These Disadvantages Of Solar Thermal Energy
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It might be wrong to believe that there are only advantages of solar thermal energy because in truth there are some downsides of solar thermal energy that must be accepted and acted on. One obvious downside of solar thermal energy is that many places on the earth don’t get satisfactory quantity of daylight and if they do get daylight then this daylight may not be available continually. There are a few variables that impact on the quantity of sunlight that’s available in a given location including the time and time of year as well as abundant weather conditions.
More Space is needed
A second important disadvantages of solar thermal energy is that due to the fact that the sun does not provide sufficient energy to a given place at a given time there is need to have greater amount of space available in order to collect sufficient amount of energy and at useful rates. In addition, another disadvantage of solar thermal energy is that it is difficult to properly install all the equipment required to obtain and use solar thermal energy.
Furthermore, the costs of installing a solar thermal energy system is often too high making this factor one of the main disadvantages of solar thermal energy. You could argue that the government provides tax incentives that help to reduce the cost. However, the upfront costs are generally not affordable to the common man and these rules out the possibility of them investing huge amounts of money to get a solar thermal energy system installed on their premises.
Reliability may also be considered one of the downsides of solar thermal energy as it is important to have constant power which in turn means having to store excess energy for which you could have to spend more of your hard-earned money to buy accessories which will help store the solar thermal energy and this is something that few people like. It can even persuade them to go for some other kind of energy including wind power.
Lastly, despite numerous advances in solar thermal energy technologies, at present these systems are not able to provide the kind of efficiency that you would normally desire. At best you might only get to obtain sixty percent of available solar thermal energy and so this too is a disadvantage of solar thermal energy.
The best part about solar electricity costs is that there’s zilch to pay in order to hook into the huge and plausibly inexhaustible power source the sun. Similarly , thanks to mass production of solar electricity system parts you can now anticipate getting less expensive solar electricity systems in the years yet to come.
What you just learned about Solar Pool Heaters is just the beginning. To get the full story and all the details, check us out at Best DIY Solar Power House Guide.
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this topic is great, but would be greater if it was supported with some evidence such as statistics examples or even sources so ther reader could find more information if needed
many thanks
CES Energy Solutions is a VELUX certified solar thermal and skylight company, they can provide valuable information about solar thermal products and energy efficient products . Take a look at their site http://www.ces-solution.ca
Tidal energy use harnesses the water flow created primarily by the moon orbiting the Earth. As water is pulled toward the gravity of the moon, currents are created that can turn generator turbines.
Volumes have been written about tides and their effects on our planet. This Wikipedia Tides article is a good primer on the subject. It is noteworthy that all tidal energy does not come from the moon. About a third of it comes from the gravitational influence of our sun.
The interplay of gravitational fields of the moon and the sun combined with the rotation of Earth, creates a twice a day ebb and flow of the tides of our world that varies in height and strength.
Those variations in height and strength are completely predictable. As we’ll see later, that predictability is an important aspect of tidal energy use.
Though renewable, practical tidal energy use will be limited. Tidal flows are global, but the key to using them economically is finding either natural high tidal flow areas, or large tidal basins that can be easily dammed to channel water through turbines. _________________________________________________________________
ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS –
Tidal energy use involving dams creates many of the same environmental concerns as damming rivers. Tidal dams restrict fish migration and cause silt build up which affects tidal basin ecosystems in negative ways.
Systems that take advantage of natural narrow channels with high tidal flow rates have less negative environmental impact than dammed systems. But they are not without environmental problems.
Both systems use turbines that can cause fish kills. But these are being replaced by new, more fish friendly turbines. The art and science of environmentally friendly hydro engineering is well advanced and will certainly be applied to any tidal energy project.
But even with dams, the environmental impact of tidal energy projects may prove to be smaller than our use of any other energy resource. Economics will severely limit the number of tidal energy projects. _________________________________________________________________
COST –
Tidal energy projects involving tidal dams are more expensive per KW of installed power than similar size systems that use river dams. Tidal flow is intermittent. Twice a day tidal flows go through a flood stage, slow down, stop, reverse into an ebb tide, slow down, stop, and repeat the cycle.
This constant start and stop cycle creates intermittency problems similar to wind turbines and wave generators. Though a tidal dam might be identical to a river dam in every way including cost; the tidal dam will produce less than half the amount of electricity.
A typical average plant load factor for tidal energy generators is about 27%. Load factor defines the amount of actual power output expected from a given capacity. Installed generating capacity of 100 MW with a load factor of 27% would produce only 27 MW per hour when averaged over a given time, usually a year.
That makes tidal energy expensive.
This U.S. Department of Energy Tidal Energy Report concludes that tidal power costs are not competitive with fossil fuel plants.
But a private company, Blue Energy of Canada , believes that they can generate tidal electricity at rates that are highly competitive with existing conventional power generators at rates of less than $.05 per KWh.
