Editing Energy development (section)

==Energy technology==

Energy technology is an [[interdisciplinary]] [[engineering]] [[science]] having to do with the efficient, safe, [[environmentally friendly]], and economical extraction, conversion, transportation, storage, and use of [[energy]], targeted towards yielding high efficiency whilst skirting [[adverse effect|side effects]] on humans, nature, and the environment.

For people, energy is an overwhelming need, and as a scarce [[resource]], it has been an underlying cause of political conflicts and wars. The gathering and use of energy resources can be harmful to local ecosystems and may have global outcomes.

Energy is also the capacity to do work. We can get energy from food. Energy can be of different forms such as kinetic, potential, mechanical, heat, light etc. Energy is required for individuals and the whole society for lighting, heating, cooking, running, industries, operating transportation and so forth. Basically there are two types of energy depending on the source s they are;
1.Renewable Energy Sources
2.Non-Renewable Energy Sources

===Interdisciplinary fields===
As an interdisciplinary science Energy technology is linked with many interdisciplinary fields in sundry, overlapping ways.

* [[Physics]], for [[thermodynamics]] and [[nuclear physics]]
* [[Chemistry]] for [[fuel]], [[combustion]], [[air pollution]], [[flue gas]], [[battery (electricity)|battery]] technology and [[fuel cells]].
* [[Electrical engineering]]
* [[Engineering]], often for fluid energy machines such as [[combustion engines]], turbines, pumps and [[compressors]].
* [[Geography]], for [[Geothermal energy|geothermal]] energy and exploration for resources.
* [[Mining]], for [[petrochemical]] and [[fossil fuels]].
* [[Agriculture]] and [[forestry]], for sources of [[renewable energy]].
* [[Meteorology]] for [[wind]] and [[solar energy]].
* [[Water]] and [[Waterways]], for [[hydropower]].
* [[Waste management]], for environmental impact.
* [[Transportation]], for energy-saving transportation systems.
* [[Environmental studies]], for studying the effect of energy use and production on the [[environment (biophysical)|environment]], [[nature]] and [[climate change]].
* (Lighting Technology), for Interior and Exterior Natural as well as Artificial Lighting Design, Installations, and Energy Savings
* (Energy Cost/Benefit Analysis), for Simple Payback and Life Cycle Costing of Energy Efficiency/Conservation Measures Recommended

===Electrical engineering===
[[Image:Qatar, power lines (6).jpg|thumb|High-voltage lines for the long distance transportation of electrical energy]]

[[Electric power engineering]] deals with the production and use of [[electrical energy]], which can entail the study of machines such as [[Electrical generator|generators]], [[electric motor]]s and [[transformer]]s. [[Infrastructure]] involves [[Electrical substation|substations]] and [[transformer station]]s, [[power line]]s and [[Power cable|electrical cable]]. [[Load management]] and [[power management]] over networks have meaningful sway on overall energy efficiency. [[Electric heating]] is also widely used and researched.

===Thermodynamics===
{{Main article|Thermodynamics}}

[[Thermodynamics]] deals with the fundamental laws of energy conversion and is drawn from theoretical [[Physics]].

===Thermal and chemical energy===
[[Image:Wood-fired grate stoker.jpg|thumb|left|A [[wikt:grate|grate]] for a wood fire]]
Thermal and chemical energy are intertwined with [[chemistry]] and [[environmental studies]]. [[Combustion]] has to do with [[Gas burner|burner]]s and chemical [[engine]]s of all kinds, grates and [[incinerator]]s along with their energy efficiency, [[pollution]] and operational safety.

[[Exhaust gas]] purification technology aims to lessen [[air pollution]] through sundry mechanical, thermal and chemical cleaning methods. [[Emission control (disambiguation)|Emission control]] technology is a field of [[process engineering|process]] and [[chemical engineering]]. [[Boiler]] technology deals with the design, construction and operation of [[steam]] boilers and [[steam turbine|turbine]]s (also used in nuclear power generation, see below), drawn from [[applied mechanics]] and [[materials engineering]].

