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ITEE Journal
ISSN:‐2306‐708X
Information Technology & Electrical Engineering
©2012-15 International Journal of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
The Need For Renewable Energy Sources
Umair Shahzad
1
Department of Electrical Engineering, Riphah International University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Email:
1
umairshahzada@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
An ever growing population means an ever growing requirement for energy. Nowadays, enormity of energy cannot be denied. It
is essential in every walk of life. Energy sources can be broadly classified as renewable and non renewable. Knowing the
dreadful fact that nonrenewable sources will eventually deplete, the importance of renewable sources cannot be underestimated.
The most important aspect while utilizing them is their impact on the environment. This paper briefly presents the importance
of renewable sources of energy owing to the backdrop of fossil fuel dilemma. Major emphasis is placed on the use of alternative
energy technologies. Some applications of renewable sources and future of energy is also discussed.
Keywords: Energy, renewable, non renewable, alternative energy technology, fossil fuel
1. INTRODUCTION
Renewable energy is the energy which is derived from a
limitless source. Proper utilization of energy resources is a hot
debate going these days. It is very essential to choose which
source of energy must be used and why. Majority of factors
such as cleanliness, cost, stability, efficiency and
environmental effects must be taken into account. It is a bitter
fact that many industries around the world are still dependent
on fossil fuels for electricity generation. No doubt, these fuels
are very effective as far as power production quality is
concerned, but in the long run they are not advantageous.
Fossil fuels will deplete one day and the industries must turn
to renewable sources as soon as possible. Moreover, these
fossil fuels pose a huge threat to environmental balance and
are a cause of many ecological hazards.
2. FOSSIL FUEL DILEMMA
Fossil fuels are basically compounds of hydrocarbons
comprising of coal, natural gas and oil. The main dilemma of
fossil fuels is not the use of them but the ill side effects their
usage creates. Fossil fuels are not sustainable. It means they
will eventually deplete. When they are burnt, they produce
large amounts of harmful gases, the most noteworthy being
carbon dioxide gas. This gas is the greatest culprit in
producing global warming. This global warming is
continuously playing its negative part in increasing the
temperature of the planet and endangering the lives of species
on it. Moreover, due to these high temperatures, ice has been
constantly melting at Arctic and Antarctica which is making
the sea levels higher than normal. This can lead to floods and
can severely affect agricultural and fishing activities.
Middle East countries have huge reserves of coal, oil and
natural gas and many other countries are dependent on them
for invariable supply of these fuels. Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a group of 12
countries which include Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Libya,
Nigeria, Venezuela and Middle East countries like Iran, Iraq,
Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. According to the
Energy Information Administration (EIA), these are
responsible for about 40 percent of the world’s total oil
production and hold the majority of the world’s oil reserves.
This monopoly results in drastic worldwide price fluctuations
in fossil fuels [1].
Burning of fossil fuels produce nitrogen monoxide,
nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide gases.
These deleterious gases directly give birth to air pollution
which causes smog and dilapidation of human health and plant
growth. Acidic rain, majorly caused by sulphur dioxide, leads
particularly to the destruction of marble monuments and crops.
Coal mining has deprived land of its liveliness and has made it
barren. There are various portions of land where crop cannot
be grown due to this harmful side effect. Coal mining has
caused many unfortunate deaths in the past. For instance, in
1942, an explosion at the Benxihu Colliery, in China, killed
1549 miners in a single day. Oil spilling has totally destroyed
ecosystems. Leakage of fossil fuel often takes place, mainly
when it is being transported by water. When the ship that
carries these fuels sinks, the fuel will merge with the sea water
that kills sea creatures. Such incidents have happened in the
past. The largest oil spill to date is the Ixtoc I in Mexico.
During this accident, half a million ton of crude oil dumped
into the Gulf of Mexico which polluted 162 miles of U.S.
beaches. In Jaipur, India, 5 people died and over 200 were
injured when a fire broke out at an oil depot few years back.
