WHAT are the basic technologies of renewable energy and what is the best technology for us here on Guam and Micronesia?
First of all, let’s remember the golden rule of saving money with energy: “The most money you will ever save on energy usage is the energy you never use.”
Sounds simple enough, but this all comes down to lifestyle, dedication and education. Teach your children at an early age to turn off lights when they are out of the room for more than 10 minutes, turn off your computer and monitor at night, and turn your air conditioner up a few degrees at night. At the end of the year, you will save a tremendous amount of money.
Here are a few of the basic technologies of renewable energy:
- Wind energy is simply the conversion of wind into a useful form of energy. Windmills can be traced back to the early 12th century. The first production-based windmill used to power households was placed into operation in Scotland in 1887. Today, the leaders in wind energy are China followed by the United States then Germany. Guam and Micronesia are great locations for small wind turbines, which produce up to 100KW. In the foreseeable future, GPA will be soliciting bids for a wind turbine project in the Katol Region of Guam, located on Cross Island Road. This will be a pilot program for gathering additional data needed to support the feasibility of wind energy on Guam for future projects. I have also been around the island and have seen some households with mini wind turbines that generate up to 5KW.
- Wave energy technologies extract energy directly from surface waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface of the ocean. Wave energy can be converted into electricity by offshore or onshore systems. Offshore systems are situated in water deeper than 131 feet (40 meters). Some technologies use the bobbing motion of the waves to power a pump that creates electricity. Onshore wave power systems extract energy from breaking waves and are usually built along the shoreline. Hawaii is starting to experiment with wave technology which will be a good guideline for the use and practicality of wave technology in Guam and Micronesia.
- Solar energy uses the radiation from light or heat from the sun to create energy. I believe solar energy is Guam’s greatest resource for renewable energy. It is also the fastest way to liberate ourselves from the reliance on foreign oil. Guam’s average solar day is 5.9 hours annually of solar radiation. This simply equates to a lot of potential energy being wasted. If harnessed, we can lower the island’s carbon footprint, lower our dependence of oil and simply lower what we are paying out of pocket for energy. With the economies of scale of the solar revolution that is taking place globally, we can take advantage of the lower prices of installing solar energy devices. Solar energy can be captured with solar energy modules or by solar thermal devices, which are most commonly used on the island for heating water.
Now is the time to start saving money.
Tracy Voacolo is the president of Micronesia Renewable Energy and has more than 20 years of experience in the renewable energy industry. Contact her at info[at]micronesiarenewableenergy.com.