Part of the commitment to the environment and Israel current energy crisis, is to devote attention and resources to the expansion of renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy generated using alternative resources from fossil fuels, which emit harmful byproducts. Renewable energy can come from many different resources the environment has to offer including biomass, geothermal, solar and wind energy along with hydroelectric power. New technologies are being researched to access and utilize these resources as forms of alternative energy supply.
Already, the Israelis use solar-powered water heaters on an individual basis. So, why not take this reliable, efficient and economic resource a step further? Installing a renewable source of energy, such as a solar energy panel, is a viable way to reduce the amount of fossil fuels burned to create energy providing the public the same needed energy it requires. Solar energy has two forms of energy production. One uses photo-voltaic cells to convert the sun’s rays directly into energy. The other uses the heat from the sun to create steam to activate turbines for energy.
Biomass energy, for example, works with resources that are both easily accessible and better for the environment. One product used to create biomass energy is wood. By burning trees instead of coal, per se, we are polluting the same amount of CO2 that we are consuming, so there is a neutral balance in the amount of C02 emissions. However, when we burn a product such as coal, which has been held underground for many years, we end up producing more CO2 than we consumed in the first place. By burning biomass instead of coal we emit clean steam into the environment. Wood is not the only option for biomass energy. Alternatives are corn, trash, animal waste and other organic material.
Geothermal energy is another renewable energy source that uses the Earth as its resource. Geothermal energy taps into the heat the Earth produces natural to create energy. This is another clean alternative to burning fossil fuels. Through this process, the heat from deep in the ground can be used to produce steam and power energy turbines. The picture below demonstrates how geothermal energy works to steam the turbine and how the heat from the ground is attained.
