Comparing Two Methods of Energy Production - Research Paper Example

No: Comparison of Two Methods of Energy Production Energy is considered as the most important need of the humans. In most regions of the regions of the world, life is considered to be incomplete without power. Electric appliances, ovens, stoves, etc consume energy. In order to generate the energy many methods have been utilized. The selection of a method and the priority of selecting one method of energy generation over the other require careful research according to the locating of the region, economic condition of the region or the power generation company and the environmental conditions. The conventional methods of the power generation requires fossil fuel as the sources of the power, however, alternate resources of energy generate energy by the utilization of the sustainable resources of energy, like solar, wind, geothermal, hydrodynamic, etc. As, the population of the world is growing, the hunger of the power is growing. During the past few decades, the hunger for the power reached to a higher level (Manwell, McGowan & Rogers, 2009). The fuel prices are also rising due to the increase in the demand and shortening of the resources. Thus, the conventional power generation methods are now seem to be costly as compared to the alternate power generation methods. On the other hand, alternate methods of the power generation are not only considered as cost efficient but also environmentally responsible. In this paper, the conventional power generation methods and wind power generation method are compared according to the economic stability, environmental stability and the most appropriate future power generation methods. Coal is the compound that is mostly utilized for the generation of electrical energy. Coal is also the dirtiest type of fossil fuels due to the production of solid as well aerosol wastes. Natural gas is the cleanest form of the fossil fuels (Manwell, McGowan & Rogers, 2009). Coal is directly or indirectly burnt in the presence of air to release amount of heat energy. When coal is burnt in the presence of the air, it reacts with the oxygen present in the air and releases energy undergoing an exothermic reaction. The heat energy released by burning the coal is then utilized to change the water into super saturated steam that may have a temperature as high as 600 degrees on the Celsius scale (Manwell, McGowan & Rogers, 2009). High pressure super saturated steam is then utilized in the steam turbine engine. The high pressure super saturated steam influences the blades of the turbine to react in response to the high pressure steam. Blades are attached to the rotor that converts the steam energy into rotational motion. The rotational motion is then shifted to the electrical generator that converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy. Two major types of alternating current generators are utilizing to convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy; permanent magnet generators and induction generators. Both are technologies are utilized in the power generation industry depending upon the amount of power generation. Wind energy conversion system is a simple conversion method. Wind strikes with blades of the wind turbine, the turbine blades react with the influence of the wind and produces a rotation in the rotor of the turbine. The rotor rotates the armature of the generator that induces electromotive forces in the corresponding coils and thus generates the electrical current. The blades of the wind turbine are such designed to take maximum advantage form the wind and a better control and gear system ensure the higher performance from the wind turbine. Wind power generation method is becoming more popular due to the higher efficiency and greater reliability as compared to the other alternate resources. Horizontal axis wind turbines are employed by many countries to generate electrical energy (Knopper & Ollson, 2011). However, vertical axis wind turbines are gaining popularity dye to simpler design and better performance particularly at smaller scale generation of electrical power. The two power generation methods have major differences. The major difference is the utilization of the fuels. One power generation method relies on the sustainable source of power while other depends on the conventional source of energy (EWEA, n.d.). The two power generation methods are economically, environmentally and socially different. However, the preference given to one method over the other depends upon the economic and environmental perspectives, while the social acceptance of a power generation method depends on the social norms, culture and literacy rates of the region. One of the major issues that the world is facing is the missions of the green house gases. The major component of the green house gases is Carbon dioxide. Fossil fuels and hydrocarbons produce huge amounts of carbon dioxide when burnt in air due to the presence of carbon. The major portion of human energy requirements are fulfilled by burning coal in the thermal power plants around the world (EWEA, n.d.). Coal produces largest amount of carbon dioxide along with other green house gases like the sulphur dioxide. On the other hand, the emissions of the small particles of carbon affect visibility and human health. Green house emissions influence the earth’s temperature to rise to 1 degree averagely. In warmer climate, the change is not considered as the major change but for the colder environments that change in the temperature has some catastrophic impacts. Melting of the Atlantic glaciers, alteration in the hydrologic cycles and loss of biodiversity are some major impacts of the global warming. Atlantic glaciers are considered to maintain the temperature of the regions and the world (National Research Council, 2007). The melting of the glaciers may impact the world atmosphere to be harsher. The freezing of the upper layer of the oceans in the winters and the melting in the summer is the source of providing oxygen to the marine creatures (Sepp & Buchenrieder, 2009). Global warming prevents