renewable energy

Renewable energy is energy that comes from resources which are continually replenished such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewable resources, with 10% of all energy from traditional biomass, mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from hydroelectricity. New renewables (small hydro, modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels) accounted for another 3% and are growing very rapidly.[2] The share of renewables in electricity generation is around 19%, with 16% of electricity coming from hydroelectricity and 3% from new renewables.[2]

For more information about renewable energy check the Wikipedia article here

ZME Science posts about renewable energy

Petroleum expert: Our Current Oil Use is “Suicidal Within 1 Generation” – eye opening video

Wed, Mar 13, 2013

1 Comment

You often hear discussions about how much oil there is still left in the world’s underground. Listen to oil companies they’ll tell you there’s plenty to go around, absolutely no need to worry; listen to fanatic environmentalists and they’ll tell you that in two decades, we’re pretty much screwed. So why not listen to someone [...]

In Australia, wind power is already cheaper than Fossil fuels; solar is right behind

Mon, Feb 11, 2013

0 Comments

Australia seems poised to become one of the global leaders in terms of renewable energy; after a study showed that the country could realistically go 100% renewable energy in just 10 years, now, a different study concluded that wind energy is already cheaper than fossil fuels. The research was led by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, [...]

Water demand for energy to double by 2035

Fri, Feb 1, 2013

0 Comments

Water and energy are two of the things we pretty much take for granted – but we shouldn’t. Water is not infinite, and if you consume it at a high enough rate, it will run out; meanwhile, there’s a tight connection between living standard and energy consumption – and as the population continues to increase [...]

Do the math on PV efficiency

Tue, Jan 22, 2013

1 Comment

I recently came across a great article discussing solar photovoltaic (PV) efficiency. You can read it in its entirety on this website - here’s the gist. When people hear that the typical efficiency for solar power is somewhere around 15%, or even as low as 12% for organic photvoltaics, they scoff and start to mumble that [...]

Australia could, realistically go 100% renewable energy in 10 years

Thu, Jan 17, 2013

0 Comments

The only thing that stands between Australia and a future led entirely by renewable energy is the political will to make the change, a new report claims. Australia could be powered entirely by renewable energy in no more than 10 years, using solar and wind energy – two resources which Australia has a lot of. [...]

Transparent solar cells could be used onto entire buildings, screens, and more

Mon, Nov 12, 2012

1 Comment

This has the potential to be the holy graal of solar energy – UCLA researchers have developed a new organic polymer that produces electricity, is nearly transparent and much more resistant than silicone. If you think about solar cells, usually, the blacker the better – the blacker they are, the less energy is lost. But [...]

Architects reveal plan for China’s first self sufficient, carless city

Thu, Oct 25, 2012

0 Comments

Most people perceive China as a greatly polluted, overcrowded country, with little to no interest in renewable energy and a sustainable future. But that legacy is changing. Chicago-based architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill have unveiled plans for Chengdu Tianfu District Great City, a self sustainable satellite city which offers insightful solutions to the crowded [...]

Ikea to produce 100% renewable energy by 2020 – sets sustainable standard

Thu, Oct 25, 2012

0 Comments

I’m not necessarily a big fan of Ikea, but you have to admire this kind of initiative. The Swedish corporation announced they will go for a sustainable business model, one which features €1.5 billion investments in solar and wind power. The furniture company has remained true to its initial model, which involved doing things as [...]

Saudi Arabia wants to transition to 100% renewable energy

Sat, Oct 20, 2012

0 Comments

Saudi Arabia is by far the most oil-blessed country in the world – only Russia coming even close to it, but they want to transition to a more eco friendly, renewable energy-based system. Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, a member of the Saudi Arabia royal family, spoke to journalists at the Global Economic Symposium [...]

Military scientists announce they are close to turning seawater into jet fuel

Mon, Oct 15, 2012

2 Comments

According to their own statements, the US Naval Research Laboratory is working to extract the carbon dioxide and produce hydrogen gas from the seawater; if everything works out fine for them, they will be able to convert the CO2 and hydrogen into hydrocarbons which will be used as jet fuel.   Of course, the main interest [...]

Eco Basics: Benefits From Installing Home Solar Panels

Fri, Aug 17, 2012

1 Comment

Installing solar panels at your home or business give you many benefits. These benefits range from feeling better about your impact on the environment to monetary ones. Combined with the fact that solar technology is falling in price, these benefits could be very tempting to those looking reduce costs and do more for the planet. [...]

Pacific island nation Tokelau to become first entirely solar powered nation in the world this year

Fri, Aug 3, 2012

0 Comments

Tokelau is a small island near Samoa, not far from New Zealand; at a first glance, it wouldn’t seem significantly different from other beautiful atolls in that part of the world, but Tokelau has something very special: they are on track to become the first territory entirely powered by solar energy. The Diesel dependent country [...]

Get a Sustainable Future Using Renewable Energy Sources

Fri, Aug 3, 2012

1 Comment

With worldwide energy consumption increasing by 46% in the past 20 years, renewable energy specialists at Stephens Scown solicitors in Devon and Cornwall are highlighting the importance of renewable energy in the region, as energy needs increase. Despite hitting the headlines in recent months and years, renewables still only accounts for 3.7% of energy consumed in [...]

National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Solar Has The Most Potential Of Any Renewable Energy Source

Tue, Jul 31, 2012

0 Comments

A recent study of gargantuan proportions estimated that the technical potential of photovoltaic cells and concentrated solar power (CSP) in the United States, at today’s level of research and with today’s possibilities, is enough to generate about 400,000 TWh of energy annually, significantly more than any other renewable energy source. The study The National Energy [...]

US electricity demand could be 80% supplied by renewable sources by 2050

Fri, Jun 22, 2012

0 Comments

According to a recently publicized rapport by the  Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), renewable energy sources could account for as much as 80% of the US’s electricity demand by 2050. The rapport signals the various difficulties that need to be overcome to reach this goal, and note that while 80% might be very challenging [...]

Large wind farms might cause local (not global) warming

Mon, Apr 30, 2012

1 Comment

Large wind farms might have a warming effect on the local climate, a research conducted in the US claims, casting a shadow on the long term sustainability of this type of renewable energy. Wind farms and warming Wind farms have quite an unusual way of heating the surrounding environment: by drawing the hotter air from [...]

Over half of Germany’s renewable energy is owned by citizens and farmers – not utility companies

Tue, Jan 10, 2012

0 Comments

Germany keeps setting a right example of how renewable energy should be treated by the authorities, as opposed to the US, for example. In Germany, one of the world’s leading countries in this field, 51% of all renewable energy is owned by citizens and farmers, who use it for themselves or even sell it back [...]

Asia responsible for biggest spike ever in global warming gases

Mon, Nov 7, 2011

3 Comments

Amid all the talk about Asia’s economic growth and their stable financial future, two major problem arise to cloud their bright dawn: climate change and pollution. With way more than half of the world’s population, Asia has more to lose than any other continent; and considering the ways adopted by some of the most developed [...]

Google maps entire US geothermal resources – capable of producing 10 times more than coal plants

Tue, Oct 25, 2011

6 Comments

A new massive research from SMU’s Geothermal Laboratory, funded by a grant from Google.org has documented significant geothermal resources across the US (especially in the West), a resource that has the potential, with today’s technology, to produce over three million megawatts of green power – that’s 10 times more than coal plants currently produce. Sophisticated [...]

Economists claim every 1$ of coal electricity causes 2$ damage in the US

Mon, Oct 24, 2011

0 Comments

We all know coal energy is bad, but at least if you ask me, I would say that it’s used because it’s cheap. However, economists from the prestigious American Economic Review claim that coal plants cause twice as much damage than the coal they produce. After doing the math, they concluded that coal-fired electrical plants [...]

Japan plans to make solar panels mandatory for all buildings

Mon, May 23, 2011

2 Comments

Japan shows us yet again that they are leading the world in terms of renewable energy, in taking a plan that would make solar panels mandatory for all buildings no later than 2030. The plan, expected to be unveiled at the upcoming G8 Summit in France, aims to show Japan’s resolve to encourage technological innovation [...]

Breakthrough could revolutionize solar power

Sat, Apr 16, 2011

3 Comments

Researchers at the University of Michigan have made a discovery that promises to revolutionize solar technology forever. Stephen Rand, a professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics and William Fisher, a doctoral student at applied physics, discovered that light, when it is traveling at a certain intensity through [...]

Iceland to build longest underwater cable, sell renewable energy

Wed, Mar 9, 2011

0 Comments

Iceland is definitely one weird country; it is extremely rich in geothermal and volcanic energy, and has access to a significant quantity of fish, but other than that, resources are extremely scarce. At the end of 2008, the economy collapsed, with all major banks going bankrupt. Since then, they have been desperately trying to rise [...]

How many planets are in the Milky Way? Over 50 billion

Mon, Feb 21, 2011

9 Comments

Yes, you’ve read that right. There are over 50 billion planets in our galaxy alone, according to the Kepler telescope, scientists now estimate that not only there are over 500 bilion planets in the galaxy, but that there are over 500 million life-cable planets out there as well. These numbers obviously come from Nasa’s own [...]

Japanese first solar sail is powered by Sun’s light

Fri, Jul 23, 2010

0 Comments

If you thought solar panels or cars are sweet, you’re two steps behind. The Japanese space agency (of which we keep hearing more and more) put solar panels in space. Even better, so-called Ikaros solar sail is pushed forward by solar light – literally. Basically, photons exert pressure when they fall on the super reflective [...]

Rhode Island goes for offshore energy

Thu, Oct 2, 2008

0 Comments

In the ever developing struggle for alternative energy, Rhode Island made a significant step towards achieving their goal of fifteen percent offshore energy when they awarded Deepwater Wind the right to build a wind farm that will cost more than 1 billion dollars. This will also give the state more green jobs, as well as [...]

Green (and not only) reasons why Denmark is the planet’s green leader

Sat, Aug 16, 2008

0 Comments

The quality of the place of your residence is defined by many characteristics, which include natural and man-made factors, and more or less obvious consequences of those. The thing is if you care about the food you’re eating, the air you’re breathing and the water you’re drinking, Denmark is the place to be at the [...]

Subscribe for FREE!

Popular This Week

Drop us a line!

Tip us on news, scientific reports and studies, scientific advances, science art, interesting phenomena or any kind of science related material. Just write to andrei@zmescience.com.