Renewable Energy

Renewable Sources of Energy

HydroSolarWindGeothermalBiomassTidal

How much renewable energy does Canada use?

Check out the Green pieces of pie.

• Flowing water is used to spin a turbine to generate electricity

Diga del Cingino dam in ItalyLook closer... See spots on the dam wall? What are they?

European Ibex like to eat the moss and lichen. They also lick the salt off the dam wall.

Hydro Power in Canada

• 581 large hydropower dams

• Quebec has the largest number (32%), followed by Ontario and BC

Niagara Falls RMR Rick at the Niagara Falls tunnel project: Big Becky completed 2013http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1tT7upP6JE

Sainte-Marguerite rockfill dam, QuebecRises 171 metres in the air and is the highest dam of its kind in Québec.

The stability of this concrete dam is ensured by the structure's weight.

Daniel Johnson Dam, QuebecMultiple-arch-and-buttress dam Inaugurated in 1969, it was named after Québec's Premier.Its reservoir is four times the size of the Island of Montréal, making it the 5th largest reservoir in the world

Hydroelectricity energy: Pros

• Capable of generating large amounts of power

• Reliable; water flowing means electricity is produced

• No emissions

Hydroelectricity energy

Cons: • Flooding for reservoir can disrupt local ecosystems• Cannot be built everywhere• Sites are often distant from where energy is used/needed

RMR Rick builds power lineshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-B3D3nvUho

Hydroelectricity

• Video - Three Gorges Dam• Edward Burtynsky “Three Gorges Talk”• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-

13460536•

• http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/7143-china-three-gorges-dam-video.htm 2008

Whitehorse Hydroelectric Station, Yukon River

Salmon Fish Ladder

Salmon Fish Ladder

Humans have harnessed wind power for thousands of years, using sails to propel ships and windmills to pump water. Only in the past 30 years has wind been used to generate large utility-scale electricity.

Windmills in Netherlands

WIND• Energy of blowing wind spins a turbine to generate electrical energy

Kingston

Installed Wind Energy

http://www.canwea.ca/farms/wind-farms_e.php

Pincher Creek AlbertaCanada’s First commercial wind farm

• 1994

Grouse Mountain, Vancouver:world’s first and only wind turbine that allows you to stand in a clear glass viewPOD at the top of the tower, three metres from its massive, rotating blades Video: http://www.grousemountain.com/eye-of-the-wind/video

WIND

Pros: • No emissions or waste • Windy areas have consistently strong winds• No disruption to ecosystems.

Wind Turbines

Cons: • Requires consistently fast winds to generate

electricity • NIMBY: unsightly and noisy

Wolfe IslandNear Kingston, Lake Ontario (86 turbines)

http://www.canwea.ca/wind-energy/myths_e.php

• Main sound comes from the aerodynamic swoosh of the blades passing the tower.

Solar Energy

• Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert sunlight directly into electricity.

• sunlight strikes the panel creating an electrical currentSolar Energy Explained http://www.aboriginalenergy.ca/solarpopup.html RMR Rick installs Solar Panels Oshawahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmI2BjOO9gg

Solar Map of Canada

The 13 PV hotspots in each province and territory in terms of yearly PV potential for south-facing PV panels with latitude tilt.

Solar Energy: AdvantagesSimple to operate, no moving parts to fixUsually reliable (the sun rises each day)Zero emissions or pollutionNo noise

Animation: http://www.odec.ca/projects/2006/wong6j2/solar.html

Solar energy: Disadvantages

• Solar panels are expensive. • Inefficient in low sun and cloudy conditions • Large surface areas are required to generate

useful amounts of energy

Geothermal• Earth's natural heat used to

power turbines and generate electricity

• Underground steam and hot springs

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Pros: • Renewable, Earth’s heat is consistent• Simple technologyCons:• Can be expensive to drill depending on

bedrock

Biomass• Organic material that can be

burned to generated renewable power

• Examples include wood by-products, municipal waste and livestock manure

Biomass Explained:http://www.aboriginalenergy.ca/biomasspopup.html

Biomass

Pros: Renewable sources of waste products (from agriculture, forestry and food processing). Technology exists at coal/fossil fuel power plants

Cons: Burning causes some polluting gases, smells

Tidal Energy

The energy of moving sea waves spins turbines to generate power.

Pro: RenewablePredictable patterns of tides

and waves No pollution

CBC 2009

Tidal Energy

Cons: • Expensive• Equipment must be able to withstand salt

water & sand• Underwater turbines can kill fish

See Animation: http://www.odec.ca/projects/2006/wong6j2/tidal.html

http://www.energybc.ca/images/profiles/tidal/canadatidal.png

Tidal Power Potential

http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/C2C8B6C9-3F12-42D1-B156-E549B4AB733A/2006_Total_Generation_by_Fuel.jpg

Sources• http://www.aboriginalenergy.ca/types-renewable-energy• http://www.energybc.ca/profiles/largehydro.html • http://www.energybc.ca/profiles/biofuels.html • http://www.energybc.ca/profiles/wind.html • http://www.energybc.ca/profiles/nuclear.html

Pros of Renewable Energy Sources

• The word 'renewable', says it all.

• Clean source of energy as they do not involve the combustion or burning of fossil fuels or other substances

• Plentiful and are available all over the world

• Low maintenance costs• Non-perishable energy sources

Cons of Renewable Energy Sources• Problems with reliability and consistency • Initial investment or setup cost is significantly

high• Poor global acceptance of renewable energy

on a mass scale