Renewable Energy
Energy is one of the major building blocks of modern society. Energy is needed to create goods from natural resources and to provide many of the services we have come to take for granted. Renewable Energy is energy generated from natural resources such as; sunlight, wind, water, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally replenished). Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, biomass and biofuels for transportation.
The two most common sources of Renewable Energy in the U.S. are Solar Power and Wind Power.
- Solar Power – is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors (solar panels) and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam.
- Wind Power – is the use of air flow through wind turbines to mechanically power generators for electric power. Wind Power is of course plentiful, renewable and clean. Iowa is leading the U.S. in wind power generation, making up more than 35% of the state’s generated electricity. Nebraska has made significant progress in recent years.
Renewable Energy for Transportation
Renewable Energy is already answering a small but growing part of this need in the form of biofuels and may have the answer for long term in the form of hydrogen and fuel cells.
- Biofuels – Complex organic matter (primarily plants, but also animal wastes) can be processed to make fuels for vehicles. Currently, two fuels are seeing rapid expansion globally; ethyl alcohol (ethanol) and biodiesel.
- Ethanol is produced by the fermentation of starches or sugars. The usual starting material is corn, sugar cane, sugar beets, or other grains. Of course corn is the starting material for Iowa and Nebraska.
- Iowa is first in ethanol production nationwide and Nebraska is the second largest ethanol producing state in the country.
Links
Iowa Renewable Energy Association – Irenew.org
Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems – Nerenew.com
