Greenhouse gases is the generalised term used for products that have the potential to polute the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorocarbons. The driving forces behind greenhouse gas emissions is our increased energy use through burning fossil fuels for heating, transportation or energy production. The impacts of climate change due to human activity is one of the main driving forces behind greenhouse gas emissions and the need for climate change
Global warming and the environmental impacts of global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions and human activities could increase the planets average global temperature by upto 1.5 degsC within the coming years. Already the planet is experiencing temperature and weather extremes as well as droughts and haeavy rains. Sea levels will continue to rise as both artic and antartic ice sheets melt flooding low lands as a result of global warming
Carbon capture and storage is a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously meeting the growing energy demand around our planet. Capturing carbon dioxide and other such harmful gases is not a new technology but may be a viable way of decarbonising the atmosphere from gases and pollutants and storing them in suitable underground geological formations for permanent storage
Solar gardens use the sun’s energy to power pumps, fountains and ornamental lights throughout the year. We all like to see our gardens full of plants and flowers during the day, but also illuminated at night aswell. A solar powered garden uses solar photovoltaic panels to turn the suns energy into electricity and then uses this energy to power elements of their garden, whether its lighting, fountains or the occasional garden gnome. Using the free solar energy in the garden a great way of going green thereby helping to save the planet, and is a safer, easier and cheaper way than installing mains powered electrical equipment around your garden
Solid waste as a renewable source of energy is a way of reducing the dependency on conventional fossil fuels for energy generation. Waste-to-energy technologies help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, environment pollution, fossil fuel use, and unnecessary landfill dumping. Energy generation from waste materials reduces pollution caused by the burning of coal and oil based fossil fuels, and the land which would have otherwise been used for landfill purposes can be used for many other useful and green purposes
Sustainable agriculture is the organic production of food to feed the world’s population without destroying the land. Conventional agriculture with its use of fertilisers, high water consumption and poor soil management is not sustainable. There are many aspects to sustainable agriculture from improved soil amanagement methods were the soil is much less susceptible to wind and water erosion, to crop rotation and cultivation techniques that keep disease, pests and weeds to a minimum
Solar panels produce electrical energy using photovoltaic cells.These photovoltaic or PV cells are made of semiconductor silicon based materials similar to those found in modern day computer chips. When the suns rays hit these silicon cells, it knocks electrons loose from their atoms to generate electricity as they flow through the cell. By improving the way in which the suns rays are absorbed by a PV cell using tracking, collectors or new materials solar panels are able to collect solar power more effectively improving a systems performance.
The movements of waves in the oceans is energy and not the water itself which moves across the oceans surface. The water in the worlds seas and oceans is dynamic. The horizontal movement of water around the planet we call currents and waves, while the vertical rise and fall motion of the water we call tides. Its the winds blowing across the waters surface which causes the movement of waves to finally release their stored energy as they crash on the shoreline
Freshwater production technologies can help sustain all the life here on Earth with access to clean drinkable freshwater supplies being a major human need. Water is the most essential ingredient for our bodies so having access to fresh clean drinking water is vital. Desalination plants and large scale solar stills are being installed and used all over the world in order to satisfy the freshwater demand in countries where access to fresh clean drinking water can sometimes be a challenge
Hydrogen energy from a renewable energy perspective is a low-carbon energy supply we can use to power our homes and cars. Green hydrogen is a clean energy source which can play an important role in reducing the global requirements of fossil fuels. The use of hydrogen energy can provide the bridge between the variable output from solar photovoltaics and wind turbines as well as becoming a lowest-cost option for storing large quantities of electrical energy. Hydrogen and hydrogen-based transportation fuels can help transport renewable energy sources over longer distances
