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Sources Of Renewable Energy Sources

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The continued reliance on fossil fuels over the centuries has led to these resources being almost completely exhausted. Furthermore, their use has had extremely negative effects on the environment, namely pollution and global warming as a result of the build-up of greenhouse gases. It is therefore essential to consider alternative, cleaner energy sources. It was decided that six renewable energy sources should be researched in order to determine which are most suitable for use in the West of Scotland.

Biomass Energy

Biomass is biological matter originating from living or recently living organisms, and it is the oldest source of renewable energy. The biomass used for energy normally comes from plant-based material.1 During photosynthesis, the chlorophyll in plants captures the sun’s energy, in order to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates. Subsequently, combusting these carbohydrates produces water and carbon dioxide, hence releasing the energy initially captured from the sun.2
The most widely used method of converting biomass to electricity involves burning it to produce steam, this then causes rotation in a turbine, and this kinetic energy produces electicity.2 This process is shown below:
Biomass is a completely renewable source of energy: in addition to the energy it stores being from the sun, biomass can re-grow over a reasonably short time period.2 It is widely available and can be sourced from within the UK, and in fact every

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