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Somewhat helpful: This source is somewhat helpful because though it conducts research valuable to the effectiveness of solar radiation at given times, this research is only prevalent to the specific area that the research was done at and can be conducted in other areas to help benefit the overall effectiveness of this research conduct.

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Scholarly source: This is a scholarly source because this articles research was conducted by those apart of the "2022 International Balkan Conference on Communications and Networking." This source is an explanation of research conducted by scientists in order to determine the best times throughout the day to fuel a university using solely solar energy. The research conducted resolved that throughout the day the solar energy panels were able to accurately fuel the building to high capacities in order to hold normal loads that would be otherwise fueled by nonrenewable energy sources.

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In this article the importance of when renewable energy is at its most effective is recorded and used to determine whether or not it can be used in a specific area how it has already previously been used.
-In this study they used plants and monitoring systems to understand the best times when energy is being stored in order to see if renewables could be able to effectively power an area.
-It was noticed throughout the study that the renewable sources in place already did not violate the electrical code standards and was able to power a university affiliated with the energy system.

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Helpful: This source is helpful due to the fact that it conducts an experiment that can help consumers understand the efficiency of implementing renewable energy in their area, this is very helpful to the overall research conduct because it is a great step to understanding how renewable sources can actually be implemented into our everyday homes efficiently.

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Scholarly source: This is a scholarly source because this articles research was conducted by those apart of the "2022 11th Conference on Renewable Energy Research and Application." This source goes on to explain the use of machine learning in order to conduct a project can inform users on how effective it would be for them to switch to solar energy, using statistics such as solar radiation and costs of energy for consumers in order to best calculate how much source of renewable energy would be needed in order to properly fuel the nearing area.

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This article focuses on the efficiency of solar energy and its implementation into the power grid. It explains the benefits and drawbacks of solar energy and the cost it would take to efficiently provide energy to our power grid.
-This article explains the importance of understanding electricity generated using the amount of cost saved by installing solar power in certain areas.
-Scientists try to predict whether or not replacing nonrenewable sources of energy with renewable energy sources will be sufficient enough to provide specific areas in India with power.
-Using machine learning scientist use solar radiation and take the the users electricity bill and power consumption rate in order to understand, how much energy may be needed in renewable energy to supply the area, and if it is even cost efficient.
-Using this method users can be saving a lot of money, and also leaving a lower carbon footprint.

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Somewhat helpful: I would consider this source to only be somewhat helpful due to the significance it has to the study overall as to how renewable sources are better than nonrenewable. Though, it can be seen as helpful due to the fact that it is a large company making efforts today to actively help fuel the renewable study and switch the grid, and its consumers to renewable energy sources.

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Trade source: This is a trade source from DTE energy to go over the efforts the company is making in order to advance the energy grid to renewable energy. This is considered to be a trade source due to the publishing being done by an energy company in order to reach out not only the public but to future employees, and other companies.

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DTE is a large scale federal funded energy company based in Detroit Michigan, their goal as a company is to provide customers with reliable energy across the grid to satisfy their every distinct needs.
-DTE is listed as having served Michigan as the states "leading renewable investor," basically meaning that they are the main organization in Michigan trying to make a change to renewable energy.
-DTE has a reported amount of over $3 billion being funded towards the investment of renewable energy
-Currently it is recorded that DTE has in total "13 wind parks" and "32 solar parks" now generating power being implemented into the grid in order to provide over "670,000 homes" with clean energy.
-DTE has stated that they are currently working on more projects to fund their efforts and that within 2023 they would have been able to double the amount of renewable energy sources feeding the grid enabling them to source more consumers and provide energy to more homes.

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Helpful: I consider this source helpful because it conducts research on how renewable sources can actually be used in order to supply users with energy. This source can help me and other readers better understand what the difference is between actually owning your own renewable source of energy provided by a servicer compared to being serviced clean energy on a large scale, almost the same like how you do now.

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Popular source: This is considered to be a popular source because it consists of generalized understanding as to how renewable sources of energy are actually distributed into the power grid. This source covers topics like small scale distribution compared to large scale distribution in order to understand the effect of renewable energy costs, power consumption, and power distribution levels.

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Helpful: I would consider this source to be helpful in the conduct of my project because it considers every renewable source and conducts study to how beneficial each source is while also understanding where each source also lacks.

