable technologies and their power generation characteristics alongside an expanded introduction to power systems and the challenges posed by high levels of penetrations from such technologies, together with an account of technologies and changes to system operation that can ease RE integration. Features of this edition: Covers power conditioning, the characteristics of RE generators, with emphasis on their time varying nature, and the use of power electronics in interfacing RE sources to grids Outlines up to date RE integration issues such as power flow in networks supplied from a combination of conventional and renewable energy sources Updated coverage of the economics of power generation and the role of markets in delivering investment in sustainable solutions Considers the challenge of maintaining power balance in a system with increasing RE input, including recent moves toward power system frequency support from RE sources Offers an insightful perspective on the shape of future power systems including offshore networks and demand side management Includes worked examples that enhance this edition’s suitability as a textbook for introductory courses in RE systems technology Firmly established as an essential reference, the Second Edition of Renewable Energy in Power Systems will prove a real asset to engineers and others involved in both the traditional power and fast growing renewables sector. This text should also be of particular benefit to students of electrical power engineering and will additionally appeal to non-specialists through the inclusion of background material covering the basics of electricity generation.

The new edition of Power Generation Technologies is a concise and readable guide that provides an introduction to the full spectrum of currently available power generation options, from traditional fossil fuels and the better established alternatives such as wind and solar power, to emerging renewables such as biomass and geothermal energy. Technology solutions such as combined heat and power and distributed generation are also explored. However, this book is more than just an account of the technologies – for each method the author explores the economic and environmental costs and risk factors. Each technology is covered using the same basic criteria so that comparisons between technologies can be made more easily. Those involved in planning and delivering energy – including engineers, managers and policy makers – will find in this book a guide through the minefield of maintaining a reliable power supply, meeting targets on greenhouse gas emissions, and addressing economic and social objectives. Provides a unique comparison of a wide range of power generation technologies from oil, coal, nuclear and natural gas, to geothermal, wind, solar, and bioenergy Hundreds of diagrams demystify how each technology functions in practice Evaluates the economic and environmental viability of each power generation system covered New chapters covering fast-advancing renewable and alternative power sources such as municipal waste and concentrating solar plants Fresh focus the evolution of traditional technologies such as natural gas and "clean coal" Expanded coverage of distributed power generation and CHP (combined heat and power) technologies

The United States and China are the world's top two energy consumers and, as of 2010, the two largest economies. Consequently, they have a decisive role to play in the world's clean energy future. Both countries are also motivated by related goals, namely diversified energy portfolios, job creation, energy security, and pollution reduction, making renewable energy development an important strategy with wide-ranging implications. Given the size of their energy markets, any substantial progress the two countries make in advancing use of renewable energy will provide global benefits, in terms of enhanced technological understanding, reduced costs through expanded deployment, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to conventional generation from fossil fuels. Within this context, the U.S. National Academies, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), reviewed renewable energy development and deployment in the two countries, to highlight prospects for collaboration across the research to deployment chain and to suggest strategies which would promote more rapid and economical attainment of renewable energy goals. Main findings and concerning renewable resource assessments, technology development, environmental impacts, market infrastructure, among others, are presented. Specific recommendations have been limited to those judged to be most likely to accelerate the pace of deployment, increase cost-competitiveness, or shape the future market for renewable energy. The recommendations presented here are also pragmatic and achievable.

The EU's common Energy Policy commits the EU to generating 20 per cent of total energy consumption from renewables by 2020. The European Commission proposed national renewable energy targets for each Member State, and it was suggested that 15 per cent of UK energy be derived from renewables by 2020. Renewable energies comprise three sectors: heating and cooling, transport and electricity. In order to meet the EU Mandated Target of 15 per cent renewable energies by 2020, it will be necessary to generate approximately 35-40 per cent of electricity from renewable sources. This represents a considerable challenge, for which the Government's targets for renewable electricity generation are wholly inadequate. Presently, UK targets require 10 per cent of electricity to be sourced from renewables by 2010 rising to 20 per cent by 2020. It is essential that the Government revise these targets, and align them with the UK's EU Mandated Target. Developers of renewable electricity generation projects have to negotiate a crowded funding landscape, a protracted-and often costly-planning system, and a poorly conceived regime for accessing the UK electricity transmission system. The Government should work to remove current barriers to technology deployment. It is still feasible to meet the 2020 renewable energy targets, but time is running out. The Government must take steps to support the widespread deployment of renewable electricity-generation technologies as a priority, both at the level of macro and microgeneration. But the Committee has been consistently disappointed by the lack of urgency expressed by the Government-and at times by the electricity industry-in relation to the challenge ahead.