Renewable energy is energy that is generated using only natural resources, which makes generation much more sustainable. Depending on the resource used to produce this energy, we distinguish four main types:
Solar: is what we generate through the sun, using photovoltaic panels to absorb sunlight and radiation and transform it into energy.
Wind power: in this case, wind is used. Technically, wind produces kinetic energy that, thanks to wind turbines, is converted into mechanical energy and produces electricity.
Hydroelectric: This is obtained from thekinetic energy produced sale leads zimbabwe email address by the movement of water in hydraulic turbines. To do this, it is necessary to have hydroelectric power plants that can process this conversion.
Geothermal: Finally, electricity can be obtained from the heat given off by the Earth itself. In this case, this heat heats water and produces steam that drives turbines to produce energy. However, this type of renewable source can only be used in areas where there is a higher level of geothermal activity, such as tectonic plates.
Electric energy: non-renewable sources
Traditionally, the way of generating electricity has not been as sustainable as the one promoted now, since it has mostly been based on limited and non-renewable sources. Mainly, of two types:
Fossil fuels: One of the most common ways of generating electricity during the 20th century has been the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, gas or oil.
Nuclear energy: On the other hand, it has also been very common to produce electricity from nuclear energy through a nuclear fission process.
The European Union's goal for the coming decades is to achieve full decarbonisation, which involves eliminating non-renewable energy sources and replacing them with renewable sources, which are more sustainable and have unlimited resources.
How is electrical energy stored?
Storing electrical energy is not exactly an easy task. For this reason, one of the main lines of technological development in recent years has been aimed at diversifying the processes to conserve it more successfully, transforming it into another type of energy and converting it back into electricity. These are some of the most commonly used forms of storage:
Batteries. These devices store energy by converting it into chemical energy and then releasing it as electricity. The most commonly used batteries are lithium batteries, although there are also lead and nickel batteries.
In this case, energy is stored as an electrostatic charge, and larger quantities can be stored.
Capacitors, also known as capacitors, allow energy to be stored in internal electric fields, a system that has more limitations than batteries.
Electricity and its importance in decarbonisation
As we mentioned earlier, decarbonisation is the major sustainability goal that the European Union has set. In fact, this organisation has published a Long-Term Decarbonisation Strategy , through which it hopes that, by 2050, the countries of the European Union will achieve climate neutrality.