Organic-Based Sources; Landfill Methane; Biomass energy; Hydropower ; Flowing water (Hydroelectric); Tidal power (waves and tides); Wave; Geothermal Energy (Geothermal power); Hydrogen Energy; Solar energy: (Energy from sunlight Rapid growing) ; Wind Energy

1. RENEWABLE ENERGY
RESOURCES
Prof. Dr. Hassan Z. Harraz
Geology Department, Faculty of Science,
Tanta University
hharraz2006@yahoo.com
Spring- 2017
@Hassan Harraz 2017
RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES

2. RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
 Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, biomass, rain, oceans and
geothermal heat.
 Renewable resources are natural resources that can be replenished in a short period of time.
 So the market for renewable energy technologies has continued to grow. Climate change concerns, coupled with high oil
prices, peak oil, and increasing government support, are driving increasing renewable energy legislation, incentives and
commercialization.
Alternate Energy Sources
• Possible alternate energy sources
 Organic-Based Sources
▪ Landfill Methane
▪ Biomass energy:
✓ Wood and animal dung.
✓ Biomass (wood, charcoal, burning of municipal waste, 30–50% waste for energy in some west European countries)
 Hydropower :
➢ Flowing water (Hydroelectric)
➢ Tidal power (waves and tides)
➢ Wave
➢ Geothermal Energy (Geothermal power).
 Hydrogen Energy
 Solar energy: (Energy from sunlight , Rapid growing)
 Wind Energy :
✓ Winds and waves are both secondary expressions of solar energy.
✓ Winds have been used as an energy source for thousands of years through sails on ships and windmills.
✓ Steady surface winds have only about 10 percent of the energy the human race now uses.
✓ Wind power: Less than 1% global electricity demand, but 10% potential in a few decades

3. Renewable Power Capacities 2010

4. Solar Energy
What is it?
 Solar cell use energy from the Sun.
➢ Photovoltaic (PV) generating electricity from the sun
 Solar Thermal Energy.
➢ Solar panels transfer the Suns energy directly into electricity.
 Most solar water-heating systems for buildings have two main parts:
(1) a solar collector
(2) a storage tank. The most common collector used in solar hot water systems is the flat-plate
collector.
 Solar benefits:
➢ Reduction in carbon dioxide and other emissions of gases
➢ Use of the sun’s energy which is considered renewable
➢ Better technology and advancements to increase efficiency
➢ Lower costs for installation today than in the past
➢ Moderate net energy returns

5. Photovoltaic Cells involve silicon coated plates
Silicon crystal lattice structure

6. At focal point = heat
liquid – steam to
turn turbine

7. Using Solar Energy to Provide Heat
Passive solar heating Active solar heating

8. Using Solar Energy to Provide High-Temperature
Heat and Electricity
• Solar thermal systems
• Photovoltaic (PV) cells

9. Hydroelectric Power
What is it?
 Generated by falling water
 Movement of water drives turbines: Flowing water is used to turn a turbine which
generates electricity.
 Dams – gravity key force
 If a dam is put across the mouth of a bay so that water can be trapped at high tide,
the outward flowing water at low tide can drive a turbine.
 Canada is a world leader in hydroelectricity production; most energy produced in
large dams
 62% of Canada’s electricity is hydro-generated
 It accounts for 7 to 9% of the U.S. electrical production
 According to 2004 statistics, it was number one in renewable energy
production accounting for over 75% of our renewable sources
 Small scale projects can be advantageous and less impacting on the
environment

10. Hydropower (Hydroelectric Power)

11. Ice Harbor Dam –
eia.doe.gov

12. Producing Electricity from Moving Water
 Producing Electricity from Moving Water
➢ Used for 16% of world electricity production.
➢ Does not require technological breakthroughs.
➢ However, political acceptance is an issue.
➢ Small hydro is cost competitive
 Types of Hydropower:
➢ Large-scale hydropower
➢ Small-scale hydropower
➢ Tidal power plant
➢ Wave power plant

