There are three types of geothermal energy based on power plants. The first is dry steam power which uses steam generated directly from the earth to generate energy. This power plant does not require additional heating fuel or boilers. It is also a very rare kind of geothermal plant. The second is the dry steam power plant. This power plant uses water at high temperatures of more than 360F. The water is collected into tanks where due to reduced pressure it boils into steam which is used to run turbines for power generation. The third is a binary cycle power plant. This kind of geothermal plant utilizes water at high temperatures to heat another fluid with a lower boiling point. The fluid then vaporizes into steam which is used to turn turbines and condenses into the liquid to be heated again in that cycle (California Energy Commission, n.d.). The solar energy sector has witnessed a number of innovations. The first is solar desalination. As a solution to drought areas, scientists have offered a solution to the freshwater worries of the world by developing machines that are solar-powered with the ability to extract drinking water out of brackish water. The solar-powered machine was made by a partnership between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Jain Irrigation System. The desalination machine has the ability to remove salt from the water and disinfect it using UV rays so as to obtain water that is safe for drinking. The second one is solar transportation where a solar road has been constructed ion the Netherlands and generates approximately 3,000KWh of electricity able to supply one household for a whole year. The road is barely 230 Ft. bike path. The third is a solar contraption that has the ability to convert 34% of solar energy into power. Each of the Ripasho dish contraptions have the ability of 85megawats per hour capable of supplying 24 houses in a whole year (Chow, 2015). The piezoelectric effect is the capability of an object to produce an electric charge when subjected to applied mechanical stress. What brings out the uniqueness of the piezoelectric effect lies in the sense that it is reversible. As such, any material that has the ability to exhibit a piezoelectric effect can also exhibit a converse piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectric effect has been widely used in the production of sound detectors, high voltage generation, and microbalance applications among others. Specific examples of the application of the piezoelectric effect include the following: the first is high voltage and a power source. One of these kinds is the cigarette lighter. Pressing the button causes the hammer tot hit the piezoelectric material producing high-voltage electricity toe which heats and ignites the gas. The second application is the piezoelectric sensors which is used in wireless microphones to pick sound. The third is in use of piezoelectric motors to provide the Nano motion. The piezoelectric effect receives an electric pulse and applies a directional force to an opposing ceramic plate thereby making it to move a different direction resulting into the Nano motion (Jaffe, 2012). The following types of energy storage exist: the firs is through solid-state batteries. These batteries offer a range of electrochemical storage solutions which include advanced chemistry. They include capacitors that may be inbuilt in devices and can be charged to store energy which can then be used on other devices. Examples are computer power backups. Also, lithium-ion batteries for mobile phones are among some of the widely known examples. The second one is the flow batteries. They include batteries where energy is stored in the electrolyte directly. The energy is stored for longer life and is often used for quick response times. Some of examples include chloride Exide batteries or car batteries. The third one is the flywheel. These are mechanical devices that are used in harnessing rotational energy and delivering electricity instantaneously. The fourth is thermal energy storage. This involves a process where heat is captured to be used later to create energy on demand. Similarly, a cold could be captured on the same basis to be used on demand later on. An example is in the Ice Bear system where ice is created during the night and condensed during the day to be used in the air conditioning system ( Tan, Li, & Wang, 2013). In a microbial fuel cell chemical energy is present in the organic compounds to electrical energy. It is an alternative way of generating electricity. With the aid of bacteria, organic materials are converted into electricity by transferring electrons to the circuit. The microorganism then transfers the electrons to the anode through exogenous mediators like potassium ferricyanide or by using the mediators produced by the bacteria as well as via direct transfer of electrons to the electrodes from the respiratory enzymes. In the subsequent assembly of the MFC is another anode (cathode) and arrangement. The cathode is decidedly charged and is what might be similarly be referred to as the oxygen sink toward the end of the electron transport chain. The organization is an oxidizing specialist that gets the electrons at the cathode ( Rabaey, & Verstraete, 2005). The formula of the reactions in a microbial cell takes place as follows:
Anodic reaction :
C 12 H 22 O 11 +13H 2 O → 12CO 2 + 48H + + 48e −
Cathodic reaction:
O 2 + 4e − + 4H + → 2H 2 O
References
California Energy Commission. (n.d.). Types of Geothermal Power Plants . energy.ca.gov. Retrieved from http://www.energy.ca.gov/almanac/renewables_data/geothermal/types.html.
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Chow, L. (2015). 5 Solar Innovations That Are Revolutionizing the World. ecowatch.com. Retrieved from http://www.ecowatch.com/5-solar-innovations-that-are-revolutionizing-the-world-1882043841.html.
Rabaey, K., & Verstraete, W. (2005). Microbial fuel cells: novel biotechnology for energy generation. TRENDS in Biotechnology, 23 (6), 291-298.
Tan, X., Li, Q., & Wang, H. (2013). Advances and trends of energy storage technology in a microgrid. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 44 (1), 179-191.
