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Volcanos a source of clean renewable energy in the Azores (What are the…
Volcanos a source of clean renewable energy in the Azores
Volcanos & geothermal in the Azores
In the Azores there are 26 active volcanic systems, 8 of which are submarines.
Name each?
Due to it's location and volcanic nature, the Azores is a prime candidate for Geothermal energy.
In the main island of the Azores - Sao Miguel, there are five geothermal power plants
Currently about 50% of the electricity production on the island is from geothermal sources. This is fantastic considering islands usually have a high cost associated with energy supply due to their geographic location.
A smaller island, Graciosa, with a population of over 5000 inhabitants is now 70% reliant on this renewable power
Energy saver game?
What can we do to save energy?
The Azores
Key facts
Portuguese archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean
Why is the Azores a hot spot for renewable energy? Due to the location of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, the archipelago experiences good, year-round insolation (exposure to sunlight) and favourable wind speeds; And since all of the islands in the Azores Archipelago are volcanic – the archipelago sits on the Terceira Rift, which divides the Eurasian and African tectonic plates – there is also the potential for geothermal energy to play a role in the energy mix of these islands.
Its nine islands are divided into three groups: Eastern Group of Sao Miguel and Santa Maria; Central Group of Terceira, Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico and Faial; and Western Group of Flores and Corvo.
The islands were discovered in the 15th century by Portuguese navigators
How is Portugal doing?
Some relevant projects
When it started operating in 2008, the Alto Minho Wind Farm was Europe's largest wind farm
Alto Rabagão dam is the world’s first combined hydro and floating photovoltaic project
The Aguçadoura wave farm was the first commercial farm in the World when it opened 23rd. September 2008. It is located 5km off the coast of Póvoa de Varzim, north of Porto.
The Windfloat wind energy project in Viana do Castelo is the first offshore wind turbine in open Atlantic waters and the first deployment of a semi-submersible structure supporting a multi-megawatt wind turbine.
Since 2013 that half of the electricity production in the country is ensured by renewable energy
In May 2016, Portugal reached an important goal, having been able to supply the country's electricity grid without any carbon emissions, for 107 consecutive hours, running wind, solar and water.
Portugal is in the top 10 of the EU countries that most use renewable energy sources
What are the renewable/clean/green energies?
green/clean or renewable energy is made from resources that Mother Nature will replace, like wind, water and sunshine.
Wind - Wind power involves turning energy from the wind into other forms of useful energy. Wind power can be harnessed in a number of different ways, windmills create mechanical energy, sails move boats and wind turbines generate electricity.
Water - Hydropower is a clean, renewable and reliable energy source which converts kinetic energy from falling water into electricity, without consuming more water than is produced by nature.
Sunshine - "Solar" is the Latin word for "sun" and it's a powerful source of energy. In fact, the sunlight that shines on the Earth in just one hour could meet world energy demand for an entire year! We can use solar power in two different ways - as a heat source, and as an energy source.
Biomass - Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and animals, and it is a renewable source of energy. Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants absorb the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis. When biomass is burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat
Volcano - Geothermal energy - The inside, or core, of the Earth is very hot. This heat sometimes breaks through to the surface of the Earth through volcanoes or geysers. When we use heat from the Earth to generate energy it's called geothermal energy. The name geothermal is a combination of the word "geo", which means earth, and "thermal", which means heat.
Wave - Wave energy can be harnessed out at sea or by the shoreline. For example, waves reaching the shore can be used like a piston to push air up and down a large pipe. The force of the air being pushed is used to turn a turbine. This turbine is attached to a generator that creates the electricity.
Why is green energy so important to our future?
The electricity we use every day doesn't come directly from the earth, but we make electricity using the earth's resources, like coal or natural gas, the so called "fossil fuels" because they were formed deep under the earth during dinosaur times.
The problem is that fossil fuels can't be replaced - once we use them up, they're gone forever. Another problem is that fossil fuels can cause pollution.
About volcanoes
a volcano is an opening (usually in a mountain) in the Earth’s surface from which gas, hot magma and ash can escape.
Volcanoes are classified as active, dormant or extinct depending on the amount of volcanic activity happening. “Active” means there’s regular activity, “dormant” means there’s been recent activity but that it’s currently quiet and “extinct”, meaning it’s been so long since the last eruption that it’s unlikely to ever erupt again.
Magma is the name given to hot liquid rock inside a volcano. Once it leaves the volcano, it’s known as lava.
Volcanoes don’t just occur on land, they can be found on the ocean floor and under ice caps, too