World Energy Day
Today, October 22, is World Energy Day. It was created in 2012 by the World Energy Forum to raise awareness of ensuring that people have access to affordable, safe, and sustainable energy while lowering emissions [1].
This is the day to realise how vital energy is for our daily lives, from cooking at home and driving to work to lighting up the MCG. We utilise different energy sources to power our lives, and we could assume that it is easy to get energy by turning on a light or going to the petrol station, but behind that, producing energy is much more complex.
It is essential to secure affordability, reliability, and environmental responsibility when producing and delivering energy. This is the well-known Energy Trilemma. Many countries are moving towards green energy to reduce emissions, but in most cases, it is costly or is not reliable. For example, even though solar and wind energy are becoming cheaper, it is not reliable because it depends on weather conditions that constantly change. Therefore, finding a balance between these three parameters in the energy trilemma is the current challenge that many countries are trying to achieve in the transition to zero-emissions technologies.
Energy and climate change
In the fight against climate change, we must find new energy sources that do not emit emissions to replace our current fossil fuel-based energy and supply future demand. as the population grows, and we need to take action now. We need to start our transition to clean energy, ensuring that every person has access to this energy and can afford it.
Renewable energy is the best source to ensure clean power without emissions such as:
Solar Energy – Utilising the heat and light from the sun to harness energy even whilst it is cloudy. Solar energy is one of the most well-known sources of renewable energy. 30% of Australian households now have rooftop solar. There are two ways in which solar energy can be created; solar photovoltaic and solar thermal.
If humans could harness all of the sun’s energy, being the most powerful energy source, we could power the entire earth for a year! [2]
Wind Energy – Electricity is generated through kinetic energy by harnessing the wind. Wind turbines utilise the wind to spin their propellors which therefore spin an electric generator – producing electricity. As wind does not continuously blow, wind farms are often paired with solar farms or energy storage facilities to maintain a reliable supply of energy.
Geothermal Energy – extracting heat from geothermal reservoirs using either wells or other ways allows us to use the thermal energy from the earth’s interior. Reservoirs are either naturally sufficiently hot or can be improved through hydraulic stimulation. Once reaching the surface, fluids of various temperatures are utilised to generate energy.
Hydropower – is one of the oldest renewable energy sources, utilising the energy from moving water to convert it into electricity. Passing water is directed through a turbine, utilising the motion of the water to spin the turbine, generating electricity. The method consists of numerous processes and systems in order to create electricity, starting with the creation of hydroelectricity.
Pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) is a method of storing excess energy by pumping water from a lower dam to a higher dam, converting the higher dam into the storage of potential water to be utilised to create electricity when required [3].
The role of hydrogen
Using renewable energy to produce green hydrogen by splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen is an excellent option to potentialise renewable energy. An electrolyser is used to produce hydrogen from water with an electric current. If this electric current comes from renewable energy, we can create green hydrogen – a gas that can easily be stored in multiple ways and volumes.
Hydrogen has the capacity to deliver and store a tremendous amount of energy and can be used in multiple applications such as transportation, electricity generation, industrial processes, cooking and heating. Therefore, green hydrogen can help reduce emissions in many economic sectors by replacing fossil fuels.
Green hydrogen will play a fundamental role in the energy transition towards zero emissions. It could be the solution to the Energy Trilemma when it becomes affordable because it does not generate emissions and is reliable.
So let’s spread the voice and support the fuel of the future. Today aims to spark conversation on the energy transition towards sustainability to protect our world and secure a future for our coming generation.
References:
[1] https://www.worldenergy.org/news-views/entry/its-world-energy-day-how-will-you-mark-the-occasion
[2] https://www.valdaenergy.com/blogs/8-fun-energy-facts
[3] https://arena.gov.au/what-is-renewable-energy/
Check our articles:
The untold and fantastic truth about Grey Hydrogen
What are fossil fuels and their impact on climate change
Types of Hydrogen and its Potential as a Renewable Energy Source
Hydrogen Projects, Renewable Energy Engineer and Projects Development Manager at APW
Maddison S
Officer Assistant
