What is Earth Day in your Language? and my own Question

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Earth Day Network on January 5, 2008 at 10:27am

Good question, Abdullahi. Thanks!

Your answer is yes, scientists, inventors, engineers, in short, many people have invented many different sources of energy, and many of these sources are "clean," that is, they produce little or no pollution (in the form of greenhouse gases or other emissions unrelated to climate change). Some of these energy sources are ancient. Windmills and watermills have existed for hundreds and hundreds of years (thousands?). So has geothermal energy.

People often refer to "clean" energy sources collectively as "renewable energy," because they aren't based on an exhaustible or finite energy source such as fossil fuel (coal, gas, oil), but may be relied upon indefinitely. The wind will always blow and the sun will always shine as long as there's an Earth upon which to stand. Biofuel, energy from materials such as grasses, brush, trees, and dung is also considered renewable because the source of this energy is constantly being renewed. Cut down a tree, and if you do so in a sustainable manner, a new one will grow. Burn cow dung, and don't worry, the cow will produce more! Of course, this is where we find that "renewable" and "clean" don't mean the same thing. Biofuel can be somewhat clean, but only if it's burned efficiently and with proper ventilation. Otherwise, its emissions contribute to climate change and indoor and local air pollution.

In terms of Somalia, you have a country with abundant sunshine, so solar is worth considering. Solar thermal is much cheaper than solar photovoltaic, so you should know about how these two forms of solar differ. The former uses the sun's energy to heat water. That heat in the water is stored energy you can use for multiple purposes. If it gets hot enough it turns to steam, and then you can have a steam generator that produces electricity! If it doesn't get that hot, you can still heat your home or your bath or laundry water with it. You can also use the sun's energy to kill harmful bacteria in water. As for solar photovoltaic, this is what people are talking about when they speak of solar cells. These are industrial products that still cost quite a lot of money to buy. In some places they're cost-effective, in other places they're not. Unlike solar thermal, they convert the sun's energy directly into electricity, instead of heat and steam first.

There are many other sources of clean and/or renewable energy I could speak of, but I'd like to give others a chance to answer this excellent question. I hope my answer has helped, though!

▶ Reply to This