Similarly, natural gas causes unpleasant odors and is known to
cause transportation problems. In 2013, Sinopec pipeline
exploded in Shandong Province in China, taking away
precious lives of 55 people. The companies of coal, oil and
natural gas very well know about these serious coercions but
they are constrained. They cannot do anything until renewable
energy sources become more feasible as major providers of
energy [2], [3].
3. IMPORTANCE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
The most significant feature of renewable energy is its
plentiful supply. It is infinite. Renewable energy sources are
hygienic sources of energy that have a much lesser negative
environmental impact than conventional fossil energy
technologies. Most renewable energy investments are spent on
materials and personnel to build and maintain the facilities,
rather than on costly energy imports.
With technological advancements in mass communication,
people have now become aware of the demerits of burning
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fossil fuels. Renewable energy is the need of the hour. Its
clean and sustainable nature has compelled the human beings
to think seriously about it. Scientists and Engineers, around
the world, are continuously working and researching in this
domain. They are finding new ways to use these sources of
energy effectively. Global warming is a huge hazard which is
being caused by burning of coal, oil and natural gas. It is very
harmful for the planet and the living beings on it. Moreover,
fossil fuels are a cause of many unfortunate mishaps in the
past as described before. To put an end to this apocalypse; we
must resort to renewable sources. This is because they are
cleaner and do not produce poisonous harmful gases.
Moreover, fossil fuels are finite. They will certainly end one
day. Therefore, before the crucial stage comes up, experts of
energy sectors must maintain a positive attitude in this regard
and should try their level best to replace fossils fuels with
renewable energy sources as the main sources of generating
electricity.
Renewable energy is dependable and copious and will
potentially be very cheap, once this technology and its present
infrastructure are enhanced. The major sources of renewable
energy include solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydropower
and tidal energy. Non renewable energy, such as coal, natural
gas and oil, require costly explorations and potentially
dangerous mining and drilling, and they will become more
expensive as supplies diminish and energy demand increases.
Renewable energy produces only small levels of carbon
emissions and therefore, helps battle climate change caused by
fossil fuel burning.
Renewable energy sector is comparatively new in most
countries and this sector can attract a lot of companies to
invest in it. This can create a pool of new jobs for the
unemployed. Therefore, renewable energy can play a very
significant role in bringing the unemployment scale down in
many countries, especially the developing ones. This, in turn,
will make a substantial difference to their economies.
Renewable energy can make the electricity prices stable. It is
because their cost is dependent only on the initial invested
capital and is free of the fluctuating costs of coal, oil and
natural gas.
The daily price of oil depends on various factors which
also includes political stability in various regions of the globe.
In the past, political discords have caused severe energy crises.
Renewable energy can be locally produced and therefore, it is
not vulnerable to distant political disturbances. Many of the
safety concerns engulfing fossil fuels, such as explosions on
oil platforms and collapsing coal mines do not exist with
renewable energy. Coal, natural gas and oil reserves are
restricted and veiled. An unknown and inadequate amount of
each resource is buried deep underground or under the ocean.
As more of these reserves are harvested, finding new sources
shall become more complicated and more expensive, and
utilizing them becomes tougher and sometimes risky as well.
Trivial reserves, such as oil sands, require the burning of huge
amounts of natural gas to process them into exploitable oil.
Drilling under the ocean floor can lead to calamitous
accidents, such as the famous British Petroleum Oil Spill in
2010. On the contrary, renewable energy is as effortless to
find as wind or sunlight. Renewable energy is far cleaner than
fossil fuels. Coal mining and petroleum exploration produce
solid toxic wastes, such as mercury, lead and other heavy
metals. The burning of coal to generate electricity uses large
quantities of water which often discharges arsenic and lead
compounds into surface waters and releases carbon dioxide,
sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury into the air.
Gasoline and other products of petroleum cause similar
pollution. These pollutants cause respiratory illnesses and
death in humans, produce acid rain that devastates buildings
and destroys fragile ecosystems, and deplete the ozone layer
through global warming [4].
