Renewable energyWe have to reduce our CO2

emissions and our consumption of fossil fuels

Nova Scotia

• Today 18% of our electricity is renewable

• By 2015, 25% will be renewable (Gov. NS)

• By 2020, 40% will be renewable (Gov. NS)

Solar Energy• From the sun

• Has existed for a long time (calculators)

• Uses PV (photovoltaic) batteries to capture sun rays which heats up electrons and they make energy

• Germany, Spain, Japan, and the US are the 4 countries which produce the most

• http://www.solarns.ca/

Residential

• Costs between $35 000-50 000 for installation

• Takes about 10 years to recoup the costs

• You can connect the the regular power lines and sell the energy you don’t use back to the power company

• Efficiency is difficult to predict because of the weather

Solar products…

• Charge your phone or laptop

• A lunch bag that can heat or keep cold your food

• Deck lights

• Build a solarium or a greenhouse

• Heat the water in your pool

• They are working on creating a solar car

Hydro energy

• From water

• We build dams and when water goes through, it creates energy

• 20% of the worlds energy (Canada is second in production)

• In 1879 the first dam was built at Niagara Falls

• The biggest dam in the world is on the Yangtze River in China

Advantages and disadvantages

• Easy to make more or less depending on need

• A lot less CO2 emissions produced

• Costs only 3 cents per kWh = 28$ per month for a house

• Building resevoirs destroys ecosystems

• Sometimes people are displaced because companies need the land

• http://www.nspower.ca/en/home/aboutnspower/makingelectricity/renewable/hydromap.aspx

Geothermic energy

• From the Earth

• The US and the Philippines are the top producers in the world

• The biggest refinery is in California

• Costs about 4-10 cents per kWh after installation, which is extremely expensive

Wind Energy• From the wind

• Denmark gets 25% of their energy from wind power

• After installation ($50 000-80 000), about 1-5 cents per kWh

• Difficult to predict the quantity of power you will get

Nova Scotia

• We have 176 turbines which produce 7-8% of our total energy

• If a turbine is placed 350m away from a house, the noise you hear is the same as a fridge

• http://www.nspower.ca/en/home/aboutnspower/makingelectricity/renewable/directory.aspx

Biomass energyFrom organic organisms

• Used for electricity and for fuel

• The US and Brazil produce the most

• Is used a lot in NS in households because a lot of people burn wood for heat

• 3% of our total energy

• A plant in Port Hawkesbury

• Denmark produces 12% of it’s energy from biomass

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Pmi8SeP8T8MvHM&tbnid=zaAqSq7u4I2oiM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FRenewable_energy&ei=10GuUs61CfKrsAT1rID4BA&bvm=bv.57967247,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNFCfnc7K3joS1S6zvhSj3gzjz6hSg&ust=1387238176488025