[[Energy conversion]] has to do with internal combustion engines, turbines, pumps, fans and so on, which are used for transportation, mechanical energy and power generation. High thermal and mechanical loads bring about operational safety worries which are dealt with through many branches of applied engineering science.
{{Clear}}

===Nuclear energy===
[[Image:Turbogenerator01.jpg|thumb|A [[steam turbine]].]]
[[Nuclear technology]] deals with [[nuclear power]] production from [[nuclear reactor]]s, along with the processing of nuclear fuel and disposal of radioactive waste, drawing from applied [[nuclear physics]], [[nuclear chemistry]] and [[radiation]] science.

Nuclear power generation has been politically controversial in many countries for several decades but the electrical energy produced through [[nuclear fission]] is of worldwide importance.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The West's Nuclear Mistake|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-west-s-nuclear-mistake/ar-AARBhm0?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531|access-date=2021-12-08|website=www.msn.com}}</ref> There are high hopes that [[Fusion power|fusion]] technologies will one day replace most fission reactors but this is still a research area of [[nuclear physics]].

===Renewable energy===
{{Main article|Renewable energy}}
[[Image:Nellis AFB Solar panels.jpg|thumb|Solar ([[photovoltaic]]) panels at a military base in the US.]]
[[Renewable energy]] has many branches.

====Wind power====
[[Image:WindMills.jpg|right|thumb|[[Wind turbine]]s on [[Inner Mongolia]]n grassland]]
{{Main article|Wind power}}

[[Wind turbine]]s convert wind energy into electricity by connecting a spinning rotor to a generator. [[Wind turbine]]s draw energy from atmospheric currents and are designed using [[aerodynamics]] along with knowledge taken from mechanical and electrical engineering. The wind passes across the aerodynamic rotor blades, creating an area of higher pressure and an area of lower pressure on either side of the blade. The forces of lift and drag are formed due to the difference in air pressure. The lift force is stronger than the drag force; therefore the rotor, which is connected to a generator, spins. The energy is then created due to the change from the aerodynamic force to the rotation of the generator.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How Do Wind Turbines Work?|url=https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/how-do-wind-turbines-work|access-date=2020-12-10|website=Energy.gov|language=en}}</ref>

Being recognized as one of the most efficient renewable energy sources, wind power is becoming more and more relevant and used in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BiblioBoard|url=https://openresearchlibrary.org/viewer/2071c2d6-8295-4005-ac8f-eba500a6b311/44|access-date=2020-12-10|website=openresearchlibrary.org}}</ref> Wind power does not use any water in the production of energy making it a good source of energy for areas without much water. Wind energy could also be produced even if the climate changes in line with current predictions, as it relies solely on wind.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Ledec, George C.|last2=Rapp, Kennan W.|last3=Aiello, Roberto G.|date=2011-12-01|title=Greening the Wind : Environmental and Social Considerations for Wind Power Development|doi=10.1596/978-0-8213-8926-3 |hdl=10986/2388|isbn=978-0-8213-8926-3 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2388|language=en}}</ref>

====Geothermal====
{{Main article|Geothermal energy}}

Deep within the  Earth, is an extreme heat producing layer of molten rock called magma.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How Geothermal Energy Works {{!}} Union of Concerned Scientists|url=https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/how-geothermal-energy-works|access-date=2020-12-14|website=www.ucsusa.org|language=en}}</ref> The very high temperatures from the magma heats nearby groundwater. There are various technologies that have been developed in order to benefit from such heat, such as using different types of power plants (dry, flash or binary), heat pumps, or wells.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-11-20|title=Geothermal Energy|url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/geothermal-energy/|access-date=2020-12-14|website=National Geographic Society|language=en}}</ref> These processes of harnessing the heat incorporate an infrastructure which has in one form or another a turbine which is spun by either the hot water or the steam produced by it.<ref>{{Cite web|last=US EPA|first=OAR|title=Geothermal Energy|url=https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/solutions/technologies/geothermal.html|access-date=2020-12-14|website=archive.epa.gov|language=en}}</ref> The spinning turbine, being connected to a generator, produces energy. A more recent innovation involves the use of shallow closed-loop systems that pump heat to and from structures by taking advantage of the constant temperature of soil around 10 feet deep.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Where is Geothermal Energy Used?|url=https://www.greenfireenergy.com/where-is-geothermal-energy-used/|access-date=2020-12-14|website=GreenFire Energy Inc.|language=en-US}}</ref>

