1. Space Based Solar Power
Even though solar only provides for 2.3% of total electricity in the US, it’s still the buzzword in renewable energy. The reality is, the sun provides enough electricity for us to fulfil all of our energy demands many times over if we could effectively gather it all. One hour of the sun striking the earth generates all the energy the world generally requires in a complete year. Harvesting all of that will never happen, but we can absolutely do better than we do now. Better coverage with more efficient energy collection technologies.
The answer may be leaving the Earth behind. After all, the sun is only accessible to us on the ground when it’s daylight and weather allows. Once you exit the atmosphere, it’s all sun all the time if you’re looking the appropriate way.
In 2022 or 2023, CalTech is planning on deploying an array into orbit solely to capture solar electricity. Compact and lightweight solar cells are becoming technologically viable. Creating an orbiting platform doesn’t need to cost billions and take up a vast area in the sky.
Thanks to the business world entering the space race, technology is more readily accessible and cheaper to employ than it was in the past. Building a reasonably cheap cost array that can beam electricity down to earth through microwaves may just be a few years away.
2. Solar Fuel
Solar power is something most people grasp immediately upon hearing the word, but solar fuel is another issue. Most of us aren’t aware with the notion, although it’s radically different from solar power. This is not electricity created from the sun’s power, it’s gasoline. Liquid or gas fuel, the sort you can burn, created using the sun’s power.
We touched previously on algal power, which can be used to produce solar fuel, but that isn’t the end of the possibilities here. The sun may be utilised to break water atoms to make hydrogen fuel. It may also be used to create alcohol fuels like ethanol, and even ammonia.
The present infrastructure for chemical fuels can simply support solar fuels. It’s only a question of improving the technology to the point of being useful, something which has only had limited effort put into it thus far. However, now that algal power is proven its usefulness, the possibilities for other kinds of solar fuel generation will undoubtedly become more tempting.
3. Tidal Energy
Offshore wind is not the only method we can make the most of the waterways, as tidal power is also showing promise. There’s around one terawatt of energy potential in the tides. The whole globe consumes roughly 17 terawatts every year, therefore one terawatt represents a substantial portion of our global demands.
Several wave farms have been tried throughout Europe, notably in Portugal, France and others. They have established the idea, but they haven’t shown to be successful long term yet. Complications in maintaining turbines in working condition are challenges that have derailed earlier projects. The longest operating wave plant is the Mutriku wave plant in Spain that was built in 2011 and produces enough electricity for roughly 100 households. Not a ton by any means, but it demonstrates that there is promise there. If the technique can be scaled up in an effective way, then it may become a feasible addition to local power grids in coastal locations.
4. Geothermal
Only 0.4% of all electricity in the US comes from geothermal sources. It’s basically the lowest run on the renewable energy totem pole. Its lack of importance primarily arises from engineering issues. Like fusion, getting geothermal to be viable has traditionally not been worth it. If it takes more time, effort and money to get the power out of it, it’s not worth it. Luckily, technology is advancing ahead and geothermal is set to become much more feasible.
Geothermal is supposed to gather both heat and power from the Earth. The Earth’s core generates roughly as much heat as the sun, so there’s a lot of potential there. Of course, it’s 4,000 miles below, so tapping it does entail practical challenges. Because the heat is created by radioactive decay, it’s predicted to keep providing this heat for a few billion years. In terms of actual power, it’s believed that 0.1% of the heat in the Earth could meet the world’s energy requirements for nearly 2 million years.
Unlike other renewables, geothermal is perhaps the most steady and stable. Wind and sun may alter and are susceptible to weather trends. The Earth’s core is constantly heated, the energy is always there. It’s only a question of creating the technology and understanding the engineering to make it practical, which is progressively rolling out already.
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