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6 Renewable Energy
6.5 Emerging Renewable Energy Technologies
Recent headlines about the energy industry have predominantly focused on the drop
of the oil and gas prices. Whereas low-cost energy is newsworthy, the over-focus
on fossil fuels could be deterring innovative developments that have been taking
place within the industry. The industry is among the most vibrant and transformative
sectors of the economy. Declining costs, technological improvements as well as the
influence of financing structures have made the sector a major driver of economic
growth in the US and the world.
The renewable energy industry continues to be accessible and is poised to replace
cheap yet disastrous fossil fuels. As a more significant number of people decide to
understand the concept of energy, there is a critical effort to comprehend renewable
energy (Hussain et al. 2017). Some of the innovations and emerging technologies in
renewable energy that show the increased interest in renewable energy are explored
below.
6.5.1 Solar Glass
Solar glass is a transparent glass panel with the ability to harvest solar energy.
Contrary to other photovoltaic cells that absorb photons, leading to only semitransparent glass, solar glass utilizes organic salts for absorbing ultraviolet and
infrared light. This allows the spectrum of light to pass through completely. After
absorption of non-visible wavelengths, they produce infrared light, which is pushed
to the edges of panels. Some of the applications of solar glass include cell phones
and window panels found in the high-rise constructions. The expected efficiency
rates are usually as high as 10% (Hussain et al. 2017). While this may not wholly
charge a phone, it can prolong a charge’s length or enhance the overall efficiency of
a building.
6.5.2 Thorium Nuclear Reactors
Thorium nuclear reactors make use of thorium rather than plutonium for nuclear
fission, providing various benefits. Thorium reactors are often safer compared to
the plutonium reactors because their designs lead to important steps for preventing
a meltdown. The reactors can cut off the supply of neutrons needed for producing energy, thus halting fission whenever required. Contrastingly, plutonium and
uranium yield their neutrons, thus making safeguards impossible (Humphrey and
Khandaker 2018). It is easier to obtain thorium and also leads to less nuclear waste.
In addition, the production of a bomb using the thorium reactors could become
quite impractical, thus minimizing the likelihood of a nuclear breakdown. Some
6 Renewable Energy
6.5 Emerging Renewable Energy Technologies
Recent headlines about the energy industry have predominantly focused on the drop
of the oil and gas prices. Whereas low-cost energy is newsworthy, the over-focus
on fossil fuels could be deterring innovative developments that have been taking
place within the industry. The industry is among the most vibrant and transformative
sectors of the economy. Declining costs, technological improvements as well as the
influence of financing structures have made the sector a major driver of economic
growth in the US and the world.
The renewable energy industry continues to be accessible and is poised to replace
cheap yet disastrous fossil fuels. As a more significant number of people decide to
understand the concept of energy, there is a critical effort to comprehend renewable
energy (Hussain et al. 2017). Some of the innovations and emerging technologies in
renewable energy that show the increased interest in renewable energy are explored
below.
6.5.1 Solar Glass
Solar glass is a transparent glass panel with the ability to harvest solar energy.
Contrary to other photovoltaic cells that absorb photons, leading to only semitransparent glass, solar glass utilizes organic salts for absorbing ultraviolet and
infrared light. This allows the spectrum of light to pass through completely. After
absorption of non-visible wavelengths, they produce infrared light, which is pushed
to the edges of panels. Some of the applications of solar glass include cell phones
and window panels found in the high-rise constructions. The expected efficiency
rates are usually as high as 10% (Hussain et al. 2017). While this may not wholly
charge a phone, it can prolong a charge’s length or enhance the overall efficiency of
a building.
6.5.2 Thorium Nuclear Reactors
Thorium nuclear reactors make use of thorium rather than plutonium for nuclear
fission, providing various benefits. Thorium reactors are often safer compared to
the plutonium reactors because their designs lead to important steps for preventing
a meltdown. The reactors can cut off the supply of neutrons needed for producing energy, thus halting fission whenever required. Contrastingly, plutonium and
uranium yield their neutrons, thus making safeguards impossible (Humphrey and
Khandaker 2018). It is easier to obtain thorium and also leads to less nuclear waste.
In addition, the production of a bomb using the thorium reactors could become
quite impractical, thus minimizing the likelihood of a nuclear breakdown. Some