All the methods of power generation used by mankind in the 19th century had a negative impact on the environment. When coal is burned in thermal power plants, soot, ash, soot, and harmful gases are emitted into the atmosphere. The use of oil and gas instead of coal has somewhat reduced the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere, but these resources are not limitless. As for nuclear power, it has proven to be far from safe. Today all of these methods of generating electricity continue to be used, but it is assumed that in the near future mankind will only use clean energy sources, as today is the launch of alternative energy in many countries, including Ukraine.
What is a Clean Source of Energy
Based on the name, it is not difficult to guess that electricity from clean sources does not have a negative impact on the environment. They are called renewable because they are limitless. Today, alternative energy is being developed in five directions, depending on the source:
- solar
- wind
- water
- biofuels
Regardless of the source used to generate electricity, it can be sold under the green tariff, which was adopted in Ukraine in order to create conditions for the development of alternative energy in the country. To understand how these sources produce electricity, let’s look at each of them in detail.
Solar energy
To date, the construction of solar power plants is considered the most promising investment. Given that in the last few years solar panels have become noticeably cheaper, and the green rate is available not only for legal entities, but also for individuals, everyone can build a power plant on the plot or on the roof of his house. The peculiarity of solar panels is that they pay for themselves in 5-7 years and start generating a steady income, as they do not require much maintenance.
The power of wind
Construction of wind power plants is less cost-effective, because the production of electricity depends on the movement of air masses. When there is no wind at all, it stops. According to the technology, wind generators must be located on poles with a height of 100 meters or more, which makes it difficult to carry out installation work. Therefore, it is difficult to realize effective electricity from wind turbines in a private household. Therefore, such projects make sense only in the form of large-scale wind farms.
Energy from moving water
This method is considered environmentally friendly only if the work of hydroelectric power plants does not lead to flooding of adjacent areas. Since rivers in Ukraine are weak, for the operation of hydroelectric power plants it is necessary to build dams in order to accumulate water. Such large-scale construction requires large expenditures, so wind and solar energy are preferred today. However, this direction is still developing because the electricity produced is environmentally friendly and inexpensive.
Biofuel
There are solid, liquid and gaseous biofuels. Naturally, solid biofuels include firewood, as well as briquettes or pellets made from wood waste. Liquid biofuels are represented by various alcohols, bio-oil, esters and biodiesel. Gaseous biofuels are produced by mixing carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane.