New Energy and Energy Resources

(Solar Energy, the US Department of Energy)

• Investing in renewable energy sources
• Reducing reliance on foreign oil
• Addressing global warming issues
• Creating jobs for Americans 

- Climate and Energy Efficiency

The devastating effects of climate change are being felt around the world, with an urgent need for new technologies and lifestyles that will lead to reduced carbon emissions. Many scientists are looking for ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we’ve already released into the atmosphere.

It's time to find suitable and better alternatives to fossil fuels. Scientists have been researching newer and greener energy sources that have a limited impact on the environment and reduce their contribution to global warming, which is thought to be caused by carbon dioxide released when fossil fuels are burned.

Improving energy efficiency is the most important issue in energy research because it brings a wide range of benefits, including environmental protection, meeting industrial needs, lowering the cost of living, economic growth, and more. Energy efficiency can be improved by chain conversion-storage-transport, with re-conversion being the most important requirement.

- Climate and Clean Energy

Over the past few hundred years, the world has witnessed the evolution of energy production and consumption. Although not all developments have been positive, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions have increased by an average of 1% per year since 2010. 

This may be related to the fact that our energy supply is heavily dependent on non-renewable fossil fuels; the production of coal, oil and natural gas energy is directly related to the increase in greenhouse gases, thus changing the world climate. 

Fortunately, the transition to renewable energy and electrification can drive not only environmentally friendly energy production and use, but broad socioeconomic development as well. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be 42 million renewable energy jobs worldwide. According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), we believe that affordable and clean energy is necessary. 

In the struggle to continuously improve living standards, humans have been relying on vast amounts of electricity to fuel our evolution. Today, much of this enormous demand is met by burning fossil fuels. So far, fossil fuels have been very efficient at meeting our energy needs, but they are also non-renewable and are rapidly running out. These fuel sources also contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. 

- Future of Energy

Energy is the pulse of our daily lives, and the way we create and use it is changing rapidly. What the future will look like is uncertain, but what is certain is that we are heading towards a new energy future. Imagine the possibilities... a world where energy is sustainable and abundant. 

Energy is a basic human need and it makes the world go round. Without energy, everything would stand still. Promoting human development and economic growth through a safe, affordable, reliable, clean and sustainable energy supply is critical. Today, we face enormous challenges: global warming, depletion of natural resources, population growth, increased energy demand, rising energy prices and unequal distribution of energy. 

All these factors have led to an urgent need to transform the energy sector, which is largely dependent on fossil fuels, to one that uses renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies. 

Energy use is changing rapidly. However, not only in power generation, but also in heating, buildings and transport, a faster transition to renewable energy is needed to curb rising global temperatures. Renewable energy could provide four-fifths of the world's electricity by 2050, drastically reducing carbon emissions and helping to mitigate climate change. 

All of this means accelerating innovation in business and technology. Most importantly, it means taking action today to promote renewable energy. Atomic power, solar power, and energy from wind and biofuels are just some promising alternatives for a cleaner, greener future. Other relatively new energy sources such as fuel cells, geothermal energy and ocean energy are also being explored.

[Leuven, Belgium]

- National Electric Power Infrastructure

The national power infrastructure, also known as the "grid", has played an important role in national energy security after more than a century of development. Traditionally, electricity production has relied on a steady supply of fuels (mostly fossil fuels) that will keep power plants running forever. 

An eventual shift from traditional fuel-burning plants to cleaner alternative energy sources will require a redesign of the grid so that it can properly respond to sharp changes in demand, adequately compensate for the intermittent operation of renewable energy systems, and interact with distributed generation systems. 

In the left column of the folder, we will present current energy sources and discuss possible future energy sources.

- The Electric Grid

An electrical grid is an interconnected system that maintains an instantaneous balance between supply and demand (generating and loading) while transferring electricity from a source to customers. Since it is difficult to store large amounts of electricity, the amount of electricity produced and fed into the system must be carefully matched to keep the system running. 

• Centralized generation can deliver large amounts of power to transmission lines away from densely populated areas.
• Transmission lines carry high-voltage power from centralized power plants to substations.
• Electricity is converted to a lower voltage at the substation.
• Distribution lines provide lower voltage power to loads.
• Distributed generation is any source of electricity located at or near the point of load. It can be connected to utility distribution lines, or just power independent loads.

According to an article on SmartGrid.gov, the country's electrical grid was primarily built in the 1890s and enhanced with technology in the decades that followed. There are currently over 9,200 grids.

 [More to come ...]