Nanomaterials Renewable Energy Production and Storage

Question: Discuss about the Nanomaterials Renewable Energy Production and Storage. Answer: Introduction: In todays world, the issue of environmental conservation has assumed great importance, so much so that December 14th is also being declared as the World Energy Conservation Day, meant for raising awareness among the masses (Brugnano et al. 2015). Coal, fossil fuels, oil or natural gas have been widely used in the last decades, for the production of energy, and consequently, these being the non-renewable sources of energy have been becoming scarce over the years. Since the non-renewable sources of energy take thousands of years for formation, the over-exploitation of these sources is no longer accepted as a discreet idea. Although during the earlier times, wood was being used as the chief source of energy, since the 19th century, in the post-industrialization phase, the demand for coal and petroleum products increased, and consequently the overall global pattern of energy consumption has increased. With the increasing rate of population, the per capita consumption of energy has also i ncreased at a steady rate, and the global consumption has in fact witnessed an increase by 2.3% in 2012-13 (Costa and Kahn 2013). As a result, organizations such as International Energy Agency (IEA), have been emphasizing the importance of reducing energy consumption, consequent upon which, different nations have been encouraging the use of energy efficient tube lights, the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), instead of LPG, for running the vehicles. The objective of this report is to analyze and discuss how the over-utilization of energy has created a huge crisis in the supply of power, and what alternative measures are being used in the rural as well as the urban parts of the world, for getting rid of the problem. The report intends to evaluate the importance as well as the means of improving energy efficiency, and also the challenges and risks associated with the implementation of the innovation technologies. The report primarily relies on the use of the statistical data, as collected in the official reports and environmental research studies, of different countries, such as USA, Australia, UK, Saudi Arabia, Russia and India. Although it is a widely accepted fact that the large-scale use of renewable and alternative sources of energy can considerably mitigate the problem of energy scarcity, the world is indeed encountering various challenges in the process of ensuring a sustainable energy future. Most of the challenges associated with this, emerge because of the lack of infrastructure especially in the rural and interior areas of the countries, a strong sense of apathy and lack of awareness among the masses, to conserve, and a striking rise in the population (Hannon 2013). Hence, in order to combat this problem, the invention of solar heaters, solar cookers, non-petroleum technologies have been encouraged by the environmentalists, although the expense involved with the same, continues to impede the growth of such products in the rural settings. Energy Production in the Past and Evolution of the Production of Energy: During the past that is in the pre-industrialization period the energy demands of the people was indeed low. The major reason behind the same is that the sun could satisfy the needs of the heat, while the water and the wind could be used for the operation of different machines. Again, the power of the wind in the sails could easily help in the transportation of the people. However, once the Industrial Revolution took place, the demand of per capita energy started increasing two times, with every passing 10 years (Hadar and Davis 2014). With the massive production of cheap automobiles, the consumption of gasoline started growing at an unchecked rate. Further, just after the World War II, as many as 200 nuclear power plants were being planned, in countries such as the USA, and this indeed led to the increased demand for energy (Kopanos et al. 2013). With the industrialization of nations, the consumption rate of energy had also increased. However, it is equally worth mentioning that the over-dependence on the fossil fuels has hastened the depletion of the non-renewable resources. Hence, the alternative and renewable sources of energy are also being invented, which if not largely, is being considerably popular among the consumers. The PV solar power technology, for instance harnesses the solar energy, for the production of electricity. Since approximately 65% of the electric energy used by the world, is being produced by burning fossil fuels, that at once threatens the exhaustion of the non-renewable source of energy as well as the global climate, the alternative to fossil fuel plants, is being commonly used worldwide (Chen et al. 2012). Diversity of the Energy Production and Its Application: The energy is used not solely for the purpose of power generation, but also for watching television, using computers, taking a shower or even cooking. Besides, energy is also used globally for the residential, professional as well as transformational purposes. The wind energy is being used for powering the sailing ships, whiles the geothermal energy, as a substitute to fossil fuels, is being, nowadays used for powering