Renewable energy is becoming increasingly popular by the day. Renewable energy usage increased by 90 percent in the last 20 years, with renewable energy providing around 20 percent of utility-scale electricity production in 2020. According to the International Energy Agency, clean energy might be responsible for 95% of the increase in global power capacity between now and 2026.
The reason why renewable energy is seeing this remarkable increase in growth is the many environmental and economic benefits it has. It is often referred to as clean energy because it usually produces significantly less greenhouse gases and significantly less air pollution.
Numerous forms of renewable energy have reached the point where they are less costly than fossil fuels. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), by 2021, most renewable energy sources were cheaper than cheaper fossil fuel options.
There are currently several options for homeowners who desire to generate their own renewable energy, depending on their location, type of property, and local regulations. Depending on the location, type of property, small wind energy systems, air-source heat pumps (ASHP) and rooftop solar panels, however, there are other lesser-known clean energy systems that you may want to consider.
Below are a few examples.
Solar paintis is being developed that would allow you to generate solar energy directly from your exterior walls or rooftop. It will technically work on any substantial surface that is exposed to sunlight, and it may also be used to improve the efficiency of solar panels.
The majority of solar paint is being developed, including:
None of these solar paints is yet being commercially-manufactured, but they are still not as effective as silicon-based solar panels, but they are expected to be further developed and in the near future.
In the meantime, painting your rooftop with already-availablesolar reflective paint will reduce heat build-up in the rooms and areas below, reducing air-conditioning and reducing energy use. In 2020, researchers developed a superwhite paint that was so reflective that it would cool a surface below the surrounding air temperature.
2.Solar thermal fuel and home-made water battery
Solar power is mainly suited for sunny days. Solar power is usually reduced by 10 to 25% when the sun is obstructed by clouds.
The solution for this is through storage. Solar energy is usually stored in batteries, which can keep a solar-powered house running at night, or when the weather causes a reduction in production. This is not a large-scale solution. But scientists are looking for other solutions.
In 2018, Swedish scientists developed a liquid that promises to keep solar power up to 18 years. They developed a liquid solar thermal fuel that works like a rechargeable battery, only it uses solar power instead of electric power.
The liquid is pumped through transparent tubes. When it makes contact with sunlight, the fuel transforms into an energy-rich isomer, capturing energy in the isomer''s chemical bonds. Even as the liquid cools down, the molecule returns to its original form, releasing the stored energy in the form of heat.
An engineer who runs a YouTube channel called Quint BUILDs, a storage solution for homeowners, has been presented. This American DIYer then used solar power to pump water up to a tank on his rooftop. He then used the energy of that water to generate an electric current as shown in the following video.
With the help of a small generator, energy recovery hydropower is a technique that could help you absorb the energy of the water flowing through your homes pipes. It involves the use of micro-turbines to transform the water pressure into an electric current.
In some urban water systems, a technique is already being used to recover some of the energy released, through the use of pressure reduction valves. Water delivery requires immediate pressure, as too much pressure in pipelines can result in water loss. Water businesses also use pressure-reducing valves to regulate flow and water pressure in large, underground lines, and ensure water is delivered at appropriate pressure levels.
Two separate businesses in Oregon have developed and tested systems that employ new pressure recovery valves that combine smart pressure control with micro-hydro technologies to generate electricity from the flow of water through municipal pipes.
Eventually, energy recovery hydropower systems like this might revolutionize micro-hydropower systems for homes by permitting homeowners to utilize the water flowing through their pipes to generate renewable energy.
A study from Penn State found that households in the United States consume an estimated 30% of their food they purchase. This is a lot of wasted money, and wasted energy. One technique to reduce some of these losses is to transform food waste into energy.
According to a science fan from India, Jayanth Sakunaveeti, a number of researchers are working on ways to transform food waste into commercial biofuels. This man used a water can and PVC pipes to create an airtight container, where he might leave food scraps to putrefy.
Food waste contains lipids, phosphates, carbohydrates, and other substances, which release natural gases like methane and carbon dioxide as it decomposes. All of this can be converted into bioethanol, biodiesel, and bio-oil.
Biofuel production from food waste is nothing new, but Jayanth Sakunaveeti achieved this by collecting and burning gases from the food decomposition.
Reduce the size of your home is one of the reasons for the tiny house trend. This is because of the smaller size that reduces energy and materials used in construction, but also reduces energy used to heat, cool, and power a tiny house, as well as eliminating carbon emissions.
Thousands of tiny houses are available, but an EcoCapsule is a modern option that you may make into an off-grid house, as well as serve as a home office, a pop-up hotel, a project, or a research station - anywhere you need it.
EcoCapsule, a self-sustainable, egg-shaped micro-unit with an 880-watt solar cell array on the rooftop, a 750-watt low-noise wind turbine on a telescopic pole, a passive heat recuperation unit for ventilation and water heating, and a water filtration system that collects rainwater, filters it, and cleans it with a UV LED lamp to make it usable. faucets are also used to provide drinking water.
EcoCapsule uses a 9.6-kilowatt-hour battery that lasts about four days for solar power storage.
