Introduction

Energie-Atlas – Introduction

"Energie-Atlas":
Objective informations
We are trying to give some objective and comprehensible informations about reneweable energies on these pages. You will find even more facts in our german book "Geografie der erneuerbaren Energien" (→Info in english).

What we call "renewable energy" is derived ultimately from three natural sources of energy differing completely in their action and importance:

1. The sun - a natural source of nuclear fusion.
The sun provides the earth with light and heat with an energy content which is nearly 10,000 times as great as the energy requirements of mankind. The sun's light and heat can be harnessed directly by technical means; but they also maintain the wind, water and biomass cycles the energy of which can likewise be harnessed.

2. The earth's interior - natural nuclear decay.
An amount of heat rises from the interior to the earth's surface and approximately corresponds to the energy requirements of mankind. This energy can also be harnessed directly.

3. The earth's rotation - a natural centrifugal mass.
The earth's daily rotation on its axis, on the one hand, gives rise to the tides (due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon). On the other hand, together with the heat of the sun, it is responsible for the sea and wind currents. The amount of rotation energy released each year can be estimated only approximately; it must be about 10 times smaller than the human energy requirements. Nevertheless, its contribution should not be neglected.