====Hydropower====
[[Image:Walchenseewerk Pelton 120.jpg|thumb|Building of [[Pelton turbine|Pelton water turbine]]s in [[Germany]].]]
{{Main article|Hydropower}}

Hydropower draws mechanical energy from rivers, [[wave power plant|ocean waves]] and [[tidal power|tides]]. [[Civil engineering]] is used to study and build [[dam]]s, [[tunnel]]s, [[waterways]] and manage coastal resources through [[hydrology]] and [[geology]]. A low speed [[water turbine]] spun by flowing water can power an [[electrical generator]] to produce electricity.

====Bioenergy====
{{Main article|Bioenergy}}
Bioenergy deals with the gathering, processing and use of biomasses grown in biological manufacturing, [[agriculture]] and [[forestry]] from which [[power plant]]s can draw burning fuel. [[Ethanol]], [[methanol]] (both controversial) or hydrogen for [[fuel cells]] can be had from these technologies and used to generate electricity.

====Enabling technologies====

[[Heat pumps]] and [[Thermal energy storage]] are classes of technologies that can enable the utilization of [[renewable energy]] sources that would otherwise be inaccessible due to a temperature that is too low for utilization or a time lag between when the energy is available and when it is needed. While enhancing the temperature of available renewable thermal energy, heat pumps have the additional property of leveraging electrical power (or in some cases mechanical or thermal power) by using it to extract additional energy from a low quality source (such as seawater, lake water, the ground, the air, or [[waste heat]] from a process).

Thermal storage technologies allow heat or cold to be stored for periods of time ranging from hours or overnight to [[Seasonal thermal energy storage|interseasonal]], and can involve storage of [[Sensible heat|sensible energy]] (i.e. by changing the temperature of a medium) or [[latent energy]] (i.e. through phase changes of a medium, such between water and slush or ice). Short-term thermal storages can be used for peak-shaving in district heating or electrical distribution systems. Kinds of renewable or alternative energy sources that can be enabled include natural energy (e.g. collected via solar-thermal collectors, or dry cooling towers used to collect winter's cold), waste energy (e.g. from HVAC equipment, industrial processes or power plants), or surplus energy (e.g. as seasonally from hydropower projects or intermittently from wind farms). The [[Drake Landing Solar Community]] (Alberta, Canada) is illustrative. [[Seasonal thermal energy storage|borehole thermal energy storage]] allows the community to get 97% of its year-round heat from solar collectors on the garage roofs, which most of the heat collected in summer.<ref>Wong, Bill (June 28, 2011), [http://www.districtenergy.org/assets/pdfs/2011Annual_Conf/Proceedings/A24WONG-v03.pdf "Drake Landing Solar Community"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030520/http://www.districtenergy.org/assets/pdfs/2011Annual_Conf/Proceedings/A24WONG-v03.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }}, IDEA/CDEA District Energy/CHP 2011 Conference, Toronto, pp. 1–30, retrieved 21 April 2013</ref><ref>Wong B., Thornton J. (2013). [http://www.geo-exchange.ca/en/UserAttachments/flex1304_5-%20SAIC-%20Bill%20Wong%202013%20-%20Integrating%20Solar%20and%20Heat%20Pumps.pdf ''Integrating Solar & Heat Pumps.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015092834/http://www.geo-exchange.ca/en/UserAttachments/flex1304_5-%20SAIC-%20Bill%20Wong%202013%20-%20Integrating%20Solar%20and%20Heat%20Pumps.pdf |date=2013-10-15 }}  Renewable Heat Workshop.</ref> Types of storages for sensible energy include insulated tanks, borehole clusters in substrates ranging from gravel to bedrock, deep aquifers, or shallow lined pits that are insulated on top. Some types of storage are capable of storing heat or cold [[Seasonal thermal energy storage|between opposing seasons]] (particularly if very large), and some storage applications require inclusion of a [[Heat pumps|heat pump]]. Latent heat is typically stored in ice tanks or what are called [[phase-change material]]s (PCMs).