Sustainable Energy

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

Renewable energy resource is energy which is naturally occurring and which is theoretically inexhaustible, such as energy from the sun or wind, and which by definition excludes energy derived from fossil fuels or nuclear fuels.

These energy fluxes can be intercepted and the captured energy used for the benefit of the human race.

It is a source of energy that is not depleted when used (such as solar radiation and the motion of the wind, rivers, waves or tides) since it is replenished at a rate comparable to the rate at which it is converted into more useful forms of energy. In other words it is an energy resource that is constantly replenished and will never run out in terms of human lifetimes.

Renewable energy technology is a unit of equipment or an appliance that can capture the renewable energy resource and convert a portion of it into electricity, (with or without heat as a by-product).

Energy Efficiency is using energy wisely and economically to provide the service required, whether it is traveling from one place to another, heating a home, driving electric motors in a factory or using low Wattage lighting in a school or commercial building.

Energy Conservation is not wasting energy such as by walking down a flight of stairs instead of taking the lift, turning off electrical appliances when they are not being used, or deciding not to travel to a given destination.

Energy Management embraces all of these but also how and when to use the energy in order to keep the costs down as much as possible.

An outline of many of these topics can be found on the EECA web site where a series of information leaflets describing a range of technologies such as wind, biomass, small hydro, solar PV, passive solar design, solar water heating, RAPS (remote area power supply systems), waves, tides and ocean currents, originally written by the Centre Director (though some have since been updated).

Solar Water Heater tests were conducted by the Centre in 2000 for EECA and the NZ Consumer Association. The report was published in the January/February 2001 Consumer magazine.