Alternative Engery Sources

[Prometheus]

ok i know for a while know we have all been talking about this so ifigured that it was a bout time it got a dedicated thread.

[Prometheus]

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/12/16/pei-wind051215.html

P.E.I. looks to wind power
Last Updated Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:54:18 EST
CBC News
The utility that serves Prince Edward Island plans to spend $60 million to develop a wind farm on the Island.


INDEPTH: Power

 
Wind farm in Fort Macleod, Alberta. (CP Photo) 
The proposal is a change for Maritime Electric, which had said that wind power was too expensive.

"The technology has improved dramatically in the past few years," president Jim Lea now says. "The cost has declined and the reliability has increased. That has a big factor on the economics."

There are already eight wind generators at the PEI Energy Corp. site. They're expected to supply two per cent of the province's needs. PEI Energy Corp. is a Crown corporation and the province is pushing wind power because it's a clean, renewable source.

Provincial Environment Minister Jamie Ballem said if Maritime Electric opens its own operation, P.E.I. will exceed its goal of getting 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2010.

"I guess I'm surprised, and somewhat pleasantly surprised, that Maritime Electric is seeing that wind energy is an alternative, and a very viable alternative for the province," he said.

Wind is the fastest-growing source of electricity in the world, and in Canada, provinces and companies are rushing to adopt it, the Canadian Wind Energy Association website says.

Canada has about 590 megawatts of installed wind power, with nearly half in Alberta and a third in Quebec, the association says.


FROM DEC. 12, 2005: Energy answers not blowing in wind for Yukon

The Yukon recently rejected wind power, saying it was too expensive and not reliable.

[Prometheus]

http://www.uic.com.au/nip67.htm

Thorium reactors

while still using uranium in most applications to create the required fuel..... it requires very small quanties. Weapons grade wate products are almost nonexistant with recycling technolgies that are being used. Where it does create toxic byproducts teh fuel itself can be used upto 6times with current tech meaning a major reduction in waste products thus making it much cleaner. This fuel for teh most part can be encorporated into existing reactors with little effect on current preformance.

http://www.cavendishscience.org/bks/nuc/thrupdat.htm a breif overview of the wate product life cycle and the tech itself

[Prometheus]

http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/tidal.htm

tidal generation and undersea turbines

Introduction

The tide moves a huge amount of water twice each day, and harnessing it could provide a great deal of energy - around 20% of Britain's needs.

Although the energy supply is reliable and plentiful, converting it into useful electrical power is not easy.

There are eight main sites around Britain where tidal power stations could usefully be built, including the Severn, Dee, Solway and Humber estuaries.

Only around 20 sites in the world have been identified as possible tidal power stations.
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How it works: Tidal Barrages

These work rather like a hydro-electric scheme, except that the dam is much bigger.

A huge dam (called a "barrage") is built across a river estuary. When the tide goes in and out, the water flows through tunnels in the dam.

The ebb and flow of the tides can be used to turn a turbine, or it can be used to push air through a pipe, which then turns a turbine. Large lock gates, like the ones used on canals, allow ships to pass.

If one was built across the Severn Estuary, the tides at Weston-super-Mare would not go out nearly as far - there'd be water to play in for most of the time.

But the Severn Estuary carries sewage and other wastes from many places (e.g. Bristol & Gloucester) out to sea. A tidal barrage would mean that this stuff would hang around Weston-super-Mare an awful lot longer! Also, if you're a wading bird that feeds on the exposed mud flats when the tide goes out, then you have a problem, because the tide won't be going out properly any more.
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More details

The largest tidal power station in the world (and the only one in Europe) is in the Rance estuary in northern France. It was built in 1966.

A major drawback of tidal power stations is that they can only generate when the tide is flowing in or out - in other words, only for 10 hours each day. However, tides are totally predictable, so we can plan to have other power stations generating at those times when the tidal station is out of action.
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There have been plans for a "Severn Barrage" from Brean Down in Somerset to Lavernock Point in Wales.

It may have over 200 large turbines, and provide over 8,000 MegaWatts of power (that's over 12 nuclear power station's worth). It would take 7 years to build, and could provide 7% of the energy needs for England and Wales.

