| Solar energy is renewable, and has become | | | | modification to the engine for that to |
| quite common in areas that have a dependable | | | | happen. It can be devised from animal and |
| number of days of sunshine such as California | | | | virgin vegetable oil, from waste and from |
| and Arizona. Solar heat collectors can be | | | | fats also referred to as lipids. Not only can |
| seen on roofs all over the Southwest. | | | | you use virgin vegetable oil in a diesel |
| | | | engine but these engines were actually first |
| There are many ways to use the sun to | | | | designed to run not on fossil fuel but on |
| generate renewable energy. These can include | | | | vegetable oil. |
| the generation of electricity through | | | | |
| photovoltaic solar cells, the generation of | | | | The primary benefit of using renewable bio |
| electricity through a concentration of solar | | | | diesel energy is that its emissions are |
| power, or the generation of electricity by | | | | considerably lower. Carbon monoxide and other |
| turbines and a solar updraft tower which | | | | harmful hydrocarbon emissions are reduced by |
| traps heated air and thus rotates the | | | | 20-40 percent with bio diesel energy. There |
| turbines. | | | | are areas where farmers grow corn, sugar |
| | | | beets, switch grass, sugar cane and corn |
| Solar renewable energy can heat dwellings and | | | | stalk for the express purpose of providing |
| other commercial buildings through a passive | | | | energy for fuel cells and combustion engines. |
| solar design. It can heat food with the use | | | | These products produce ethanol, otherwise |
| of solar oven, and heat air or water for hot | | | | known as grain alcohol, which is becoming |
| water or heating space with the thermal | | | | more and more common an automotive fuel |
| panels we mentioned earlier. Solar chimneys | | | | resource. E85, an automotive fuel, is made up |
| are another means of heating and cooling air. | | | | of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent |
| | | | gasoline. It is now being sold to the general |
| Another renewable energy resource is bio | | | | public. |
| matter, which produces bio fuel. Plants are | | | | |
| one example of bio fuel sources. Sugar can | | | | Future plans, or at least future hopes, for |
| give off bio diesel, bagasse and ethanol. | | | | renewable energy include biosynthetic liquid |
| These can be burned in boilers or internal | | | | fuel to run our vehicles. The process that |
| combustion engines. The typical method is to | | | | would manufacture this would more than likely |
| burn the bio fuel, thus releasing its | | | | be a biomass-to-liquid production method, |
| chemical energy. Researchers are strenuously | | | | which is also known as Fischer-Tropsch |
| working on other ways of converting these bio | | | | processing, after its founders. |
| fuels into electricity, perhaps through such | | | | |
| as fuel cells. | | | | Sugar cane is actually a direct renewable bio |
| | | | fuel energy resource, too. Either the crop is |
| Liquid bio fuel is composed of either bio | | | | grown specifically for combustion or it is |
| alcohol ethanol is one example or bio-oil. | | | | used for other things and the waste that |
| Vegetable oil and bio diesel are two examples | | | | comes from the plant, after processing, is |
| of the latter. Bio diesel is used in diesel | | | | then used for combustion. |
| engines and doesnt require much if any | | | | |