13. Hydroelectric
Advantages
➢ Small scale does not impact
the environment as much as
large scale impacts
➢ Does not produce air
pollutants
➢ Year-round water supplies to
areas
➢ When the electricity is
generated, no greenhouse
gases are made.
➢ The water used is free.
➢ It is a renewable energy
source.
Disadvantages
➢ Major source of dams which
disrupt water flow patterns
➢ Affect spawning migration
routes
➢ Affect precipitation patterns
regionally
➢ The dam is expensive to build.
➢ By building a dam, the nearby
area has to be flooded and
this could affect nearby
habitats.
➢ If it does not rain much we
may not have enough water
to turn the turbines.

14. Disadvantages
• A dam to make the water
flow through the generators
might be needed.
• Plants and animals that live
nearby might get harmed
• The tides only happen twice
a day, so can only produce
electricity at that time.
What is it?
Tidal – tidal
force, need a tidal
range of > 8 m
(nearly impractical)
✓Tides arise
from the
gravitational
forces exerted
on the Earth by
the Moon and
the Sun.
Advantages
• Tides are free and will not
run out.
• No greenhouse gases are
produced.
• It is reliable because we
know exactly when the tides
happen.
Tidal Energy

15. Tidal Power
1. In areas of large
tides
2. Anywhere – build
offshore dam
Problems:
1) Corrosion
2) Navigation
3) Appearance
4) Amount of energy available is low
5) Best tides are near poles – away from
people.
6) Location – near population center
7) Bird migration – Visual
8) Must be coupled with other sources of
electricity (intermittent supply)

16. Disadvantages
• Small waves generate
small amounts of
electricity.
• Electricity needs to be
transported from the
sea onto the land.
• The equipment is
expensive
What is it?
•Waves force
air in and
out of a
chamber.
•The air
causes a
turbine to
generate
electricity.
Advantages
• Waves are free and will not run
out.
• Wave power does not produce
greenhouse gases.
• There are very few safety risks.

17. Geothermal Energy

18. What is Geothermal Energy?
"Geothermal energy is heat energy generated and stored in the Earth".
 Using below ground temperature and core temperatures of the earth
to maintain a certain temperature thus less energy is needed to heat
water.
 It is a clean, renewable resource that provides energy around the
world.
 It is considered a renewable resource because the heat emanating
from the interior of the Earth is essentially limitless.
 Geothermal power is produced by tapping the Earth’s internal heat flux
(Zealand, Italy, Iceland and the United States).
 Geothermal energy concentrated where magma is near the surface
 Technology is being developed to drill into this rock, inject cold water
down one well, circulate it through the hot, fractured rock, and draw
off the heated water from another well.
 Circulation of groundwater allows water to heat up
 Hot groundwater drives turbines
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

19. GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Historical and Uses:
➢ From hot springs, geothermal energy has been used
for bathing since Paleolithic times and for space
heating since ancient Roman times, but it is now
better known for electricity generation.
➢ Worldwide, 11,700 megawatts (MW) of geothermal
power is online in 2013.
➢ An additional 28 gigawatts of direct geothermal
heating capacity is installed for district heating, space
heating, spas, industrial processes, desalination and
agricultural applications.

20. GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Locations:
➢Ring of Fire
➢Over 20 countries: Iceland, U.S., Italy, France, China, Japan, …etc.
➢Geothermal power has been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries.

21. World Wide Geothermal Uses and
Potential

22. Origin of Geothermal Energy
 Earth's internal heat is thermal energy generated
from radioactive decay and continual heat loss
from Earth's formation. Temperatures at the core–
mantle boundary may reach over 5000 C.
 Geothermal energy originates from the Earth’s
core, which is estimated to have a temperature of
about 5,000°C.
 The high temperature and pressure in Earth's
interior cause some rock to melt and solid mantle
to behave plastically, resulting in portions of mantle
convecting upward since it is lighter than the
surrounding rock. Rock and water is heated in the
crust, sometimes up to 370°C.
 The upper 10 feet of Earth's surface maintains a
nearly constant temperature between 50 and 60°F.
 The geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from the geothermal gradient,
which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet and its
surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat from
the core to the surface.