4. APPLICATIONS OF RENEWABLE
ENERGY
Applications of renewable energy are broadly classified as
“on-grid” and “off-grid”. A grid is basically an integration of
generation, transmission and distribution system which
supplies energy to several consumers. On-grid and off-grid are
the terms which describe the way electricity is delivered. On-
grid deals with power stations which are directly connected to
grids such as wind farm and solar panels. Off-
grid applications, in general, serve only one load, such as a
small home or a village house. Off-grid applications can take
many forms, from photovoltaic (PV) modules for an
individual village home to centralized windmills to power a
village water pump or a commercial battery charging facility.
These off-grid applications are most generally used in remote
or rural settings. A major on-grid application is to generate
electricity in mass amounts [5].
The most important application of wind energy is the wind
turbine. The wind turbine can convert the energy in the wind
to mechanical power which, in turn, can be fed into a
generator to generate large amounts of electricity. This
electricity may be used to charge batteries or pump water.
Wind energy can also be used in wind-powered vehicles. This
can save a lot of fuel and can provide increased performance
and efficiency. Similarly, solar energy can be used to power
photovoltaic panels which are an excellent way of producing
electricity at small scales, especially for rural and remote
areas, where transmission lines cannot reach. Due to their little
maintenance and high reliability, they are ideal to use in
isolated and far-flung places. Offices can employ glass PV
modules for reliable supply of electricity. Solar energy is also
widely utilized in solar water heaters, solar calculators and
solar lights. They work on the principle of storing energy from
the sun during the day and utilizing it at night time.
Geothermal energy is most common amongst farmers. They
use this energy to heat their greenhouses which enable them to
grow various fruits and vegetables all around the year. In some
countries, the heat produced from this energy is also utilized to
heat pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes in order to prevent
them from freezing in extreme winters. Solid biomass can be
burnt in incinerators to produce heat that can be used to
produce steam for electricity generation. Biomass can also be
converted to biofuels like ethanol for transportation needs. A
widely used application of hydropower is in a compressor.
Specially designed compressors can be used for adjusting
turbine blades and governor valves. They can also be used to
blow out the water to eliminate the load during starting [6],
[7].
5. THE FUTURE OF ENERGY
Proper use of energy is very vital in catering the need for
energy demand. Experts all over the world are of the opinion
to utilize renewable energy sources for power generation.
Gone are the days when fuel prices were low and power
companies resorted to fossil fuels for meeting energy demand.
The sustainable nature of wind, hydropower, geothermal, solar
and biomass highly encourage the energy supply companies to
utilize them. Moreover, people can setup small solar panels
over their homes to tackle their own load demands. These
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sources of energy are not hazardous to the environment since
they do not require any sort of mining and drilling and
produce nearly no pollution. Most importantly, they are much
more economical than fossil fuels and do not cause adverse
mishaps.
Conservation of energy and utilizing renewable sources is
the ultimate destination of energy. Many vehicles run on
gasoline (which is a fossil fuel). Gasoline will deplete one day
and vehicle industry must resort to some new sort of energy
such as hybrid systems to continue its business. Energy can be
conserved in many ways. Many a times, we take for granted
the lights being switched on. When not in the room, the lights
do not need to be switched on. This practice will certainly
save lots of cash on electricity bill. Incandescent lamps can be
replaced with Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). They
consume very less power and give much more light using the
same amount of current. This not only saves money, but it also
conserves an energy source for others. Air conditioning and
heating are responsible for a large percentage of electricity
bills in various countries. Consider adjusting the thermostat of
air conditioner and heater by a few degrees, but while still
maintaining soothe. For example, if the heater is typically set
to 71 degree Fahrenheit in the peak winter, set it to, for
instance, 69 and if the air conditioner is at 73 in the peak
summer, set it to, for instance, 75. Just a couple of degrees can
make a considerable indentation in the amount of energy
consumed while this also reduces the electricity bill.
