Studies & Degrees in Renewable Energy
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Renewable Energy is energy obtained or generated from natural resources and replenished by nature. Examples of these natural resources are sunlight, geothermal heat, wind, rain, tides and biomass or biofuel. Currently, almost twenty percent of Earth's final energy consumption is supplied by renewable energy. Compared to fossil fuel which pollutes the environment renewable energy is clean and generally environmental friendly.
Energy from sunlight can be harness using solar cells which will convert it to electricity. The power of the wind can be harvested by wind turbines. Traditionally, energy from water can be extracted using dams and mini hydro plants. These dams are almost always situated in large rivers or water-rich areas. But there are new technologies that can harness energy from water in several remarkable ways. Power or energy can be extracted out from the ocean currents, thermal energy, tides and waves. Geothermal energy is extracted from the heat of the Earth itself.
Biofuel which is liquid could either be a bioalcohol like ethanol or oil like biodiesel or vegetable oil. Motor vehicles or engines use biofuels either as an alternative or as mixture with fossil fuel. Presently, vehicles using biofuels are a minority compared to vehicles using petroleum-based products. But fossil fuels are not renewable and will soon dry up. Biomass meanwhile is solid and use primarily as combustible fuel. It is not ideally suitable for motor vehicles though. Biogas on the other hand is produced from wastes like paper, sewage or animal waste.
While renewable energy is not the world's primary source of energy that will soon change. The world's supply of fossil fuel is steadily running out. This will make renewable energy the energy source of the future for most if not all of our energy consumption. Countries and industries are turning to renewable energy to satisfy their energy needs. The world is slowly decreasing its dependence on fossil fuels and is to turning renewable energy. In Kenya a large number of households own small solar power systems ranging from 20 to 100 watts. In Brazil, their production of ethanol fuel derived from sugar cane is providing around one fifth of their country's automotive fuel. Wind power is widely used in several European countries and the United States. Building of equipment and infrastructures like solar panels and wind turbines are also increasing worldwide. But they also need people, a lot of them to create, built and maintained these infrastructures for renewable energy.
The market and the production for renewable energy will no doubt continue to increase. For those who would like a way to enter this exciting and dynamic field, taking a course or degree in Renewable Energy is the right way. The course will introduce students to the sources and kinds of renewable energy. Students who successfully finished the course will be able to design, build and repair renewable energy systems that will either produce or save energy. There are plenty of job opportunities in the Renewable Energy sector ranging from Electricians, Technicians, Engineers or Plant Managers. New jobs peculiar to this industry are also being created such as Wind Energy Engineer or Solar Designer.