MyGreenHealth

Pipes Used For OTEC

Developed by a French engineer by the name of Jacques D’Arsonval in 1881, a technology called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) opened up the potential of the ocean as a new frontier for generating energy. Though it started in the 19^th century, its development and application seem inadequate as there is only one existing OTEC plant in the whole world – the one in Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii.

Presently, OTEC must be supported, funded and explored much more. Like any other unexplored technology, OTEC’s main hindrance is associated with cost. It is considered hard to drive the costs down to a manageable level due to the processes currently employed to drive up OTEC.

Ocean thermal energy is truly good for the environment as it released almost zero emissions and does not contribute pollutants into the air. But, the problem is that utilizing current technologies in setting up an OTEC plant would necessarily entails disturbing and possibly harming the local environment.

There are three kinds of OTEC technologies already developed but still need much more improvement and modifications.

1. Closed Cycle OTEC – this technology utilizes a low-boiling point liquid (like propane) acting as intermediary fluid. The OTEC plant forces the tepid sea water to the reaction compartment and boils the intermediate fluid. As a consequence, the intermediate fluid’s vapor drives the turbine of the engine — thus electricity is generated. Afterward, the vapor is cooled down by the use of cold sea water.

2. Open Cycle OTEC is not very much unique from Close Cycle except for the fact that this is not using any intermediate fluid. Instead, the driver of the turbine engine is the sea water itself. The process works by converting warm surface sea water into a low-pressure vapor under the control of a vacuum. The low-pressure vapor is then dispensed into a specific area to drive the turbine. In order to cool down the vapor, cold waters are mixed to the vapor after enough electricity is created. As an added benefit, with this process it is also possible to generate desalinated water for household use.

3. Hybrid Cycle OTEC remains to be in theory and not yet an applied technology. In essence, it seeks to make maximum use of the ocean water’s thermal energy. On drawing, there are two sub-theories under Hybrid Cycling. The first one uses a closed cycling for generating electricity which is in turn utilized to produce the vacuum environment required for open cycling. The second module is the combination of two open cycling in such a way that it could create twice the quantity of desalinated and potable water.

There are other applications for OTEC. The technology behind Closed Cycle OTEC can also be utilized for chemical treatments. And both Cycles can be used for pumping up cold deep sea water which has potential for use in refrigeration and air conditioning needs. Moreover, at the moderation period (the sea water adjoining the plant), the enclosed area can be maximized for mariculture and aquaculture.

As the need for greener alternative energy is steady increasing, it is our fervent wish that OTEC will eventually emerged as another viable and cost-effective option.

We look forward to a green-powered future!

Wind Power

Humanity’s overdependence on fossil fuels must come to an end. The race for greener and more sustainable alternative energy is on. With the help of modern technology, it is hoped that in the coming decades the energy market would be singing a different tune.

As one of the promising energy resources, wind power generation is now generating a lot of interest from different players and investors. Researches are continually developing more energy efficient and cost effective wind turbines. Taking advantage of the wind power, wind farms sprouted all over the country. In response to animal rights activists, new wind turbines are not endangering birds which is a problem with the older type of wind turbines.

The most popular alternative energy supply is actually the energy from the sun or solar energy. To harness the power of the sun, solar cells are being utilized to gather as well as focus the energy directly from the sun, and convert it into electricity or hot water. Just like wind power, solar energy is zero in the pollution scale.

Scientists are now also looking into ways on how to exploit ocean wave energy. It is recognized by the government and the energy sector that ocean wave holds huge power potential.  In France, an ocean wave generator is successfully doing business and other interested investors in Ireland and Scotland are also interested to further develop the technologies behind ocean wave energy. Hopefully, more and more investors will pour in their money for alternative energy generation.

A perennial favorite, hydroelectric power has been utilized for decades already and this is known as cleaner energy compared to a grid. But then, because hydropower will only be possible with the presence of huge amount of water, it is essentially limited both in scope and applicability. To remedy this situation, some groups are encouraging small hydroelectric generators which usually supplied power to specific and exclusive local communities.