6. THE SOLUTION
There is no hesitation in saying that people are becoming
increasingly conscious of the importance of using renewable
sources of energy but still a lot of work needs to be done in
this domain. For instance, awareness programs must be started
in various regions by local Engineers and Scientists to make
people responsive of the importance of alternative energy
technologies. They must also discourage them to use fossil
fuels due to their evident demerits to the environment and
living beings. Courses on renewable sources must be made
compulsory to students at school, college and university levels
in order to make them realize their significance and to increase
their knowledge in this sphere. The governments should revise
the power policies to cope with the energy crisis and to make
full use of renewable energy sources. Innovative solutions
must be brought by experts in the field to solve the energy
catastrophe. Technology exchange programs must be initiated
by developed countries in order to help the developing
countries to establish, build and reinforce the renewable
energy sector.
7. CONCLUSION
Alternative energy sources are here to stay. They have
become an integral part of the energy portfolio. The objective
in using renewable energy sources is to reduce the pessimistic
environmental effects associated with non renewable energy
sources such as coal, oil and natural gas. Choosing to use a
renewable energy source will not only translate into cost
savings over the long-term, but will also help protect the
environment from the risks of fossil fuel emissions. Energy
conservation awareness campaigns must be initiated at
government level to make people aware of the importance of
conserving energy. Moreover, power companies should
gradually resort to the use of renewable resources as they are
profuse and will never deplete. Social media can play a key
role in this by educating people about energy sources and their
utilization. Colleges and universities should teach a
compulsory subject on energy conservation and utilization.
Given that these steps are followed accurately, the time is not
far when the entire world will be reliant on renewable sources
for power production because this is the definitive future of
energy.
REFERENCES
[1] “Fossil Fuels” [Online], Available at
http://www.conserve-energy-
future.com/disadvantages_fossilfuels.php, [Accessed 16th
April 2015].
[2] Mclamb E., “Fossil fuels vs. renewable energy resources”,
6th September 2011 [Online], Available at
http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/06/fossil-fuels-
renewable-energy-resources/, [Accessed 20th April 2015].
[3] Anders CJ., “Greatest fossil fuels disasters in human
history”, 2010 [Online], Available at
http://io9.com/5526826/greatest-fossil-fuel-disasters-in-
human-history, [Accessed 20th April 2015].
[4] Moll E., “Importance of renewable sources of energy”
[Online], Available at
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/importance-renewable-
resources-energy-79690.html, [Accessed 17th April
2015].
[5] “Renewable energy overview” [Online], Available at
http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/unit/oea79e/ch05.ht
m, [Accessed 17th April 2015].
[6] “Applications for solar energy” [Online], Available at
http://www.solarpowernotes.com/solar-energy-
applications.html#.VTTaAyGqqko, [Accessed 20th April
2015].
[7] “Saur Compressors-hydroelectric power plant
applications”, 3rd April 2012 [Online], Available at
http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/sauer-
compressors-hydroelectric-power-plant-applications-
613186, [Accessed 20th April 2015].
AUTHOR’S PROFILE
Mr. Umair Shahzad was born in Faisalabad, Pakistan on
28th September, 1987. He has completed his M.Sc. Electrical
Engineering Degree, with Distinction, from The University of
Nottingham (U.K.) in 2012. Prior to that, he received his B.Sc.
Electrical Engineering Degree from University of Engineering
& Technology, Lahore (Pakistan) in 2010.
He has worked at The University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad
(Pakistan) as a LECTURER for two years. During this tenure,
he has taught various subjects on Control and Power
Engineering to B.Sc. Electrical Engineering students. On his
outstanding teaching abilities, he was presented the Best
Teacher Award in 2014. His research interests mainly consist
of power systems, load flow studies, renewable energy and
smart grids. Presently, he is performing his duties as a
LECTURER at Electrical Engineering Department, Riphah
International University, Faisalabad.
Mr. Shahzad is currently a member of Pakistan
Engineering Council (PEC).