23. Geothermal Sources
 Hot Water Reservoirs
➢ Heated underground water pools, very large in magnitude in the U.S.;
not appropriate for electricity but can be useful for space heating
 Natural Steam Reservoirs
➢ e.g. The Geysers power plant (Ca). Highly desirable type of resource
for direct generation of electric, though very rare
 Geopressured Reservoirs
➢ Hot, superheated brine solution saturated with natural gas. Useful for
both its heat content and natural gas
 Hot Dry Rock
➢ Hot rock can be used to heat a working fluid is forced through a series
of man-made channels and cycled. No technology yet exists to do
this
 Hot Molten Rock (Lava)
➢ No technology yet exists to extract heat energy from lava

24. TWO TYPES
• Hot-Dry (magma source)
• Cold-Wet (Earth as heat pump)

25. HOT-DRY
• Geysers, Hot springs,
etc.
• Restricted to active
igneous provinces
• Generate electricity
through steam
turbines
• Electricity distributed
to homes and
businesses

26. Geothermal Power Plants
• There are three types of geothermal power plants
– Direct Dry Steam Plants
– Flash Cycle Plants
– Binary Closed Cycle Plants

27. Use heat to make steam to turn
turbine for electrical generation
Note: deep hot waters are
corrosive to best to inject clean
water in a closed system and bring
it back to the surface as steam.
Geothermal Energy in More Details

28. Disadvantages
 High upfront costs associated with
exploration and drilling
 Finite lifetime of useful energy production
➢ Continuous drop in thermal output
overtime
➢ Once the thermal energy of a well is
tapped, it requires a “recharging”
period that can take several years.
 Very location specific (e.g. Iceland)
 There are significant volumes of greenhouse
gases and toxic compounds such as hydrogen
sulfide that are released when geothermal
reservoirs are tapped
➢ Foul smelling gases
➢ Pumps used to circulate working fluid
consume fossil fuel
 Earthquakes induced by fracking.
 Geothermal energy is a renewable energy
source.
 Geothermal energy is relatively clean
➢ Produces 12% of GHG emission of
fossil fuel plants)
 Geothermal energy can be used for cooling
and heating homes.
 Not subject to the same fluctuations as
solar or wind
 Smallest land footprint of any major power
source
 Virtually limitless supply
 Inherently simple and reliable
 Can provide base load or peak power
 Already cost competitive in some areas
(~$0.07 per kWh)
 Could be built underground
 Massive potential for the utilization of
untapped sources
 New technologies show promise to utilize
lower water temperatures
Advantages

29. Wind energy

30. Wind in action:
when wind strikes an object, it exerts a force in an attempt to move it out of the
way. Some of the winds’ energy is transferred to the object, in this case the
windmill, causing it to move.
History of Wind usage:
✓ one of the earliest energy resources.
✓Recorded in history, first to power boats and
grind grain, later to pump water, press oil, saw
lumber and make paper.
✓Windmills were mentioned at the beginning of
Islamic civilization (7th century).
✓Windmills were developed in Persia and used
paddles made of bundled reeds.
✓Egyptians may have been the first to go up
the Nile river around 4th century B.C, powered
by wind.
✓Ancient Chinese used vertical axis windmills
to grind grain and pump water.
✓Windmills were introduced to Europe by the
crusaders around 1300 A.D
*windmills used for pumping water.
Wind Today!!!
➢ Windmills are used for pumping
water from deep underground.
➢ Modern wind turbine is the result
of design and material advances
made during the 1980s and
1990s, which enabled wind
turbines to become increasingly
efficient.
➢ Today, wind turbines are size
same as the traditional European
windmill. It can generate 250 to
300 kilowatts of power- a nearly
tenfold increase in efficiency.

