Small Carbon Neutral Energy

 Small Carbon Neutral Energy

In General, many of the possible energy resources are not large enough to operate at the scale necessary to satisfy a substantial quantity of the world’s energy demand. In some cases, like geothermal energy and wind energy, they are large enough but raise a severe objection about the environmental impact of large-scale deployment.

Small Carbon Neutral Energy

1.    Ocean Tides, Waves, and Currents

Ocean currents, ocean currents, and Ocean waves would not provide the power the world is consuming today. Collectively it couldn’t add up to 10 TW without severely changing ocean dynamics.

Wave energy systems aim to intercept the energy that otherwise dissipates along the shores. High wave power can be 50kW/m, and power delivered by ocean swells approaching a coastline ranges from 20 to 70kW/m of cost. Wind transfers the energy into ocean waves, and waves can travel the width of the ocean.

Ocean currents carry kinetic energy, but the total amount is too small to qualify it as a prominent energy source. Kinetic energy levels average between 50 and 100 J m^-3.

Tidal energy is due to the gravitational force between Earth and the moon and Earth's rotation.

2.   Hydro energy

The most well-established, cost-efficient form of renewable energy is Hydroelectricity. Hydropower is constructed to support the industrial, residential and commercial load.

Hydroelectricity can be Pico watt range to Mega Watt range. In large hydropower, there are three types of Hydro powers:

Ø Run of River (ROR)

Ø Peak Run of River (PROR)

Ø Reservoir type

3.  Wind

Several analyses show that the world’s wind energy potential far exceeds the current potential, and ever estimated to it can contribute to the future energy demand. Yet, harnessing wind power into electricity raises the direct environmental consequences to consider. Wind energy is very dilute, so it requires a large installation for collection. Also, the interaction between the energy injection and extraction into the wind field is quite complex.

4.   Biomass

Acceleration of biomass growth and enlarged biomass storage can provide another venue for eliminating N₂O, which is considered a much more dangerous Greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and thus cancel out the total CO² reduction. For long-term carbon storage, it is required to store it carefully as it is thermodynamically stable.

5.   Geothermal

The potential of geothermal energy is tremendous. This technology is limited to a unique location with very steep thermal gradients, resulting in a considerable temperature difference between the thermal reservoir and surface. The identified and implemented sites with immense potential are Kenya, Iceland, and California. The unusually high heat flux is possible for those locations to treat the reservoir as a renewable energy source.