In Europe our way of life still depends on fossil fuels. These were created millions of years ago from the remains of prehistoric forests.

 

Beneath the ground, time and pressure slowly turned the trees into vast fields of oil, gas and coal. However, the world has already used up half these fuels, and in a few decades they will be gone forever.

 

So it is vital that Europe develops safe sources of energy that will not run out; energy from the sun, wind, water and plants.

 

 

Renewable energy is nothing new. For centuries, buildings have been designed to capture the heat of the sun. Wood has been used for heating and cooking. Wind energy was used to mill flour, and to transport goods and people around the world on large sailing ships.

 

 

The resources of renewable energy may not have changed, but the technology definitely has. Modern wind turbines have become highly efficent and now generate electricity for thousands of homes in Europe. And they don't produce the carbon emissions that cause global warming.

 

 

Solar energy is also becoming increasingly important. Solar panels use photovoltaics made of special types of silicon. These convert sunlight into electricity.

 

 

Solar thermal energy is used to provide heat and hot water. The tubes above absorb the sun's heat in a highly efficient way, and pass the heat via pipes to a water tank.

 

There are many other uses for solar energy. Look at our web links and photo gallery to find out more.

 

 

Hydro power is a major source of power in many European countries, particularly Scandinavia. Dams are used to create reservoirs. Water is then accelerated down steep pipes and used to power turbines that generate electricity. Again, this resource is renewable and doesn't cause carbon emissions.

 

The most diverse form of renewable energy is biomass - energy from biological matter. There are many different sources of biomass, including forestry residues, food wastes, animal wastes and energy crops.

 

 

Just like the forces of nature that converted the prehistoric forests to oil, coal and gas, technology can be used to convert biomass to solid, liquid and gaseous fuels.

 

Wood, straw and energy crops, such as willow and miscanthus, can be combusted in power stations to create electricity and heat.

 

Manure, agricultural and food wastes can be converted into biogas. This can be used to generate heat and electricity and as a transport fuel.

 

 

Fermentation is used to produce bioethanol from cereal crops and sugar beet. The distillation process is very similar to that used for producing alcoholic drinks. The ethanol can be blended with petrol or used as a fuel in specially converted engines.

 

Biodiesel is produced from rape, sunflower and other oil crops. Purified vegetable oil is mixed with alcohol to form an ester. This can be used as a fuel in conventional diesel engines.

 

Biodiesel and bioethanol do produce carbon dioxide when they are combusted in a car engine. However, crops absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. So biofuels do not contribute significantly to global warming.

 

To find out more about biofuels and other renewables, visit the web links, video and photo gallery pages.

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