millions of homes (Rodrguez et al. 2015). Again, the hydroelectric power energy and the biomass energy are also being extensively used for electricity generation and transportation purposes. Challenges to the Consistent Supply of Power: Although the present world is largely dependent on power and energy, for day-to-day operation of modern life, it is needless to state here that over-utilization of these sources can pose a serious threat to the future availability of these resources. The natural resources such as Coal or Petroleum take thousands of years for formation, and hence they fail to be replaced in the same pace in which they are being consumed. With the economic growth of a country, the demand for the fossil fuels has also been increasing. According to the recent findings of the Statistical Review of World Energy 2015, the consumption of natural gas and coal has increased by 0.4%, while the overall consumption of the oil has witnessed a steady increase of 0.8% in the last years (Acar and Dincer 2014). Besides, according to the report, the consumption of global hydro electric power has also been increasing by the rate of 2%, while that of the nuclear power has been increasing at the rate of 1.8% (Twidwell and Weir 2016). For increasing comfort and for facilitating economic activities, the non-renewable sources of power have been extensively used, which is sure to impede its supply in the future. Besides, the change in the climate and global warming has been affecting the power sector in an adverse way as well. Besides, the greenhouse gas effect of the non-renewable sources of energy should not be ignored in this context. In fact, the carbon emissions causing depletion of the ozone layer, climate change, global warming is caused by the excessive use of the non-renewable sources of energy. It is a well-known fact that some of the gases, produced while burning the fossil fuels, such as Methane, are toxic that pollutes the air, while gases such as the sulphur dioxide can potentially causes Acid Rain (Salim et al. 2014). Technological Innovation in the Production of Power: Energy is a key component in the life of every individual, and in fact, it has major socio-economic bearings. Hence, different alternatives of power production are being employed in present times. For the purpose of ensuring uninterrupted supply of water, the use of renewable and more innovative sources of energy are being used. In the tropical regions of the world, the renewable sources of energy, such as the solar heater and the solar cookers are being used. With the help of a variety of parabolic mirrors, as well as the sun-tracking devices, the solar heaters and solar cookers are being used for the purpose of heating the water, heating as well as cooling of the buildings, refrigeration, cooking and pumping. Besides, the use of car-pools, or the energy efficient appliances and lights, can help in the significant reduction of global energy consumption. The Window Socket, is a solar charger, that extracts the solar heat, and consequently helps in charging phones, laptops, or anythin g, without the need of using electricity (Richter 2013). The liquid metal batteries, the wind turbines, have been largely used in reducing the per capital consumption of energy in the modern world (Chu and Majumdar 2012). The high rate of fuel consumption has remained a major problem in the urban areas of the world, and hence improving the vehicle fuel efficiency is highly important. In this regard, the invention of the plug-in electric cars is worth mentioning, as these cars do not run on gasoline, but on much cheaper electric motors, that in turn, rely on the use of renewable electric energy. Challenges Associated with New Technology: One major challenge associated with the New Technology lies in the fact, that the alternative sources of energy is able to satisfy a mere 7% energy needs of the global community (Wolsink 2012). In other words, the fossil fuels along with nuclear energy, is responsible for supplying 93% of the global energy needs (Hargreaves et al. 2013). Besides, although the renewable energy technologies may employ innovative methods for ensuring future sustainability, the application for these implies greater investment and better infrastructure. For example, the potential wind sites are highly unpredictable, and their functioning capacity must be well-monitored, before the application of the new technology. Again, sufficient training must be imparted to the workers, for the effective installation, operation as well as the maintenance of the new technologies. The organizations will be required to hire well-informed employees, who must be aware of the operating experience required for handling these innovative sources of power, such as the wind turbines. Besides, educating the public about the benefits of using renewable sources of power, or products using the same, is important. Otherwise, owing to the low production volumes of the products based on the new technology, the price of the products will remain high, that will affect the sale and profitability of the products (Ghaffour et al. 2014). Conclusion: To summarize it all, it can be said that since the non-renewable resources are subject to exhaustion owing to regular use, new technology should be embraced. 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