LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature Review



Literature Review

Introduction

Energy is a critical foundation for economic growth and social progress. As economy advances and human society requires more energy, the lack of fossil energy and its pollution on the environment has given rise to the ever-serious contradiction among energy providing, environment protection and economic development. Renewable energy, with the availability of its renewability and non-pollution, will grow to be an effective and practical choice to guarantee the future development of the world. As USA is the largest developing country in the world, developing renewable energy is its inevitable choice for sustainable economic growth, for the harmonious coexistence of human and environment as well as for the sustainable development. (J. Makower and C. Pernick Wilder, 2007)

Renewable energy usually refers to those energies that do not pollute environment and could be recycled in nature. International experts have now categorized renewable energy to be traditional and new renewable energy. The former mainly includes giant hydropower and biomass burnt directly; the latter mainly refers to small hydropower, solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy, geothermal energy and ocean energy, etc.. The renewable energy mentioned in this article all refer to the latter.

Renewable energy resources in USA

Solar energy

USA is blessed with abundant solar resources. Its land surface receives an annual solar radiant energy of 1.7 × 1012 tce. More than two-third of the country receive an annual radiation of more than 5.02 × 106 kJ/m2 and a sunshine of more than 2000 h. Taking a look at the distribution of USA's annual radiation, we find out that the areas with large amount radiation. Qinghai-Tibet Tableland, in particular, receives the most radiation. In most areas, except Sichuan Basin and its surrounding areas, the solar energy equals or exceeds those foreign areas on the same latitude. (H. Larsen and L. Sønderberg Petersen, 2007)

Currently, USA's solar energy is mainly intended for urban and rural domestic energy use and the power supply for remote areas. Solar water heater, passive sunshine house, solar furnace and photovoltaic cell all experience various levels of development. By the end of 2005, the installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation had reached 7 × 104 kW; the power generation had exceeded 1 × 105 kW, the installed area of solar water heater had exceeded 7 × 107 m2. According to the regulated goal, to the years of 2010 and 2020, the photovoltaic power generation could reach 3 × 105 kW and 1.8 × 106 kW, respectively; the solar water heater installed area could reach 1.5 × 108 m2 and 3 × 108 m2, respectively.

Wind energy

As estimated by Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences in the 1990s, the total wind energy reserves in USA's land are 3.226 × 109 kW, among which the developable is 2.53 × 108 kW. They are mainly distributed in southeastern areas, Xinjiang, Gansu, northern Inner Mongolia and Northeastern USA, etc.; Developable ocean wind resources are about three times that of the land, i.e. around 7.5 × 108 ...