Clean energy revolution: Be a part of it!

A clean energy revolution is the solution to climate change. It will pave the way for cleaner energy and a safe environment for everyone.

Our comfortable lives are the result of a stable climate which has allowed us to thrive and evolve through time. Along the way, the industrial, technological and information revolutions have enriched our world. They tapped energy sources, provided food and water, and created impressive technology.

However, our progress has come at a hefty price. We cause climate change by burning fossil fuels, clearing land and logging forests. We pollute our environment and harm our health.

We need a clean energy revolution! We need to take action to protect our health, our future and the well-being of our planet.

Climate change will pose significant stress and challenges in the Asian region. Asia has more than 60% of the world's population. Natural resources therefore are already under stress and the resilience of many Asian countries to climate change is poor. Several countries are socio-economically dependent on natural resources such as water, forests, grassland and fisheries.

The only way that we can stop the worst effects of climate change in Asia is by using less energy and by making sure that the energy that we do need comes from clean, renewable sources.

Renewable energy has the potential to meet our energy needs many times over. At present, we get less than 1% of our electricity from the wind, ocean and sun.

Solar Energy

Solar energy systems convert the energy from sunlight into electricity. Solar energy can be used to power homes and commercial buildings just like conventional electricity from the grid. It is a commercially proven and viable renewable energy technology. Greenpeace and industry research shows that with government support the solar industry could supply electricity to over 2 billion people globally in the next 20 years. By 2040, solar power could supply nearly 25% of global electricity demand. (reference-solar gen report?) Solar energy systems are silent, effective and comparatively non-polluting, so they are great for urban areas.


Wind Energy

Beautiful, low-impact and non-polluting, wind energy is already a success story in many countries. Wind turbine farms supply electricity to millions of people, employing tens of thousands of people and generating billions of dollars in revenue. It is the world's fastest growing renewable energy technology, on track to provide 12% of global energy by 2020. There is enough power in the wind across the earth's six continents to supply four times the world's energy needs. Today, wind power already supplies electricity to around 14 million households. That's more than 35 million people.

Biomass

Biomass is any kind of organic matter produced by plants and animals. Biomass energy systems convert this matter to fuel for energy.
Organic matter is turned into fuel using various technologies that convert solid material such as bio-degradable agricultural and wet food wastes to gas. The fuel is then converted to energy using the same technologies used for fossil fuels. The difference is that biomass fuels:

are a renewable resource that can be replaced or grown each year;
recycle waste water and materials and reduce pollution from untreated waste streams;
capture and use greenhouse gases before they can escape into the atmosphere.

Small Scale and Micro-Hydroelectric Energy

Hydroelectric energy is water energy. Moving water contains an enormous store of natural energy, whether the water is part of a running river or waves on the ocean. We support small-scale hydro systems that can produce plenty of electricity without needing the large dams. Classified as "small", "mini" or "micro" depending on how much electricity they produce, small hydro systems capture the river's energy without diverting too much water away from its natural flow.

The generation of hydroelectric power does not produce greenhouse emissions. It's a renewable energy resource because water is constantly replenished through the earth's hydrological cycle. All a hydroelectric system needs is a permanent source of running water, like a creek or river.
The World Energy Council estimates that wave power could produce two terawatts of energy each year. This is twice the world's current electricity production and is equivalent to the energy produced by 2000 large oil, gas, coal and nuclear power stations. The renewable energy within the world's oceans, if it could all be harnessed, would satisfy the present world demand for energy more than 5000 times over.

Small-scale hydropower is an environmentally benign energy source with large growth potential, but it won't reach this potential unless we give it a chance.

Geothermal

Geo (Earth) thermal (heat) energy means harnessing heat from inside the Earth. Our planet's core is incredibly hot – 5,500° Celsius (9,932° F) by recent estimates – so it's no surprise that even the top three metres of the Earth's surface stay at a nearly constant 10-16° Celsius (50-60° F) all year round. Plus, thanks to various geological processes, at some places much higher temperatures can be found in some places.?

Where geothermal hot water reservoirs are near the surface their hot water can be piped directly to where the heat is needed. This is one way geothermal is used for hot water, to heat homes, to warm greenhouses and even to melt snow on roads.

Geothermal power generation causes virtually no pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. It's also quiet, and extremely reliable. Geothermal power plants produce electricity about 90 percent of the time, compared to 65-75 percent for fossil fuel power plants.

Unfortunately, even in many countries with abundant geothermal reserves, this proven renewable energy source is being massively under utilised. The Philippines is the world's second largest geothermal energy producer and the largest geothermal energy user.

Nuclear energy: Not a Solution to Climate Change

The nuclear industry claims that nuclear energy is a clean alternative to fossil fuels. It is not. Nuclear power did not suddenly become safe and clean. It is just as radioactive and dangerous as it always was. Despite claims of the uranium and nuclear industries, nuclear power is not a solution to climate change.
Nuclear power is risky at every stage of development, from mining the uranium to producing the energy to the dangers of transporting and storing radioactive waste. It is not a clean or safe industry.

Creating nuclear power is expensive and its bi-products can cause cancer.
The best investment for our planet's future is clean renewable energy, such as solar and wind, combined with technologies that vastly improve energy efficiency.

source:http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/asia-energy-revolution/solutions