Chapter 6
Renewable Energy
Abstract Everyday activities at the local and international level are crucial for
tackling sustainability and climate change issues, and countries are distinctly placed
to advance initiatives in renewable energy. Energy is at the core of the sustainability
challenge because it is a pertinent ingredient of the current economic life. Despite
this, society’s long-term reliance on fossil fuels implies a future of higher energy
costs and environmental damage. This chapter argues that to tackle the issue of
climate change and achieve a green world, there is a need to substitute fossil fuels
with other energy forms that are environmentally sustainable, including solar and
wind. The various types of renewable energy sources are explored to understand
their significance for the environment. Also, this chapter explores the emerging
renewable energy technologies. Bunker Roy’s contribution to the renewable energy
sector, the case studies of the humpback whale, and the microbial fuel cell along
with an experiment provide further solid evidence of the roles and importance of
renewable energy sources for the environment and green society.
Keywords Microbial fuel cell · Solar · Wind · Geothermal · Bunker Roy ·
Solar glass · Thorium nuclear reactors
6.1 Overview
Renewable energy is produced from natural processes that continuously replenish,
including geothermal heat, water, biomass forms, wind, and tides. This form
of energy cannot be depleted and is consistently renewed. Other sources define
renewable energy sources as those that obtain their energy from ongoing natural
processes, including water, sunshine, wind, as well as geothermal heat flows
(Hussain et al. 2017). The most common definition is that it is obtained from a
resource that is substituted by a natural process like that generated from wind or
the sun. Apart from tidal and geothermal power, many forms of renewable energy
emanate from the sun.
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. A. Akinsemolu, The Principles of Green and Sustainability Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2493-6_6
135
Renewable Energy
Abstract Everyday activities at the local and international level are crucial for
tackling sustainability and climate change issues, and countries are distinctly placed
to advance initiatives in renewable energy. Energy is at the core of the sustainability
challenge because it is a pertinent ingredient of the current economic life. Despite
this, society’s long-term reliance on fossil fuels implies a future of higher energy
costs and environmental damage. This chapter argues that to tackle the issue of
climate change and achieve a green world, there is a need to substitute fossil fuels
with other energy forms that are environmentally sustainable, including solar and
wind. The various types of renewable energy sources are explored to understand
their significance for the environment. Also, this chapter explores the emerging
renewable energy technologies. Bunker Roy’s contribution to the renewable energy
sector, the case studies of the humpback whale, and the microbial fuel cell along
with an experiment provide further solid evidence of the roles and importance of
renewable energy sources for the environment and green society.
Keywords Microbial fuel cell · Solar · Wind · Geothermal · Bunker Roy ·
Solar glass · Thorium nuclear reactors
6.1 Overview
Renewable energy is produced from natural processes that continuously replenish,
including geothermal heat, water, biomass forms, wind, and tides. This form
of energy cannot be depleted and is consistently renewed. Other sources define
renewable energy sources as those that obtain their energy from ongoing natural
processes, including water, sunshine, wind, as well as geothermal heat flows
(Hussain et al. 2017). The most common definition is that it is obtained from a
resource that is substituted by a natural process like that generated from wind or
the sun. Apart from tidal and geothermal power, many forms of renewable energy
emanate from the sun.
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. A. Akinsemolu, The Principles of Green and Sustainability Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2493-6_6
135