In recent years, Europe has been faced with the problem of continuous urbanization and excessive energy consumption, closing in on exhaustion of available energy resources. In view of this, the notions of sustainability and resilience have become paramount in resource management and policy-making. Within such a context, renewable energies play a key role in the global energy pool. Amongst these, wind energy production accounts for almost half (43%) of the global generating capacity [1]. Nonetheless, despite its obvious merits, the “Big Wind industry” comes with a number of potential shortcomings largely relating to the short life-span of these components and the lack of efficient operation and maintenance (Ο&Μ) planning schemes. The latter …show more content…
Problem-specific, cost-benefit analyses have not been conducted in detail, in order to provide significant indications that the benefits of SHM systems outweigh their cost. In this respect, one should mind that stakeholders, managers and infrastructure operators need simple and reliable tools in the form of “yes/no actions”, or “green/red buttons”. Unavoidably, this implies that SHM systems should be transformed from complex research-oriented measurement campaigns into robust, integrated solutions that accompany the structure throughout its life-cycle. Our goal is to address the aforementioned bottlenecks, maximizing the return on investment for such facilities by extending the useable lifetime through a smart monitoring implementation. In a nutshell, the proposed project has the following main objectives: 1. We will propose a new monitoring paradigm for WT facilities which features optimal sensor placement, i.e., minimally used instrumentation for extraction of the necessary amount of key response quantities in an effort to track these systems from cradle-to-grave. 2. Based on this sensory feedback and data collection, we will develop data processing methodologies relying on SHM, for the extraction of metrics for LCA both in the short term (damage, anomalies and extreme events detection) and in the long-term (deterioration, fatigue and defective
The Project is the first stage of the MCS project which is an organisation wide upgrade of monitoring and control systems and consists of a whole portfolio of projects.
Energy is an important part of life producing the power of movement, heat, and production of electricity in many different ways. Therefore, choosing the correct source of energy is important for the environment and humans. Renewable energy that produces electricity never runs out, causing a lower environmental impact. Solar, Biomass, Wind, Geothermal, and Hydropower energy should be used globally to produce electricity. On the other hand, producing electricity from nonrenewable energy sources can be very harmful to humans and the environment. Humans can easily be dependent on it, which may not be the best option when it comes to finance, efficiency, sustainability and more. Approximately 52% of the US electricity comes from polluting sources like natural gas, oil, nuclear, and hydropower that have a lot of disadvantages effecting the environment in a negative way.
Wind power drives the air in the atmosphere through the turbines and generates electricity. Windmills have been using from the past hundred years and even more, but the modern turbines have their own significance with their advancement of technology. During the generation of electricity no greenhouse gas is produced but large area is required for the turbines. For instance, in Texas Lone Star is a 200MW farm and has an area of 36,000 acres. China had the major capacity of generation of wind with more than 62MW in 2011 and the United States stand second with 47MW capacity.
One of the most important ecological changes needed not only in this country, but globally would be the transition from fossil fuels and coal to renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, hydroelectric, and biofuels in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions, which in turn pollute the environment and contribute to adverse climate change. Even though renewable energy is able to regenerate, does not mean that it has no ecological footprint or that renewable energy is completely sustainable for our environment (Week 14 Energy Use & Transportation/Renewable Energy Sources). A renewable source of energy is usually one that does require us to mine away at the Earth to receive the source of energy (Week 14 Energy Use & Transportation/Renewable Energy Sources). Renewable energy is important for several different reasons. First, renewable energy has environmental benefits because it provides individuals with clean sources of energy and it reduces the impact that it will have on the environment (Why is renewable energy important?) Second, if we use renewable energy then we will have energy for future generations, such as our children and our grandchildren because renewable energy will never run out we will always have it, unlike other sources of energy that will eventually run out (Why is renewable energy important?). Third, renewable energy sources are important for the world’s economy and for jobs because the money that is spent on renewable energy in the United States will
Fossil fuels are finite resources and once those are used up we need a way to continue living regularly, as our lives are built upon the ability to harness energy and produce electricity. As technology increases, alternative types of energy have become more and more enticing. Renewable energy is a very controversial topic today and has been around since the industrial revolution. Prior to the Revolution, which started in Britain in the late 1700s, manufacturing products was often done through the use of hand tools or basic machines in people’s homes. From the 18th to 19th centuries industrialization marked a shift to powered, specialty machinery, factories and mass production, all of which are used today to help with the processing of renewables.
Although the United States has come a long way in the field of Renewable Energy, there are still major roadblocks in the way of a national shift to clean energy. Renewable energy made up only 12% of US energy production in 2016, while The three major fossil fuels—petroleum, natural gas, and coal—accounted for 78%, showing there is still a long way to go (eia.gov). This has been a particularly arduous year for environmentalist and renewable energy companies alike as there have been major political strides against clean energy. Bills, Executive Orders, and new laws have slowed the progress that Renewable Energy has been making in recent years.