_________________________________________________________________
AVAILABILITY –
The key to reliable, economic power from tidal energy involves properly engineered, economical turbine generators placed at well researched sites with high tidal flow rates.
Because of intermittency and variable flow problems of tidal energy, it is a very limited resource. The DOE Tidal Energy link, above, states that there are only about 40 really good sites on Earth with high enough flows to be considered economically practical.
Few studies of tidal energy resources have been done, so information is sketchy at best.
The World Energy Council Ocean Current Report states that total electrical power available from tidal energy use is about 450 GW of installed capacity. The report is a bit confusing to read and appears to be mixing tidal information with other ocean current information. Still, it’s worth reading.
That 450 GW figure seems to be compatible with the data on the WEC Tidal Energy page.
If we apply the .27 average load factor for tidal energy use, we can expect it to deliver about 450GW x 24 hrs x 365 days x .27 LF = 1064 TWh (Terrawatt hours) annually, or a little over 6% of global electrical demand.
_________________________________________________________________
AESTHETICS –
Tidal energy projects involving dams would involve about the same aesthetic concerns as other dams. But many of the systems that use natural tidal currents will be largely hidden from view.
Natural current driven tidal generators can be built into the structure of existing bridges. These generators will involve virtually no aesthetic problems.
And, the fact that tidal energy use will be extremely limited means that any aesthetic concerns will also be limited.
Tidal energy use may not be a big player in our energy future, but it can make a contribution.
Tidal energy use harnesses the water flow created primarily by the moon orbiting the Earth. As water is pulled toward the gravity of the moon, currents are created that can turn generator turbines.
Volumes have been written about tides and their effects on our planet. This Wikipedia Tides article is a good primer on the subject. It is noteworthy that all tidal energy does not come from the moon. About a third of it comes from the gravitational influence of our sun.
The interplay of gravitational fields of the moon and the sun combined with the rotation of Earth, creates a twice a day ebb and flow of the tides of our world that varies in height and strength.
Those variations in height and strength are completely predictable. As we’ll see later, that predictability is an important aspect of tidal energy use.
Though renewable, practical tidal energy use will be limited. Tidal flows are global, but the key to using them economically is finding either natural high tidal flow areas, or large tidal basins that can be easily dammed to channel water through turbines. _________________________________________________________________
ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS –
Tidal energy use involving dams creates many of the same environmental concerns as damming rivers. Tidal dams restrict fish migration and cause silt build up which affects tidal basin ecosystems in negative ways.
Systems that take advantage of natural narrow channels with high tidal flow rates have less negative environmental impact than dammed systems. But they are not without environmental problems.
Both systems use turbines that can cause fish kills. But these are being replaced by new, more fish friendly turbines. The art and science of environmentally friendly hydro engineering is well advanced and will certainly be applied to any tidal energy project.
But even with dams, the environmental impact of tidal energy projects may prove to be smaller than our use of any other energy resource. Economics will severely limit the number of tidal energy projects. _________________________________________________________________
COST –
Tidal energy projects involving tidal dams are more expensive per KW of installed power than similar size systems that use river dams. Tidal flow is intermittent. Twice a day tidal flows go through a flood stage, slow down, stop, reverse into an ebb tide, slow down, stop, and repeat the cycle.
This constant start and stop cycle creates intermittency problems similar to wind turbines and wave generators. Though a tidal dam might be identical to a river dam in every way including cost; the tidal dam will produce less than half the amount of electricity.
A typical average plant load factor for tidal energy generators is about 27%. Load factor defines the amount of actual power output expected from a given capacity. Installed generating capacity of 100 MW with a load factor of 27% would produce only 27 MW per hour when averaged over a given time, usually a year.
That makes tidal energy expensive.
This U.S. Department of Energy Tidal Energy Report concludes that tidal power costs are not competitive with fossil fuel plants.
But a private company, Blue Energy of Canada , believes that they can generate tidal electricity at rates that are highly competitive with existing conventional power generators at rates of less than $.05 per KWh.
_________________________________________________________________
AVAILABILITY –
The key to reliable, economic power from tidal energy involves properly engineered, economical turbine generators placed at well researched sites with high tidal flow rates.
Because of intermittency and variable flow problems of tidal energy, it is a very limited resource. The DOE Tidal Energy link, above, states that there are only about 40 really good sites on Earth with high enough flows to be considered economically practical.
Few studies of tidal energy resources have been done, so information is sketchy at best.
The World Energy Council Ocean Current Report states that total electrical power available from tidal energy use is about 450 GW of installed capacity. The report is a bit confusing to read and appears to be mixing tidal information with other ocean current information. Still, it’s worth reading.
That 450 GW figure seems to be compatible with the data on the WEC Tidal Energy page.
If we apply the .27 average load factor for tidal energy use, we can expect it to deliver about 450GW x 24 hrs x 365 days x .27 LF = 1064 TWh (Terrawatt hours) annually, or a little over 6% of global electrical demand.