31. Global Wind Patterns

32. How do you convert wind into electricity???
Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the
wind into mechanical power.
This mechanical power can be used for specific
tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water)
or a generator can convert this mechanical power
into electricity.
A wind turbine works the opposite of a fan.
Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan,
wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The
wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which
connects to a generator and makes electricity.
The energy in the wind turns two or three
propeller-like blades around a rotor. The rotor is
connected to the main shaft, which spins a
generator to create electricity.
Wind turbines are mounted on a tower to capture
the most energy. At 100 feet (30 meters) or more
above ground, they can take advantage of faster
and less turbulent wind.

33. LARGE TURBINES:
 Able to deliver electricity at lower cost than
smaller turbines, because foundation costs,
planning costs, etc. are independent of size.
 Well-suited for offshore wind plants.
 In areas where it is difficult to find sites, one large
turbine on a tall tower uses the wind extremely
efficiently.
SMALL TURBINES:
▪ Local electrical grids may not be able to handle
the large electrical output from a large turbine,
so smaller turbines may be more suitable.
▪ High costs for foundations for large turbines may
not be economical in some areas.
▪ Landscape considerations

34. Wind energy
Disadvantages
 It is not always windy.
 Depending on how energetic a wind site is, the wind farm may or may not be
cost competitive.
 Wind energy cannot be stored (unless batteries are used)
 Good wind sites are often located in remote locations
 Lots of wind turbines are needed to produce enough power.
 Turbines can only be put in windy areas.
 Wind resource development may compete with other uses for the land and
those alternative uses may be more highly valued than electricity generation.
 Sometimes birds have been killed by flying into the rotors
Advantages
No pollution.
Lowest prices renewable resources
Don’t produce atmospheric emissions
that cause acid rains and green house
effects.

35. Banning Pass
Wind Power in More Details
Netherlands =
coastal development
England = off shore

36. Biomass Energy

37. Biomass Energy
What is it…?
 Biomass Energy, is a renewable energy
source made of biological material from
living, or recently living organisms.
 Energy is released by combustion
(burning).
 Energy from burning organic or living
matter.
 The largest U.S. renewable energy
source every year since 2000, it also
provides the only renewable alternative
for liquid transportation fuel (US EPA).
 Biomass power boilers are typically in
the 20-50 MW range, compared to coal-
fired plants in the 100-1500 MW range
(US EPA).
 Currently, this is the largest source of
renewable energy.
➢ However, much of this is low-technology
uses in developing
countries. Presumably usage of these
fuels will fall as countries grow.
 Other fuels include things such as
ethanol.
➢ Is there enough farmland to grow the
needed feedstocks as well as supplying
necessary food supply?
 Producing Energy from Biomass
❖ Energy from burning organic or living
matter:
➢ Biomass and biofuels
➢ Biomass plantations
➢ Crop residues
➢ Animal manure
➢ Biogas
➢ Ethanol
➢ Methanol

38. Biomass Energy
Advantages
▪ Good use of materials that
we would consider
secondary
▪ An alternative fuel source
that is a good secondary
source
▪ Relatively low cost of
production
▪ Produces less pollution than
fossil fuels.
▪ Does not cause acid rain.
▪ Can be found locally.
▪ It is renewable.
Disadvantages
▪ Not a primary source of
energy.
▪ Must include vast amounts
of growth to include a
supplemental source of
energy.
▪ Inefficient (only 30%
efficiency).
▪ Releases harmful solid
carbon particles into the
atmosphere.

40. Hydrogen Fuel
 The Hydrogen Revolution:
✓ Environmentally friendly
✓ Extracting hydrogen efficiently
✓ Storing hydrogen
✓ Fuel cells
 “"Hydrogen Technologies:
National Hydrogen Storage
Project“.
Hydrogen is expensive fuel if
converted per gallon gasoline.
Estimates to balance at 2015
Hydrogen cuts back on air
pollution emissions
There are promising new
advancements in storage and
supply.