Next in line is geothermal energy. Geothermal is considered as abundant because it lies below the surface of the earth. The energy is created through the heating of water by earth’s extremely searing molten core. The cycle goes this way: the water is converted into steam and steam can be exploited and utilized to drive turbine engines on and this finally generates electricity. With geothermal’s great potential, studies and research are now underway to optimally develop it for the greater good.

Looking for more, interest on the so-called waste gas energies is winding up. This is actually referring to methane gas – which is in a very unique position to turn around the customary energy-pollution bond through the creation of energy from waster materials. The technology behind harnessing methane gas is very much applicable in garbage dumps. Methane gas can be use for fuel cells and in standard gasoline generators.

A politically charged and highly debated energy source, ethanol is a gasoline replacement and is a by-product of wheat, sugarcane, grapes, strawberries, corn, and even wood chips and wood cellulose. With the looming food crisis and the government subsidy to this sector, it is not a wonder why ethanol is at the center of many political debates.

For green-minded fellows, biodiesel energy is for you. Biodiesel are manufactured from plants’ oil.  So far, identified sources of biodiesel are soybean, rapeseed, coconut and sunflower oils. Biodiesel is cleaner than the regular diesel fuel. With a big potential market here and abroad, investors are now finding their place in this sector to hopefully cash in when the right time comes.

Atomic energy or nuclear energy is now widely used by many industrialized nations. Using nuclear fission, the energy derived is cheaper and efficient compared to the traditional power generation. The only big concern though is the disposal of the radioactive waste product.

As a person concerned with the connection between a healthy ecology and a healthy individual, it is my prevent wish that eventually we will find more alternative and greener energy sources.

Wind Turbines

The search for green and renewable energy is projected to be a trend that will last for many generations to come. Driven by economic forces and geopolitical realities, alternative and renewable energy is the future the nation is heading into. Right now, some homes are run by alternative energy sources such as wind turbines and solar collection cells to hydrogen fuel cells and biomass gases. I personally believe that this green movement will persist into the 21st century and even beyond.

We all know that we must stabilize our energy supplies and as much as possible become more energy independent – meaning not heavily dependent on fossil fuels sourced from wobbly and antagonistic countries. On the individual level, there is a need to get “off the grid” and gradually shift our overreliance huge oil producers. These big corporations are in control of the people as far as heating our homes is concerned.

According to a senior analyst with CarbonFree, the expansion of distributed generation would inevitably result into the reshuffle of the retail electricity market as well as the infrastructures for generation, transmission and distribution. Seeing this future, power businesses have to spread their interest to minimize lost revenues. The analyst is pointing to the conclusions by different studies and research done by their group. CarbonFree has been watching eagerly the increasing shift trend toward alternative energy by homes in developed countries.

The trend is encouraged by government subsidies as well as assistance from alternative energy research and development, the high oil cost, ecological concern, and need to be energy independent. Using the current energy prices level as assumption, CarbonFree concludes that we will see the eventual rise of micro-generation – getting a part or all of a home’s energy requirements thru alternative energy applications like solar panels or wind turbines. If this will come true, then we will see a major revolution on the energy sector.

Not to be left behind,  energy firms are already jumping into the water as they want to position themselves with this multi-billion dollar paradigm shift. They are taking advantage to leverage micro-generation as part of their strategies of opening up new sources of profit generation. For instance, some electricity companies are now funding research and development for better geothermal energy facilities. Geothermal energy production is a very profitable wave of the future.

Solar water heating technology is another very proficient technology – an expensive investment that really pays off.  The disadvantage is that it is not yet cost-effective for big corporations to apply.

Wind turbines hold some potential for reducing home electricity costs. However, just like the solar water heating technology, this could be expensive to install. It is hoped that makers of these devices would soon find ways to bring their prices down.

In conclusion, there is no debate that the future of energy production is shifting towards greener and renewable resources. Hopefully, this trend would be good for our environment as well as our pockets.

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