Alternative energy: the way forward

written by Chiara Crognoletti

We already know the benefits of existing renewable sources of energy. However, most of them still need improving: sun is not always available during the day or in particular regions, hydroelectric power plants may destroy the surrounding areas, wind turbines are quite huge and noisy.
What are the alternatives, then? This video suggests some solutions and analyses their pros and cons. Most of them need more research and are not in place yet, but they provide some possibilities to encourage efforts, in order to satisfy the growing energy demand with less pollution and in a more sustainable way for the world and us all.

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Hank Green: a a different and insightful view on solar energy

written by Carlotta Werth

If you think about it, you’ll realize that almost all the power we use originally comes from the sun.

Solar power is in fact more efficient than the other sources of energy.

Consequently, you would think it is less expensive. It turns out it is not.

Hank Green provides a different and insightful view on solar energy.

The American biochemist analyzes the pros and cons of solar power, underlying the complications we are still facing in conveniently exploiting this amazing natural resource.

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Solar panels' recycle emergence

written by Costanza Gabbrielli

There's a paradox in the growing global appetite for greener energy. As sales of solar panels and wind turbines increase, so too does the scale of an often-overlooked problem now being stored for future generations. What happens to all the "green" infrastructure when it reaches the end of its life?
When early-generation green technology is replaced, much of it now finds its way into landfill or incinerators. This is not only a blow to waste-reduction efforts, adding hundreds of thousands of tons of rubbish to the global tally every year, but also is also a colossal missed opportunity. Solar panels comprise metals and glass, which, if they were separated and captured, could be reused in the manufacture of other products.
Effective, efficient recycling systems are needed if alternative technologies are to be truly green, and they need to be established quickly.
It is possible, through innovative technologies still being developed, to recycle more than 90 percent of a solar panel. But, given the volatility in the value of the resulting raw materials, this is a high-risk sector to develop, and research and development is lacking. Basic recycling schemes do exist, but often focus on two valuable components -- the glass and aluminum frame, for instance -- and discard the rest, including silver, silicon and tin, because it is not yet cost-effective to recycle them.
I am passionate about the need to make total recycling of green technology a reality, and I am confident that the recycling of green technology will, one day, be a profitable industry in itself. There will come a time when recycling is so widespread and efficient that recycling companies will have to pay consumers or organizations for most of the materials they take for recycling, sell the materials they extract and make a profit.
A healthy economy requires constant production and consumption. But with a scarcity of natural resources, and to achieve a sustainable future, we must strive for a circular economy in which products that have reached the end of their life are no longer seen as waste, but as a valuable resource.
What the sector needs now, though, is a kick-start. The growth of the green energy industry has been highly subsidized, now a catalyst for development of the recycling of green-energy technology is needed, not in the form of government subsidies, but through regulation, creating the conditions in which research can be done, efficiencies made and a profitable industry created.
It is a fundamental step which I truly hope will be made as soon as possible.

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A Malawi proof of the supreme power of wind

Talking about energies in this period, I want to recommend you this interesting and surpising story I recently found. It's the story of a joung 14 year old boy born in Malawi that discovered a way to use the wind power to enhance his life and the life of his village. We are quite aware how important renewable energies are and the positive impact they can have on our environment, but this guy tells us something more: this is not only an other way of producing energy, this is a resource that, in the most disadvantaged places in the world, can change and save lifes forever.

This guy demonstrated that it's possible to build a windmill only using materials found in a scrap yard. So my question is: why do not promote internationally their creation and maybe appoint one of the main international institutions to spread the knowlegde of (little) windmills creation during their works on the field in the poorest parts of the world?

Maria Carolina de Vera

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What is probably the most convenient form of energy?

When people start talking about energies the first words coming to my mind are power production and pollution.

The system through which unrenewable and renewable energies are extracted, sold, transported and so on, is very complex, therefore to understand which resources are more convenient, you need to take into account several factors.

But even more important, “it depends on the point of view”. Yes, I know, such statement can be applied to every situation, but what I mean is that the convenience depends on what is the criteria you choose in the analysis process.

But since I am a resident of the world, my biggest concern goes to the environment protection: next generations deserve to have the same natural resources we have now, in fact ecosystems are a heritage for every generation and that’s why they need to be protected. Therefore, my criteria is pollution.

Nowadays, in a society built on an energy-dependent scheme, fossil fuels seem to be essential if no change is made on how the world deals with its need for energy. Without focusing in the chemical composition of each of them, I know that natural gas is considered the less aggressive one, but why not switching, for exemple, to solar energy?

Natural gas needs to be shipped via pipelines from wells and causes pollution through the emission of greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides, whether solar energy is infinite and comes for free.

More in detail, to generate useful power, a group of solar cells connected together – called solar panels – transforms solar radiation directly to electricity through photovoltaic effect. Moreover, as an individual, I may have an economic incentive by the government according to where I live. For example, if you are American (as you can read in Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiencies ) the federal renewable energy tax credit takes 30% off the cost of solar, and state and local programs can remove even more.

In conclusion, the energy issue is still an important problem.

It is up to us being more environmental responsible, investing in structures, studies and implementing policies that allow us – as a society - to grow in a green way.

What it takes is governments’ will to invest and promote the use of renewable resources. For Italy there is a positive prospective, in fact, as reported by the WWF, we can arrive to produce 100% of the needed energy with renewable resources before the 2050.

Jona Shehu

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