Renewable Energy
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This book will attempt to explain the concept of renewable energy and give details of the various methods of harnessing rewewable energy sources.
[edit] Contents
- Introduction
- Thermal Energy
- Bio Energy
- Solar Thermal
- Geothermal
- Wind
- Hydro Energy
- Solar Photovoltaic (PV)
- Energy Storage
[edit] Solar thermal energy
Solar radiation can be converted into useful energy directly by using a solar collector to heat water. This can be used to provide hot water for direct use or heating.
It is also possible using essentially the same method to produce electricity although this requires a much more complicated collector.
[edit] Wind power
Wind power has been harnessed by the human race for thousands of years. Traditionally, wind has been converted directly to mechanical power to, for example, mill grain in a windmill. Modern 'windmills' used for generating electricity are referred to as wind turbines due to their similarity to wind or gas turbines used to generate electricity.