Top 7 alternative energies listed

The US could replace all its cars and trucks with electric cars powered by wind turbines taking up less than 3 square kilometres - in theory, at least. That's the conclusion of a detailed study ranking 11 types of non-fossil fuels according to their total ecological footprint and their benefit to human health.

The study, carried out by Mark Jacobson at Stanford University, found wind power to be by far the most desirable source of energy. Biofuels from corn and plant waste came right at the bottom of the list, along with nuclear power and "clean" coal.

The energy sources that Jacobson found most promising were, in descending order:

• Wind

• Concentrated solar power (mirrors heating a tower of water)

• Geothermal energy

• Tidal energy

• Solar panels

• Wave energy

• Hydroelectric dams

To compare the fuels, Jacobson calculated the impacts each would have if it alone powered the entire US fleet of cars and trucks.

He considered not just the quantities of greenhouse gases that would be emitted, but also the impact the fuels would have on the ecosystem - taking up land and polluting water, for instance. Also considered were the fuel's impact on pollution and therefore human health, the availability of necessary resources, and the energy form's reliability.

"Some options that have been proposed are just downright awful," he says. "Ethanol-based biofuels will actually cause more harm to human health, wildlife, water supply, and land use than current fossil fuels." Jacobson says it would take 30 times more space to grow enough corn to power the US fleet than would be needed to erect enough wind turbines, while bioethanol would produce more greenhouse gases than wind power.

Nuclear is another energy source whose merits have been debated by European and US leaders alike in the past 12 months. "It results in 25 times more carbon and air pollution than wind," says Jacobson.

"Clean" coal - the process of burning coal then capturing the emitted carbon dioxide and storing it underground - is another political favourite. Jacobson's calculations show that building and using enough clean coal power plants would emit up to 110 times more carbon than building and using wind turbines only.

"The philosophy that we should try a little bit of everything is wrong," says Jacobson. "We need to focus on the technologies that provide the best benefit. We know which these are."

Jacobson acknowledges that politicians are calling for a massive jobs programme to pull the economy out of recession, but says investment in renewable energy is one way to do that. "Putting people to work building wind turbines, solar plants, geothermal plants, electric vehicles, and transmission lines would not only create jobs but also reduce costs due to healthcare, crop damage, and climate damage - as well as provide the world with a truly unlimited supply of clean power," he says.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16419-top-7-alternative-energies-listed.html

Power Options for Singapore

Many worry that the power we use now (fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas) will run out one day. Furthermore, fossil fuels come with the risk of causing global warming and accidents like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill showed us the devastation caused.

Is nuclear energy inevitable for Singapore? Some people worry about the possible risks of using nuclear power like the fears of nuclear meltdown and the problem of nuclear waste.

What about alternative energy? Which alternative energy looks the most promising? What can you tell us about green energy and sustainable energy? Which do you think is the best power option?

What else can we do to handle the challenge of growing energy demands and the need to sustain economic growth.

Alternative Energy

Steven Chu Advocates Nuclear Power in Hearing

Does the world need nuclear energy?

Watch it on Academic Earth

You may want to navigate through this power point presentation of MJC E learning Module on Nuclear Energy and Environment concerns.

The Straits Times traces Singapore’s energy evolution.

1861-1862: The Singapore Gas Company was formed, and the Kallang Gasworks built to supply piped gas for street lighting. It used coal to produce gas until 1958, when it was converted to produce gas from oil. In 1997, it was replaced by the $240 million Senoko Gasworks.

1905: A power station was built in Mackenzie Road to supply electricity for trams.

1924-1927: The coal-fired St James Power Station was built, and began to deliver electricity for the island. It was decommissioned in the 1970s. Today, the national monument houses popular nightspots.

1963: The Public Utilities Board (PUB) was formed to supply gas, water and electricity to consumers.

1995: Singapore Power was incorporated as a commercial entity to take over the business of supplying gas and electricity from the PUB.

1990s: Singapore began to shift from relying solely on fuel oil to generate electricity, to getting electricity from natural gas. By 2002, oil accounted for about 51 per cent of its electricity, gas for 44 per cent, and waste incineration for the rest.

Last year, oil accounted for 17 per cent of electricity production, natural gas for 77 per cent, and waste and other sources for 6 per cent. Natural gas for electricity is piped into the island from Indonesia and Malaysia.

2001-2003: The electricity market was liberalised to let suppliers compete to provide power to about 10,000 non-residential consumers.

2006: The decision was made to import liquefied natural gas (LNG), which, unlike piped natural gas, does not have to come from the Republic's immediate neighbours. An LNG terminal, run by Singapore LNG Corporation, will come onstream in 2013.

2008: Tuas Power announced it will build a steam-and- electricity plant that will run on biomass (plant matter, mostly woodchips and palm kernels) and coal from the region. It is due to open in phases from next year.

2009-2011: The Housing Board announced and began a $31 million, five-year trial of solar power at 30 HDB precincts; solar energy will power lights at common areas such as stairwells.

2011: Malaysian electricity group Tenaga Nasional approached Singapore about buying some electricity from power stations here, to tide it over during shortages. During previous emergency outages, the two countries have shared electricity supply via two submarine cables linking Malaysia's grid with Singapore's at Senoko. The cables can transmit up to 200MW of power.