There may be a number of benefits, including protecting a large stretch of coastline against damage from high storm tides, and providing a ready-made road bridge. However, the drastic changes to the currents in the estuary could have huge effects on the ecosystem.



Another option is to use
offshore turbines,
rather like an underwater wind farm.

This has the advantage of being much cheaper to build, and does not have the environmental problems that a tidal barrage would bring.

There are also many more suitable sites.

Find out more about the world's first offshore tidal power station at www.marineturbines.com/technical.htm
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 The University of Wales Swansea and partners are also researching techniques to extract electrical energy from flowing water.

The "Swanturbines" design is different to other devices in a number of ways. The most significant is that it is direct drive, where the blades are connected directly to the electrical generator without a gearbox between. This is more efficient and there is no gearbox to go wrong. Another difference is that it uses a "gravity base", a large concrete block to hold it to the seabed, rather than drilling into the seabed. Finally, the blades are fixed pitch, rather than actively controlled, this is again to design out components that could be unreliable.

Find out more at www.swanturbines.co.uk
 

Yet another option:
vertical-axis turbines

Find out more from the Canadian company Blue Energy at www.bluenergy.com
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Advantages

Once you've built it, tidal power is free.


It produces no greenhouse gases or other waste.


It needs no fuel.


It produces electricity reliably.


Not expensive to maintain.


Tides are totally predictable.


Offshore turbines and vertical-axis turbines are not ruinously expensive to build and do not have a large environmental impact.


Disadvantages

A barrage across an estuary is very expensive to build, and affects a very wide area - the environment is changed for many miles upstream and downstream. Many birds rely on the tide uncovering the mud flats so that they can feed. There are few suitable sites for tidal barrages.


Only provides power for around 10 hours each day, when the tide is actually moving in or out.




Is it renewable?

Tidal energy is renewable. The tides will continue to ebb and flow, and the energy is there for the taking.

[Prometheus]

Wave Power - energy from the wind on the sea

http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/wave.htm

Introduction

Ocean waves are caused by the wind as it blows across the sea. Waves are a powerful source of energy.

The problem is that it's not easy to harness this energy and convert it into electricity in large amounts. Thus, wave power stations are rare.
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How it works
 
There are several methods of getting energy from waves, but one of the most effective works like a swimming pool wave machine in reverse.

At a swimming pool, air is blown in and out of a chamber beside the pool, which makes the water outside bob up and down, causing waves.

At a wave power station, the waves arriving cause the water in the chamber to rise and fall, which means that air is forced in and out of the hole in the top of the chamber.
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We place a turbine in this hole, which is turned by the air rushing in and out. The turbine turns a generator.

A problem with this design is that the rushing air can be very noisy, unless a silencer is fitted to the turbine. The noise is not a huge problem anyway, as the waves make quite a bit of noise themselves.



More details


? Once you've built it, the energy is free, needs no fuel and produces no waste or pollution.

One big problem is that of building and anchoring something that can withstand the roughest conditions at sea, yet can generate a reasonable amount of power from small waves.
It's not much use if it only works during storms!

A company called Wavegen now operate a commercial wave power station called "Limpet" on the Scottish island of Islay,
>> more details on their web site...

http://www.wavegen.co.uk/what_we_offer_limpet.htm


>>View a simulation from the Greenpeace website, with a good animation of how "Limpet" works.

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/Templates/template3_view.cfm?UCIDParam=20021121153111
 


A company called Ocean Power Delivery are developing a method of offshore wave energy collection, using a floating tube called "Pelamis".

This long, hinged tube (about the size of 5 railway carriages) bobs up and down in the waves, as the hinges bend they pump hydraulic fluid which drives generators.

Find out more, including an interactive model, videos and technical details at www.oceanpd.com
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Advantages

The energy is free - no fuel needed, no waste produced.


Not expensive to operate and maintain.


Can produce a great deal of energy.


Disadvantages

Depends on the waves - sometimes you'll get loads of energy, sometimes nothing.


Needs a suitable site, where waves are consistently strong.


Some designs are noisy.


Must be able to withstand very rough weather.


Is it renewable?

Wave power is renewable.

[SLCPUNK]

Feet!!!!!

[Prometheus]

so what do you people think about any of this?