Clean energy resources
One of the most important issues in recent years is the energy-environmental impact . The race for alternative energies can be seen both as a need of man to live better his own life and that of the planet that hosts it, both as an interest of the big business groups oriented to the gain of the future.
The debate on renewable energy has been enriched with many terms and notions that divide public opinion. Here we see what is meant by clean energy and what are the energy forms of this type.
By definition, a form of energy is clean when it does not pollute the environment . Not only. But a form of clean energy can also be inexhaustible . Let's think about coal, oil or gas. All the processes that exploit these materials produce toxic polluting waste. These energy resources, exploited for years and years, are destined to exhaustion. Same thing cannot be said for sunlight or wind strength ... So what are the forms of clean energy?
The forms of clean energy
Nature has its own clean energy system . The elements he uses are water, wind, heat and light. Let's briefly analyze some forms of clean energy:
Solar energy : it is the best known among the forms of clean energy. Sunlight is used to produce heat and electricity, thanks to photovoltaic panels of different types. Every moment the Sun transmits 1367 watts per square meter on the Earth's orbit. The average solar radiation at European latitudes is around 200 watts / sqm. It follows that the average power per square meter irradiated on Earth at any moment is greater than 50 million Gw (a Gw is the energy produced at full capacity by a large power plant). The amount of solar energy that reaches the earth's surface is enormous, about 10, 000 times greater than all the energy used by humanity as a whole.
Wind energy : exploits the force of the wind (kinetic energy) thanks to the so-called 'wind turbines'. A bit like the blades of an ancient windmill. The potential of our country, in terms of wind energy, is around 5, 000 MegaWatts per year. The plants installed today in our area have avoided emitting CO2 into the atmosphere for a total of 2, 600, 000 tons per year.
Hydroelectric power : exploits the energy deriving from the mechanical force of water. Hydroelectric energy is obtained from the course of rivers and lakes thanks to the creation of dams and forced ducts. It is a clean and renewable source of energy, however the construction of dams and large artificial basins can cause problems to the ecosystem of the area. The production of hydroelectric energy can also take place through the use of wave motion, tides and sea currents. In this case we talk about tidal energy.
This form of energy is the main alternative resource to fossil sources used in Italy, and guarantees about 15% of Italian energy needs.
Geothermal energy : exploits the earth's heat from the depths of the earth or near volcanic formations. The temperature of the earth's crust grows more and it goes down in depth: on average, every 100 meters the temperature of the rocks increases by 3 ° (then 30 ° every Km and 300 ° every 10 Km). In some particular areas there may be conditions in which the temperature of the subsoil is slightly higher than average, a phenomenon caused by volcanic or tectonic phenomena.
Thermal energy and biomass : it uses the heat of bodies heated in the sun or uses the combustion of natural materials of animal and vegetable origin. At times, a purifier should be included in the energy process.
