This document discusses different types of renewable energy sources including solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass. For each energy source, it describes what it is, how it works, current usage levels in India, pros and cons. The conclusion states that renewable resources are sustainable and not hazardous, but some require wise management and land. Transitioning to widespread renewable energy will require transforming electricity infrastructure and distribution systems.

1. Renewable energy Systems- Unit 1

2. What is Renewable Energy
• It is the energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.
• Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources —such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and
geothermal heat—which are renewable (naturally replenished).
• Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydro,
biomass and biofuels for transportation.

3. Why Renewable Energy?
• Because of the desire and necessity to avert
irreversible climate damage
• Because of increasing oil prices
• In view of all these and other factors,
governments worldwide support renewables with
various incentives.
• Fossil fuels are non-renewable, that is, they draw
on finite resources that will eventually dwindle,
becoming too expensive or too environmentally
damaging to retrieve.
• Many types of renewable energy resources-such
as wind and solar energy-are constantly
replenished and will never run out.
• Abundant sunshine
Energy Consumption Trend

4. Renewable Resources
• Solar energy
• Wind energy
• Hydropower
• Heat Energy
• Biomass
There are many sources of renewable energy, but all
of them, except geothermal energy, are more or less
directly related to the sun: the main source of clean
and sustainable energy for the earth.

5. Solar energy
• Solar power is the technology of obtaining usable energy from
the light of the sun.
• Solar power energy has come into use where other power
supplies are absent, such as in places off from the
national electrical grid and in space.
• As of 30 June 2017, India’s solar grid had a cumulative capacity of
13.11 GW
• Solar energy is currently used in a number of applications:
• Heat (hot water, building heat, solar cooking)
• Electricity generation (photovoltaics and solar thermal, Stirling and
other heat engines)
• Desalination of seawater (taking the salt out so it can be used for
drinking or growing crops).
• Lightning
SOLAR PV PANNEL
SOLAR PV PANNEL TYPES

6. Pros and cons of Solar Energy
PROS
1. Clean Energy Source
2. Renewable and Sustainable
3. Power Remote Areas
4. Can be Installed on Rooftops
5. Reduce Electricity Bills
6. Availability
7. Low Maintenance
8. Silent
CONS
1. Initial Cost (Rs. 90-120 per watt)
2. Produce Power During Day
3. Solar Cells Effectiveness (14%-17%)
4. Large Area for Setup (10 sqm/kw)
5. Expensive Storage ( batteries )

7. Wind energy
• Wind power is using the energy of Wind has been used since
ancient times to move ships, and for hundreds of years to pump
water or grind corn and grain into flour, now it is usually changed
into electricity using wind turbines.
• As of the end of March 2017 the total installed wind power
capacity was 32.17 GW
• Most modern wind power is generated in the form of electricity
by converting the rotation of a turbine blades into electrical
current by means of an electrical generator.

8. Pros and cons of Wind Energy
PROS
1. Clean Source of Power
2. Renewable Source
3. Cost Effective
4. Extra Savings for Land Owners
5. Use of Modern Technology
6. Rapid Growth and Huge Potential
7. Can be Built on Existing Farms
CONS
1. Wind Reliability
2. Threat to Wildlife
3. Noise and Visual Pollution
4. Expensive to Set Up
5. Safety of People
6. Suitable to Certain Locations
7. Effect on Environment

9. Hydropower
• Hydropower is changing the energy of moving water into more
useful forms.
• Flowing water creates energy that can be captured and turned
into electricity. This is called hydroelectric power or hydropower.
• Today the largest use of hydropower is for a dam that can use the
falling water to make electricity.
• As of 30 April 2017, India's installed utility-scale hydroelectric
capacity was 44,594 MW.

10. Pros and cons of hydro power
PROS
1. Clean Source of Power
2. Renewable energy source
3. Cost competitive energy source
4. Contributes to development of remote
communities
5. Recreational opportunities
6. Fundamental vehicle for sustainable
development
CONS
1. Environmental damage
2. High upfront capital costs
3. Might cause conflicts
4. May lead to droughts
5. Risk of floods in lower elevations
6. Carbon dioxide and methane emission

11. Geothermal Energy
• This type of energy is obtained by tapping the heat of the earth,
which is mostly in the form of hot water and steam. Various
technologies are used to get to the heat under the earth’s surface
at different depths.
• In some areas of the planet geothermal energy is closer to the
surface and therefore easier to harness.
• Several metres under the earth’s surface the temperature is
between 10° and 16°C. In winter this heat can be brought to
buildings with pipes.
• Another technology uses deep wells in hot rock in which fluid is
heated to produce steam, which then drives turbines to generate
electricity. The facilities that enable this process are called dry
steam, flash steam and binary-cycle plants.

12. Pros and cons of Geothermal Energy
PROS
1. Renewable Source
2. Environment Friendly
3. No Fuel Needed
4. Abundant Supply
5. Significant Savings for Home Owners
6. Smallest Land Footprint
7. Innovation in Technology
CONS
1. Suitable to Particular Region
2. High Initial Costs
3. Cost of Powering the Pump
4. Surface Instability
5. Environmental Concerns
6. High Temperatures Needed
7. May Run Out of Steam

13. Biomass
• Biomass energy is the energy that is derived from organic matter of plants and animals.
• Some of this is burned to make electricity, some is made into biogas, biofuel, like ethanol as a replacement
for gasoline.
BIOMASS SOURCES
BIOPLANT PROCESS

14. Pros and cons of Geothermal Energy
PROS
1. Renewable Source
2. Dependency on Fossil Fuels is Reduced
3. Carbon Neutral
4. Widely Available
5. Can be Used in Many Forms
6. Helps Reduce Waste
CONS
1. Not Totally Clean When Burned
2. Can Lead to Deforestation
3. In-efficient
4. Requires Lot of Space
5. Expensive

15. Conclusion
• We can’t run out of renewables because nature
replenishes them faster than we consume them.
• The use of domestic power generators (e.g. solar
panels on the roof) reduces the strain on power
distribution systems.
• Green electricity is becoming increasingly
accessible to the average consumer.
• Renewables are generally not hazardous to the
environment.
• Biomass and geothermal energy need wise
management to avoid their depletion.
• Renewable heat is still expensive and hard to
access.
• Some green energy installations take up large
pieces of land that can be used to grow crops.
• If clean energy becomes prevalent, the electricity
transmission and distribution systems must be
transformed and managed more actively
large plant substation
power
transmission
power
distribution
consumer
This distribution is done to achieve economies of scale, or to bring energy generation closer to the resource
(e.g. mines) and away from populated areas (for health reasons). However, some of the energy, especially
heat, is lost during the transportation.