#5 summary of roundtable discussion

I would like to summarize the roundtable discussion of Li Jing's group.
Their group had to discuss one climate change mitigation technology and their main idea is to use renewable energies.

Renewable energy is produced from non-fossil fuel sources. Current sources of renewable energy include wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, biomass and nuclear. Using renewable energy is one of the most important ways to address climate change and reduce environmental impacts. The renewable energies Li Jing’s group discussed were hydropower, solar power and nuclear power.

Hydropower is a pollution-free source. A hydropower plant consists of a reservoir and a power generating facility. Many power plants are fed by several reservoirs, and in some river systems several power stations are located one after another so that the energy in the water can be used repeatedly before it finally runs into the sea.

Solar power is Clean, Sustainable and inexhaustible energy, and it has flexible installation. Solar power generation is a clean energy system that generates electricity from sunlight that falls on the earth. It can be used anywhere in large buildings, in factories, and in residential homes. Both commercial and private customers are showing increased interest in solar power generation.

Nuclear power is powerful, safe and efficient. A nuclear power plant generates steam which rotates a generator at high speed. Steam is obtained by heating water inside a boiler (the nuclear reactor), which uses heat released by the fission of uranium nuclei. However, nuclear power generation produces waste including radioactive waste which has to be managed with the greatest care.

Although renewable energies have many advantages, they are not widely used. It is because the cost to establish, set up and install the power system is very high, many companies cannot afford it. The government subsidise is needed. People believe that the renewable energies may be well developed and commonly used in the future.