Шрифт:
All science is either physics or stamp collecting.
Ernest Rutherford
The importance of obtaining energy is a truth that is clear to most. Everything is built on it. Humanity has already learned to produce fire in ancient times. The significance of this event is great. One of the legends tells about Prometheus, how he stole fire from Olympus and gave it to the earthlings, for which he was severely punished.
People initially used natural fire, but later they learned to get it themselves.
The value of fire as a source of energy in the distant past was great. It was possible to prepare food. Heat treatment destroyed pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, which increased life expectancy. On cold winter days, it was possible to warm up by the fire. The advantages are obvious.
The use of coal, oil, gas and atomic energy is already our reality.
The development of the energy industry gives huge advantages. Thanks to natural resources, life has become much more comfortable and easier. Each of us feels and understands it well when, for example, for some unknown reason the electricity is cut off. And again, a weak candle flame gives light, as once in the old days.
But there are also significant disadvantages in the development of the energy sector. The composition of the atmosphere is changing due to the release of harmful substances, the amount of carbon dioxide is increasing, which is more aggressive than oxygen, and “the lungs of our planet: the jungles of the Amazon River basin, the forests of Siberia, can no longer cope with all this.
People have begun to forget that we are only a small part of nature and are an integral part of it, and this forgetfulness can cost us all dearly.
The activities of people lead to dramatic changes in the world around us. Our society now understands and sounds the alarm about this, but sometimes environmental protection is limited only to words, bright speeches, and all this will not change anything. What is really being done now in this direction?
Currently, various types of alternative energy are proposed. The leading places are occupied by wind energy and solar.
The use of wind turbines and solar panels to some extent allows us to provide the population with safe energy that is so necessary for everyone. But these “environmentally friendly” species also have their drawbacks. Large areas are needed to obtain sufficient energy. Now this problem has been solved. Wind turbines and solar panels are installed in coastal waters, but this does not solve other problems.
Solar energy depends on the weather, time of day, seasonality, it is necessary to periodically clean the reflective surface, and the price of solar panels is also high.
When using wind energy, the kinetic energy of air masses in the atmosphere is converted into various convenient types of it. Wind power is an irregular source of energy and depends on the strength of the wind. The unevenness is also associated with both the daily and annual receipt of it. Large wind turbines are difficult to repair, it is difficult to replace parts at an altitude of more than 100 meters. Wind power plants produce noise and vibration, so they are placed in an open area.
In winter, during heavy snowfall, ice growths form, and in order to start the wind turbines back, they have to be warmed up by the same means that conservationists so fiercely criticize.
It turns out that today the “green energy is still unreliable.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.