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Scholarly source: This is a scholarly source because it was a study conducted by University of Michigan to determine the effect of each different source of renewable energy. This study took renewable sources such as; biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric, and recorded statistics on costs, efficiency and effectiveness of each source.

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This source explains how renewable energy is being integrated into our power grid.
-Explains the two different types of generation sources "Distributed, and centralized, utility scale generation." Distributed refers to smaller scale projects such as those that get installed into your home, and centralized, utility scale generation refers to larger scale such as power to the grid due to larger scale distribution through powerlines and such.
-Comparisons to both the distributed and centralized, utility scale generation were made to understand the benefits of both. When it comes to costs, centralized, utility scale generation would be cheaper than the distributed renewable projects due to the simplicity of distribution. When using distributed renewable sources, there would have to be a higher production rate to supply the same amount of consumers as centralized utility scale generation energy. But when it comes to energy efficiency distributed is better than centralized due to the lower impact it has to the electrical grid.
-The article then goes to focus on how renewable energy can go on to affect the grid in the future, it states that in the near future we can expect for these specific complications, "Energy storage, having to build more transmission lines, combining different sources of renewable energy, demand side management, and the value placed on generator flexibility."

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-Begins explaining why renewable energy is better that nonrenewable energy by showcasing the multiple negative side effects of nonrenewable energy sources, such as "global climate change, acid rain, freshwater consumption, hazardous air pollution, and radioactive waste."
-The first form of renewable energy mentioned in the article is the form of wind turbines. According to the article sources of wind energy can produce anywhere up to, 11,000 GW of power, and doesn't use and water in order to produce energy. The only downside to this form of energy is complications in the air such as birds, bats, noise, etc.
-The second form of renewable energy mentioned in the article is the form of solar energy. According to the article, this form of renewable energy with the use of .6% of the us land area could already be meeting the national electricity standard in the US thus providing us all with renewable energy across the grid. The only downside to this form of energy are some of the toxic substances used in the production of the technology.
-The thirds form of renewable energy mentioned in the article is the form of biomass renewable, which is just energy coming from plant sources. This form of energy is very clean and can generate close to a GWh in energy if used in extensive amounts.
-The fourth form of renewable energy mentioned in the article is in the form of Geothermal, which is energy in the form of Steam and hot water. Geothermal is as effective as hydrothermal but is not as effective.
-The fifth form of renewable energy mentioned in the article is in the form of Hydroelectric and is currently already fueling the us power grid. The article mentions that 260TWh/yr of power is emitted from Hydroelectric energy but emissions can be imminent in this from of energy.

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Helpful: I would consider this source helpful in my study due to the fact that it is a great way to introduce my topic by explaining why the study is even significant in the first place. This source goes over a lot of useful information that can sway readers into making changes in their form of energy consumption due to the helpful outcome it has on society and the environment as well as the little to no change it has on their daily lives.

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Popular source: This source is considered a popular source due to the wide scale amount of information provided to public to explain the adversity and understanding of renewable energy. This source goes over the beneficial understanding of why renewable sources are of great use to our environment and why they are better than nonrenewable sources. They use widely known graphs and statistics to further explain their point across.

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 Renewable Energy over Nonrenewable Energy!

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 Renewable Energy over Nonrenewable Energy!

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The effect in costs of distributing renewable sources rather than nonrenewable sources

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The effect in costs of distributing renewable sources rather than nonrenewable sources

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How renewable energy will be distributed into the power grid

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How renewable energy will be distributed into the power grid

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-Explanations on the benefits of different types of Renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass.
-Statistics on global warming impacts and how renewable energy can help prevent the usage of nonrenewable sources of energy being fueled into production use.
-Statistics on public health impacts and how the air and water has been effected due to nonrenewable sources of energy, causing different diseases in humans such as "neurological damage, heart attacks, cancer, premature death, and breathing problems." Also goes into depth on a Harvard University study stating how a whopping "74.6 billion dollars" every year has been poured into the funding of helping with the effects that nonrenewable sources has had on our public health.
-Explains the effectiveness of inexhaustible energy and why, not only are the sources of energy healthier for our environment but they are also unable to run out.
-Increase in jobs and the job labor is very "intensive." This means that with the advancement of the renewable industry there will become a larger hiring rate in the workforce and with this increase in safe energy jobs that consist of dangerous labor such as coal industry and electrical powerline installation will decrease in labor.