I. Abstract: Wind energy has many pros and cons, and thus is subject to much scrutiny as a viable energy source. A fundamental qualification for wind power is the ability to support the vast industries and the enterprises of the 6.3 billion people that inhabit this planet. In addition, wind power must be able to meet the needs of the Earth’s population in a renewable, reliable, and responsible manner. In the following paper, wind energy will be evaluated based on its energy/cost efficiency, possible environmental ramifications, its practicality and the various countries already implementing
According to the United Nations, the world reached a population of 7 billion people in 2011, and it is estimated that the world population will increase to 9.7 billion people by the year 2050. Due to the lifespan of the average person increasing by almost thirty to forty years within the past sixty years, the population is growing faster than the Earth can possibly sustain everyone. The current main sources of energy are still nonrenewable resources. Nonrenewable resources are those resources that are made with the original organic material, along with the assistance of pressure and heat, become fuels like gas and oil. These nonrenewable resources are fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Nonrenewable resources cannot be replenished within a short amount of time. Due to the large population, the earth does not have time to restore all the fossil fuels that are being used in time for them to be reused. Because of this, it has become a global initiative to make use of renewable energy sources to sustain the current and future populations of the world. Renewable resources are resources that can be used repeatedly because of it can be replaced naturally. Examples of renewable resources are: wind energy, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, and solar energy. The use of renewable energy sources is the only way to sustain the amount of energy needed for the population and to preserve the nonrenewable sources of the earth.
Granting that wind energy has many environmental benefits when compared to fossil energy, there are many arguments that have been exposed by researchers to critically and empirically show the sustainability of each source of energy. While the fossil fuel energy remains as the most used in the production of electricity required to run different industries, sources suggest that effective implementation and management of wind energy infrastructures can reduce the impacts that exist due to the high usage of fossil energy. This paper exposes an argumentative literature review so that to compare and contrast the arguments as seen from the past literature. The arguments exposed by the research will be intended to examine the
The development of the wind power generation is rapidly maturing, with recognized reliability and affordability. Besides the low prices, the cost-stability of wind energy against the wildly fluctuating prices of fossil fuels is making it a very smart option for the consumers, independent power producers and corporations. This is clearly reflected in the growth of the global annual installed wind power as shown in Figur. After a slowdown in 2013, there is a 44 % increase in the wind power installation, which shows a solid sign of the recovery in comparison to the past few years. Total cumulative installed wind power all around the world at the end of 2014 is 369 GW []. The annual installed capacity of wind power by region
Renewable energy is defined as using resources that are easily replenished such as water, the sun, or wind, as forms of energy. So why should citizens of the Earth use renewable energy? Many people use renewable energy because of the environmental benefits and the economic benefits or in order to preserve the nonrenewable resources. Using renewable energy sources provides many different benefits for society and for the environment, but they also have drawbacks that makes the use of renewable energy a controversial topic.
1. The term ‘renewable’ in terms of energy sources are those sources that do not run out, and are being restored all the time. For example, ‘The sun, or energy from it never dries up, it is therefore the source of most types of renewable energy’ (Renewable Energy World, 2017)
Renewable energy is energy that gets from natural processes such as sunshine, wind, flowing water,etc. Nonrenewable energy is energy that will run out and can’t be replaced such as fossil fuels. Fossil fuel is energy that was from ancient creatures. Bacteria, pressure, and heat convert plankton into oil and natural gas. Almost the entire transportation system is runned on oil. However, once consumed fossil fuel cannot be replaced. So, nonrenewable energy will run out or be very expensive in the future. However, renewable energy is constantly replaced by natural sources and will never run out. There are different kinds of renewable energy sources.
People always say work to change the future, but converting to renewable energy will change the present. According to Daniel Ciolkosz,who has advanced degrees in agricultural and architectural engineering, renewable energy is generated from natural resources that are not depleted when used. Some renewable energy sources include geothermal heat, solar, wind, and water (Ciolkosz). Wind power is turbines using the wind to spin a generator and create electricity. Solar power uses current technology to capture energy includes photovoltaic panels that turn sunlight into electricity directly without the need for a generator. Biomass is the use of plant matter and animal waste to generate electricity. Geothermal power is the use of heated water and steam from the Earth to run power stations, which turn the steam into electricity. Hydroelectric power is flowing water used to spin turbines which generate electricity (Danielson).The United States should convert to renewable energy sources like solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, wind, and biomass, because it will reduce global warming emissions, provide jobs, and be a more reliable form of energy compared to fossil fuels. Switching to renewable energy will save the Earth by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
There are few criteria that must be met in order for energy to be called “renewable”, first the sources cannot be finite, second the sources must be carbon neutral, and lastly it must not pollute the environment. Most of the renewable energy either comes directly or indirectly from the sun and the other lone source is from the earth. The example of an indirect source from the sun can be wind, tidal waves, and bioenergy. After being aware of the bounds of the fossil fuel, more countries around the world are investing funds to develop renewable energy technology. A dawn of renewable energy is approaching and there are many countries around the globe like Iceland where more than 90% of the energy is derived from renewable resources. This paper will illustrate the benefit of the renewable energy by discussing its environmental impact, economical influence, and a source of stable/resilient energy provider.