_________________________________________________________________
AESTHETICS –
Tidal energy projects involving dams would involve about the same aesthetic concerns as other dams. But many of the systems that use natural tidal currents will be largely hidden from view.
Natural current driven tidal generators can be built into the structure of existing bridges. These generators will involve virtually no aesthetic problems.
And, the fact that tidal energy use will be extremely limited means that any aesthetic concerns will also be limited.
Tidal energy use may not be a big player in our energy future, but it can make a contribution.
Tidal intermittency is completely predictable. Power output from tidal generators is also completely predictable. That predictability makes tidal energy reliable and easy to integrate with the existing electrical power grid. All of that makes it valuable.
Tidal energy use harnesses the water flow created primarily by the moon orbiting the Earth. As water is pulled toward the gravity of the moon, currents are created that can turn generator turbines.
Volumes have been written about tides and their effects on our planet. This Wikipedia Tides article is a good primer on the subject. It is noteworthy that all tidal energy does not come from the moon. About a third of it comes from the gravitational influence of our sun.
The interplay of gravitational fields of the moon and the sun combined with the rotation of Earth, creates a twice a day ebb and flow of the tides of our world that varies in height and strength.
Those variations in height and strength are completely predictable. As we’ll see later, that predictability is an important aspect of tidal energy use.
Though renewable, practical tidal energy use will be limited. Tidal flows are global, but the key to using them economically is finding either natural high tidal flow areas, or large tidal basins that can be easily dammed to channel water through turbines. _________________________________________________________________
ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS –
Tidal energy use involving dams creates many of the same environmental concerns as damming rivers. Tidal dams restrict fish migration and cause silt build up which affects tidal basin ecosystems in negative ways.
Systems that take advantage of natural narrow channels with high tidal flow rates have less negative environmental impact than dammed systems. But they are not without environmental problems.
Both systems use turbines that can cause fish kills. But these are being replaced by new, more fish friendly turbines. The art and science of environmentally friendly hydro engineering is well advanced and will certainly be applied to any tidal energy project.
But even with dams, the environmental impact of tidal energy projects may prove to be smaller than our use of any other energy resource. Economics will severely limit the number of tidal energy projects. _________________________________________________________________
COST –
Tidal energy projects involving tidal dams are more expensive per KW of installed power than similar size systems that use river dams. Tidal flow is intermittent. Twice a day tidal flows go through a flood stage, slow down, stop, reverse into an ebb tide, slow down, stop, and repeat the cycle.
This constant start and stop cycle creates intermittency problems similar to wind turbines and wave generators. Though a tidal dam might be identical to a river dam in every way including cost; the tidal dam will produce less than half the amount of electricity.
A typical average plant load factor for tidal energy generators is about 27%. Load factor defines the amount of actual power output expected from a given capacity. Installed generating capacity of 100 MW with a load factor of 27% would produce only 27 MW per hour when averaged over a given time, usually a year.
That makes tidal energy expensive.
This U.S. Department of Energy Tidal Energy Report concludes that tidal power costs are not competitive with fossil fuel plants.
But a private company, Blue Energy of Canada , believes that they can generate tidal electricity at rates that are highly competitive with existing conventional power generators at rates of less than $.05 per KWh.
_________________________________________________________________
AVAILABILITY –
The key to reliable, economic power from tidal energy involves properly engineered, economical turbine generators placed at well researched sites with high tidal flow rates.
Because of intermittency and variable flow problems of tidal energy, it is a very limited resource. The DOE Tidal Energy link, above, states that there are only about 40 really good sites on Earth with high enough flows to be considered economically practical.
Few studies of tidal energy resources have been done, so information is sketchy at best.
The World Energy Council Ocean Current Report states that total electrical power available from tidal energy use is about 450 GW of installed capacity. The report is a bit confusing to read and appears to be mixing tidal information with other ocean current information. Still, it’s worth reading.
That 450 GW figure seems to be compatible with the data on the WEC Tidal Energy page.
If we apply the .27 average load factor for tidal energy use, we can expect it to deliver about 450GW x 24 hrs x 365 days x .27 LF = 1064 TWh (Terrawatt hours) annually, or a little over 6% of global electrical demand.
_________________________________________________________________
AESTHETICS –
Tidal energy projects involving dams would involve about the same aesthetic concerns as other dams. But many of the systems that use natural tidal currents will be largely hidden from view.
Natural current driven tidal generators can be built into the structure of existing bridges. These generators will involve virtually no aesthetic problems.
And, the fact that tidal energy use will be extremely limited means that any aesthetic concerns will also be limited.
Tidal energy use may not be a big player in our energy future, but it can make a contribution.
Tidal intermittency is completely predictable. Power output from tidal generators is also completely predictable. That predictability makes tidal energy reliable and easy to integrate with the existing electrical power grid. All of that makes it valuable.
Though tidal energy use will provide only a small portion of electrical grid demand, it can be a reliable and important energy resource.