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Trade Source-
Authors: DTE Energy

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Michigan's renewable energy leader

DTE has served Michigan as the state's leading renewable energy investor and producer for more than a decade. We know that generating more clean energy is one of the most important steps we can take to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change. While our investment in renewable energy already exceeds $3 billion, we have ambitious plans to do even more. Today, our 18 wind parks and 32 solar parks generate enough clean energy to power more than 670,000 homes. With new projects currently underway, we will more than double our renewable energy generation capacity by 2023, which is enough clean energy each year to power more than 900,000 homes.

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DTE has served Michigan as the state's leading renewable energy investor and producer for more than a decade. We know that generating more clean energy is one of the most important steps we can take to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change.

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Scholarly Source-
Authors: Palka Dhirawani, Rajvi Parekh, Tanishq Kandoi, Kriti Srivastava

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Cost Savings Estimation for Solar Energy Consumption Using Machine Learning

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With the surging requirement for green energy in today's world, renewable energy has been in high demand in the market. Unlike fossil fuels, which will eventually run out, the sun has more than enough energy to supply the world's energy needs.

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Popular Source-
Authors; Kathryne Cleary and Karen Palmer

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Utility-Scale Generation

Centralized, utility-scale renewable energy plants are comparable to fossil-fueled power plants and can generate hundreds of megawatts (MW) of power. Like natural gas, coal, and nuclear plants, large renewable plants produce power that is sent across transmission lines, converted to lower voltage, and transmitted across distribution lines to homes and commercial buildings.

Unlike conventional fossil-fuel plants, however, renewable energy plants are typically not dispatchable (or able to generate power when called upon), because they depend on variable resources like the sun and wind that change over the course of a day. However, when renewable energy is available, sources like wind and solar get priority in the dispatch order. Wind and solar have zero fuel costs, so their production is used before other generator types because they are the cheapest energy source available at that time. (To better understand how electricity generation is dispatched, read " Electricity Markets 101.")

Distributed Generation

On the other end of the spectrum, small residential and commercial renewables typically range between 5 and 500 kilowatts (kW). Most of these small-scale renewables are solar panels, which are easily customizable in size (for a breakdown of solar types, see page 3 of this RMI document). These distributed resources, such as rooftop solar panels, are typically located on-site at homes or businesses. Unlike large, centralized renewable plants that connect to the grid through high-voltage transmission lines, distributed resources like these are connected to the grid through electrical lines on the lower voltage distribution network, which are the same lines that deliver electricity to customers.

Oftentimes, these projects occur " behind the meter," which means that the electricity is generated for on-site use (such as a rooftop solar system that supplies a household with power). These small, distributed projects typically lower the demand for electricity at the source rather than increasing the supply of power on the grid. For example, when the sun is shining, a house that has solar panels on its roof may not need electricity from the grid because its solar panels are generating enough electricity to meet the residents' needs.

Community-scale renewables, which are larger than rooftop projects but smaller than utility-scale, are also connected to the grid through distribution lines and are therefore also considered to be distributed generation. Unlike small rooftop renewables, however, community-scale renewables reside " in front of the meter," meaning that the power they generate is not used on-site but rather flows onto the distribution grid to be used by homes and businesses in the vicinity.

Comparing Generation Types

Both centralized- and distributed-generation renewables have benefits and costs for customers and grid operators. From an economic perspective, centralized utility-scale renewables are much cheaper than distributed resources due to economies of scale. As of November 2018, the levelized cost (the net present value of the cost of electricity generation over a plant's lifetime) of rooftop solar was estimated to be anywhere from 4.5 to 7 times more expensive per MWh relative to utility-scale solar.

In addition to being cheaper, centralized projects are often much easier for the grid operator to control. Because distributed renewables are often small and behind the meter, they can be very difficult to track from a grid operator's perspective and can significantly complicate load forecasting. Grid operators usually only know that these projects exist because they noticeably reduce customer demand for electricity during certain times of day.

However, distributed renewables can provide the grid with benefits that large projects cannot. Since the energy from distributed generation is typically used on-site or nearby, distributed energy resources can significantly reduce energy losses that occur when electricity is carried on transmission lines, and they can avoid the cost of new transmission and distribution infrastructure (see NREL and Acadia Center). If they are connected to microgrids, distributed renewables can also provide greater resilience during storms that disrupt the power grid by providing power even if the larger grid experiences outages.

