Renewable energy sources
Renewable energy sources are those that do not imply consumption of raw materials. The wind (wind power), sunlight (solar power), and movements of the sea (wave power or tidal power) and rivers (hydraulic power), among other sources, contain tremendous quantities of energy that, using suitable means, can be used to substitute conventional energy sources.
Renewable energy sources have numerous advantages. The main advantage is the absence of pollution, making them environmentally-friendly energy sources, a fundamental requirement for sustainable development of the planet.
Also of note is their distribution around the entire world, which contributes to avoid countries depending on others for their energy supplies.
Since they do not consume raw materials, the running costs of renewable energy systems are much lower that is the case for conventional energy sources, and they are not exposed to variations in the price of oil or other raw materials.
From a social point of view, renewable energy sources favour local development, since they generate a distributed economic activity located in the places where the energy is converted, being particularly useful for electrification of rural areas and as energy sources for other activities in off-grid locations.
Some of the most-used renewable energy sources are:
- Hydroelectric energy: This uses the kinetic energy of water in hydroelectric turbines to produce electricity. The water is normally collected at a considerable height in reservoirs.
- Wind energy: Transforms the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity. Wind generators or wind turbines are used for this, often installed in large wind farms. There are several types of wind turbine, such as the pendular wind turbines made by ADES, which offer very advantageous characteristics for the production of eolic power.
- Thermal solar energy: This uses heat energy from the sun to heat a fluid, using suitable solar-power absorbers. ADES is a leader in tracking technology, thanks to its solar tracking systems.
- Photovoltaic solar energy: This uses photovoltaic cells to transform sunlight into electricity. Large photovoltaic energy farms can be installed that in many cases may include solar tracking systems to increase their productivity.
- Biomass energy: This uses the energy contained in numerous types of organic waste (agricultural waste, forestry residues, residues from livestock farming, industrial waste, etc) or in plants specifically cultivated for this purpose.
- Geothermal energy: This uses the heat that exists in certain regions in the Earth’s crust, especially when it is available in the form of geothermal water.
Renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly profitable, as a consequence of continual efforts in R&D&i on the part of manufacturers (of wind turbines, absorption systems, trackers, turbines, etc.), which is allowing the manufacture of increasingly efficient devices for use with the different forms of renewable energy.
