Renewable Energy Development in the UK: Advantages and Lessons for Africa

Renewable energy development in the United Kingdom the advantages of going green and
lessons for Africa as a continent
Renewable energy development in the United Kingdom the advantages of going green and
lessons for Africa as a continent
Institution
Name

Renewable energy development in the United Kingdom the advantages of going green and
lessons for Africa as a continent
Date
Part one
Project Plan
Introduction
Continuous use of fossil fuels emits harmful wastes to the soil, water, and air. The pollution
affects the environment as well as the living creatures inhabiting the earth. Air pollution
contributes to the formation of acid rain from oxides of Sulphur and Nitrogen which is
harmful to plant life and harms the aquatic creatures in oceans, seas, and lakes among other
water sources. Moreover, Nitrogen oxide leads to the formation of smog which also leads to
health complications to human beings. Deposition of haze in the ozone layer in the
atmosphere inhibits healthy growth of plants (Stokes, et al., 2015).
The population growth and technological advancements in the United Kingdom have led to
the exhaustion of the conventional sources of energy such as fossil fuels. There is the need
for developing relatively cheap renewable energy sources that are reliable and friendly to
the environment. Renewable energy development tends towards the use of solar, water,
wind energy, the earth's heat and plants in the production of energy for consumption
without impacting negatively on the environment by reducing the emission of toxic gases
produced by the combustion of fossil fuels (Meehl, et al., 2005). Renewable energy sources
are clean or green sources because they reduce pollution effects to the environment.
Renewable energy sources are essential in the power production industries. In addition to
reducing the global emission of carbon to the environment, renewable energy has several
other advantages. To begin with, they are relatively cheaper in the production cost
compared to that of gas and fossil energy. The low production cost makes renewable energy
to be readily available for use and thus out doing other alternative sources. Secondly,
renewable energy has a long-time certainty because more financial support and policy
measures by the government have been implemented to support its production. Lastly,
renewable energy has an energy security advantage because it is more domestic and
provides for the supply security and reducing the dependence on imported energy sources.

Renewable energy development in the United Kingdom the advantages of going green and
lessons for Africa as a continent
This additionally improves the economy of states as saved revenue is used for the
importance of other tasks (Shindell, et al., 2006).
Aims and Objectives
To promote the implementation of the use of clean and efficient energy sources by
enhancing the use of renewable sources of energy and improving sustainability in the
United Kingdom. Several objectives are also set to help in achieving this. The goals are;
 Locate essential areas within the United Kingdom for scientific research on
renewable energy sources and provide effective scientific remedies to issues
concerning energy production.
 Provide scientific facts on matters of making relevant decisions of planning
and formulating relevant legislation concerning renewable energy sources.
 Conduct and support scientific experiments in the areas concerned with the
production of renewable energy.
 Enhance the capacity building in the renewable energy sector and create a
friendly environment that motivates research.
 Improve cooperation and networking between academic and industrial
organisations in research practices for mutual benefit and expansion in
research procedures.
 Circulate the results of the research and provide awareness for the use of
safe energy sources to protect the environment.
Tasks
Several procedures are to be practiced in the acquiring data for the research. Four crucial
sources of renewable energy are considered in this case.
Hydropower
It is the most popular and most substantial form of renewable energy that is popularly used
in the modern-day society. Water flowing along rivers is harvested in dams and released
through turbines to provide electricity. The effects of the quantity of water on the
production of electricity are to be determined. Impact of the size of turbines employed in
the production of hydroelectric power is also among the basics of the study. Power

Renewable energy development in the United Kingdom the advantages of going green and
lessons for Africa as a continent
production effects on the ecological cycle of aquatic creatures are also to be analysed and
recommendations made on the ways of improving production and maintaining the marine
environmental niche.
Geothermal energy
The earth's core located many miles below the earth's surface can reach hot temperatures
of about 9000° F. Heat generated produces geothermal energy and flows outwards heating
the surrounding environment leading to the formation of underground reservoirs for hot
water and steam. The pools can be adapted for a variety of uses such as electricity
generation or heating build sites. Various aspects of the produce hot water and steam such
as temperature and pressure are to be determined and their effect on influencing the
amount of heat and electricity evaluated.
Solar energy
The sun is the ultimate source of solar energy. Solar energy comes in the form of light and
heat which is then harnessed and converted to electric energy for heating, cooling and
lighting buildings. In the study of solar energy, the quality, quantity and distribution of
energy from the sun is to be determined. A pyranometer system is used to compare
measurements at different cloud observations at different hours of the day and the results
evaluated to determine the quantities under study. The effect of air pollution to the amount
of light produced by the sun is also studied at different points of the solar spectrum using
solar cells and current and voltage meters. The working of solar concentrators is also to be
evaluated and the procedure of how it harvests solar energy is evaluates
Wind energy
Wind contains a vast amount of energy that has been often harvested from the past in
sailing of ships along oceans, grinding of grains and other cereal products, and pumping
water. In the present times advanced wind turbines have been developed to offer efficient
means for capturing wind energy for generating electricity. Steady wind speeds of greater
than 12 miles per hour are required over the year for effective generation of electricity. The
anemometer and wind vane are to be used in the research to measure the wind speed and