the ice to build on the oceans in the winters and thus no oxygen is transported to the marine creatures, this result in the loss of biodiversity of the region. The change of the hydrologic cycles impacted almost half of the world to face the severe droughts, while the half of the world face other catastrophes like floods, heavy rains, etc. All these the environmental impacts of utilizing the coal or other fossil fuel to provide the energy requirements. Wind energy is free from any of the environmental impacts discussed above, as the wind power generation method burns nothing to generate energy. Wind power generation method only utilizes the force of wind to generate energy (U.S Department of Energy, 2012). The cycle from the manufacturing to the utilization of the wind generators has some green house emissions but the emissions can be neglected due to low impact on the environment (National Research Council, 2007). If all the energy is produced by utilizing the wind energy, the environmental impacts of the coal can be lessened. Thus it is clear, that the wind energy has no negative impacts on the environment. The most important comparison perspective is the economic perspective. The initial cost required to build a coal based thermal power plant is a lesser than the wind power plant (U.S Department of Energy, 2012). But the wind power plant has no or little operational cost, while the operational cost of the coal based power plant depends on the cost of the coal. As the coal prices rise, the unit cost of a coal fired power plant rises gradually. However, the unit cost of the wind power plant decreases gradually (EWEA, n.d.). The management cost of the coal fired power plant is much higher as compared to the wind power plant, as wind power requires less maintenance as compared to the coal fired power plant. The maintenance cost also includes the waste management cost but wind energy produces no wastes and thus no such cost is applied. Thus, it is clear that from all economic perspectives wind energy is far more advantageous as compared to the energy generated from the coal (Sepp & Buchenrieder, 2009). The third important perspective is the social perspective. Coal has been considered as the cheap resource of energy in the countries where massive amounts of coal is buried in ground, thus having large reserves of coal but for the countries that import coal to provide the demand of the energy find that coal costs much higher as compared to renewable resources (Knopper & Ollson, 2011). Social perspectives may depend both on the economic conditions as well as on the social awareness of the people about the green house gases and global warming. More and more societies tend to reject the conventional power generation methods and emphasize government and authorities to cut down utilizing the coal based power. Sometimes, the sound from the wind turbine becomes a reason of rejection from the people. Moreover, as the wind power plants cover a large area of land, the plants are considered to be costly and the land remains uncultivated. However, the land can be utilized for the irrigation. Wind energy is most appropriate for the future, as the environmental aspects of the fossil fuel bases power generation system are harsh, the seems to be less economical to construct a coal based power generation plant due to the fluctuation in the prices of the oil and coal (U.S Department of Energy, 2012). The production process is complex and requires higher maintenance as compared to the wind energy. Thus wind energy is the energy for the future. Wind energy has also the largest potential as compared to other renewable after the solar but solar energy is considered as the most expensive to be harnessed for the energy generation. There is a need to cut down the utilization of the coal to generate power. Power and energy have a significant role in the modern world. Industries are made to generate products by utilizing the energy generated by the power plants. In the similar way, the electrical appliances in our homes depend upon the energy generated in a power plant (Sepp & Buchenrieder, 2009). The important aspect of the electrical power is that the electrical power can easily be converted to other forms and can easily be transported from the point of generation to the point of utilization. However, it is important to consider the environmental as well as economic point of the power generated. The higher cost of the energy influences the industry and thus all the products manufactured in the industry. Thus, impacts the economic system. Coal based energy generated has high price and thus it is improper for the industry and the economics. Wind energy has lower cost and thus has positive impact on the economic system. The environmental aspects of the coal based power plant are worse as compared to all other power conversion systems that thus remain inappropriate for the future. In this way, wind energy is the technology for the better future of the world. Works Cited EWEA. Wind Energy and the Environment. Environmental Benefits, External Costs, Local Impacts, Public Acceptance. n.d. Web. 29 September 2012. Knopper, Loren D. & Ollson, Christopher A. “Health Effects and Wind Turbines: A Review of the Literature”. Environmental Health, 2011. Web. 29 September 2012 Manwell, James F., McGowan, Jon G. & Rogers, Anthony L. Wind Energy Explained: Theory, Design and Application. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2009. National Research Council. Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects. Washington: National Academic Press .May 2007. Web. 29 September 2012 Sepp, Mati & Buchenrieder , Gertrud. “Analysis of Renewable Energy and Its Impact on Rural Development in Estonia”. AgriPolicy Enlargement Network for Agripolicy Analysis. November 2009. Web. 29 September 2012 U.S Department of Energy. “How Do Wind Turbine Works”. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 2012. Web. 29 September 2012 U.S Department of Energy. “Wind energy Resource Potential”. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 2012. Web. 29 September 2012 Read More