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Renewables 101: Integrating Renewable Energy Resources into the Grid

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An exploration of how renewables connect to the grid, how these connections impact grid operations, and implications of a high penetration of renewables for the grid in the future.

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Scholarly Source-
Authors: Faith DOnmez, Ahmey Altuncu; Kutahya Dumlupinar University

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Design of a Communication Network for Distributed Renewable Energy Generation Systems

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Renewable energy systems, which are intermittent energy production systems, cannot always operate at high efficiency due to their nature. Since specific amounts of energy must be spent for energy production, it is essential to estimate the time intervals when the efficiency of the energy source is high.

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Scholarly Source-
Authors: University of Michigan-Center for Sustainable Systems

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Patterns of Use

While energy is essential to modern society, most primary sources are unsustainable. The current fuel mix is associated with a multitude of environmental impacts, including global climate change, acid rain, freshwater consumption, hazardous air pollution, and radioactive waste. Renewable energy has the potential to meet demand with a much smaller environmental footprint and can help to alleviate other pressing problems, such as energy security, by contributing to a distributed and diversified energy infrastructure. About 79% of the nation's energy comes from fossil fuels, 8.4% from nuclear, and 12.5% from renewable sources. In 2019, renewables surpassed coal in the amount of energy provided to the U.S. and continued this trend in 2021. Wind and solar are the fastest growing renewable sources, but contribute just 5% of total energy used in the U.S. ¹

U.S. Renewable Energy Consumption: Historic and Projected¹,2

U.S. Total and Renewable Energy Consumption by Source, 2021

Major Renewable Sources

Wind

U.S. onshore wind resources have a potential capacity of almost 11,000 GW and current installed capacity of 132.7 GW.3,4 Offshore wind resources are potentially 4,200 GW, current capacity is 42 MW, and the development pipeline contained over 28 GW of projects in 2019.4,5,6

Over 16 GW of wind capacity was installed in the U.S. in 2020, a 85% increase from 2019.7,8

The federal production tax credit (PTC) significantly influences wind development, but cycles of enactment and expiration lead to year-to-year changes in investment.⁹ In 2020, the PTC was extended to allow wind projects beginning construction in 2020 or 2021 a PTC at 1.5¢/kWh for 10 years of electricity output.¹⁰

Based on the average U.S. electricity fuel mix, a 1.82 MW wind turbine (U.S. average in 2019) can displace 3,679 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.¹¹ By 2050, 404 GW of wind capacity would meet an estimated 35% of U.S. electricity demand and result in 12.3 gigatonnes of avoided CO₂ emissions, a 14% reduction when compared to 2013.¹²

Wind turbines generate no emissions and use no water when producing electricity, but concerns include bat and bird mortality, land use, noise, and aesthetics.¹³

Installed Wind Capacity, Top 5 Countries, 2021³

Solar

Assuming intermediate efficiency, solar photovoltaic (PV) modules covering 0.6% of U.S. land area could meet national electricity demand.¹⁵

PV module prices have declined to an average of $0.27/Watt.¹⁶ The U.S. manufactured 1% of PV cells and 3% of PV modules globally in 2020.¹⁷

In 2021, a new record high of over 23.6 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity was added in the U.S., raising total installed capacity to over 121 GW.¹⁴ Solar accounted for 46% of new generating capacity in 2021.¹⁴

The U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative aims to reduce the price of solar energy 50% by 2030, which is projected to lead to 33% of U.S. electricity demand met by solar and a 18% decrease in electricity sector greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.¹⁸

While solar PV modules produce no emissions during operation, toxic substances (e.g., cadmium and selenium) are used in some technologies.¹⁵

U.S. Photovoltaic Installations, 2011-2021¹⁴

Biomass

Wood-mostly as pulp, paper, and paperboard industry waste products-accounts for 43% of total biomass energy consumption. Waste-municipal solid waste, landfill gas, sludge, tires, and agricultural by-products-accounts for an additional 9%.¹

Biomass has low net CO₂ emissions compared to fossil fuels. At combustion, it releases CO₂ previously removed from the atmosphere. Further emissions are associated with processing and growth of biomass, which can require large areas of land. Willow biomass requires 121 acres of land to generate one GWh of electricity per year, more land than other renewable sources.¹⁹

U.S. ethanol production is projected to reach 54 million gallons per day in 2050.²

U.S. Biomass Consumption, 1975-2021

Geothermal

Hydrothermal resources, i.e., steam and hot water, are available primarily in the western U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii, yet geothermal heat pumps can be used almost anywhere to extract heat from shallow ground, which stays at relatively constant temperatures year-round.²¹

Each year, electricity from hydrothermal sources offsets the emission of 4.1 million tons of CO₂, 80 thousand tons of nitrogen oxides, and 110 thousand tons of particulate matter from coal-powered plants.²² Some geothermal facilities produce solid waste such as salts and minerals that must be disposed of in approved sites, but some by-products can be recovered and recycled.²¹

Electricity generated from geothermal power plants is projected to increase from 15.9 billion kWh in 2021 to 47.4 billion kWh in 2050. Geothermal electricity generation has the potential to exceed 500 GW, which is half of the current U.S. capacity.2,23

Geothermal Installed Capacity, Top 5 Countries, 2021²⁰

Hydroelectric

In the U.S., net electricity generation from conventional hydropower peaked in 1997 at 356 TWh/yr. Currently, the U.S. gets about 260 TWh/yr of electricity from hydropower.¹

While electricity generated from hydropower is virtually emission free, significant levels of methane and CO₂ may be emitted through the decomposition of vegetation in the reservoir.²⁵ Other environmental concerns include fish injury and mortality, habitat degradation, and water quality impairment. "Fish-friendly" turbines and smaller dams help mitigate some of these problems.²⁶

Hydropower Electricity Generation, 2019²⁴

Advancing Renewable Energy

Encourage Supportive Public Policy

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that 45% of renewable energy growth in the U.S. can be attributed to state Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) that require a percentage of electricity be derived from renewable sources.²⁷ Clean Energy Standards (CES) that mandate certain levels of carbon-free generation can include some non-renewables such as nuclear fuels.²⁸ Thirty-three states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories had renewable portfolio standards or goals in place as of August 2021.²⁹ State standards are projected to support an additional 90 GW of renewable electricity projects by 2030.²⁷

Renewable energy growth is also driven by important federal incentives such as the Investment Tax Credit, which offsets upfront costs by 10-30%, as well as state incentives such as tax credits, grants, and rebates.³⁰

Eliminating subsidies for fossil and nuclear energy would encourage renewable energy. Congress allocated over $5.7 billion in tax relief to the oil and gas industries for fiscal years 2020-2024.³¹ Studies estimate that the Price-Anderson Act, which limits the liability of U.S. nuclear power plants in the case of an accident, amounts to a subsidy of $366 million to $3.5 billion annually.³²

Net metering enables customers to sell excess electricity to the grid, eliminates the need for on-site storage, and provides an incentive for installing renewable energy devices. Thirty-Nine states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories have some form of net metering program.³³

Engage the Industrial, Residential, and Commercial Sectors

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are sold by renewable energy producers in addition to the electricity they produce; for a few cents per kilowatt hour, customers can purchase RECs to "offset" their electricity usage and help renewable energy become more cost competitive.³⁴ Around 850 utilities in the U.S. offer consumers the option to purchase renewable energy, or "green power."³⁵

Many companies purchase renewable energy as part of their environmental programs. Microsoft, Google, T-Mobile, Intel, and The Proctor & Gamble Company were the top five users of renewable energy as of April 2022.³⁶

kWh = kilowatt hour. One kWh is the amount of energy required to light a 100 watt light bulb for 10 hours.
Btu = British Thermal Unit. One Btu is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a pound of water by 1° Fahrenheit.
Quad = quadrillion (10 ¹⁵) Btu. One Quad is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of ten million U.S. households.

Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan. 2021. "U.S. Renewable Energy Factsheet." Pub. No. CSS03-12.

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Patterns of Use While energy is essential to modern society, most primary sources are unsustainable. The current fuel mix is associated with a multitude of environmental impacts, including global climate change, acid rain, freshwater consumption, hazardous air pollution, and radioactive waste.

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What are the Different Types of Renewables

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What are the Different Types of Renewables

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Popular Source-
Authors: Union of Concerned Scientists

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Renewable energy-wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass-provides substantial benefits for our climate, our health, and our economy.