A3 took place in Malta in September 2018 and last for 7 days. Seven youngs and two group leaders, total of 28 youngs and 8 group leaders, joint. Theme is to find possible solutions for the global climate change with a special attention to reycling and renewable energy resources..

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Renewable energy is produced using natural resources that are constantly replaced and never run out.
Just as there are many natural sources of energy, there are many renewable energy technologies. Solar is one of the most well known, wind power is one of the most widespread, and hydropower is one of the oldest. Other renewable technologies harness geothermal energy, bioenergy or ocean energy to produce heat or electricity. Equally exciting are new enabling technologies that help to manage renewable energy so it can be produced day and night while strengthening the electricity grid. These enabling technologies include battery-storage, supply prediction and smart grid technologies.

 

Some of the emerging sources for alternative energy are in solar, wind, and biomass. Other options include hydropower, tidal, wave and geothermal energy, though they have not had as much growth and mainstream adoption as the others.
So how do they work? And if they are renewable and so much better for the environment and future generations, why aren’t we using them exclusively now? The answer to those questions is complicated and not really a single reason, but rather a combination of many factors, some of it political or economic and some of it comes down to the limitations of the technology itself. 

Solar Power
Solar power consists of capturing sunlight in special photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight into electricity. That electricity is then typically stored in batteries for use later.
Solar power as a source of energy is especially exciting because it produces no pollution during its use and is completely silent. The only pollution created is during the actual manufacture of the cells and is a minuscule amount considering its other environmental benefits.
Solar power also scales incredibly well. You can use a single small cell to power a calculator, or place an array on a home in the city to supplement or replace reliance on the power grid, up to a large scale solar farm in the dessert to act as a regional power plant.
It works great in remote locations where running power lines would be difficult or costly. The use of solar panels to power satellites in space is a great example of the 

Wind Power
This is actually a pretty old source of energy for humanity, when you think of how long people have used the power of the wind to sail ships across the world’s oceans for trade and exploration, of course sailboats and windmills still exist but these days, wind turbines are used to generate electricity rather than simply crushing grain or to pump water.
Wind turbines can exist offshore or onshore, though most of the time they are placed in remote or rural areas because of noise created and because the room required for the spinning turbines is not well suited for urban environments.
Wind power has the same advantages of solar as far as its source being plentiful and completely renewable, with no harmful air or water pollution from its use. It is not as quiet as solar however, and many people complain about the aesthetics of a bunch of turbines being an eye sore or ruining an area’s natural beauty. While they might support wind power for the bigger picture of cleaner energy and lessening reliance on our dwindling supply of fossil fuels it becomes a case of a ” not in my backyard” sort of mentality.
Not everyone however shares that opinion and it’s worth noting that as of 2014 Denmark generated 40% of its electricity from wind power, with a plan to increase that to 50% by 2020 and 84% in 2035 The Danish government has been a pioneer of using wind power since the 1970’s and a large share of turbine manufacturers on the market today are Danish.
Biomass Energy
Biomass refers to using biological material of living or once living organisms for energy. It could be as simple as directly burning it for a heat source, like a log in a fireplace, or by converting it through various processes into some form of bio-fuel such as ethanol or biodiesel.
The main advantage of biomass as a fuel is in the use of waste material as a fuel source. Reducing waste is just as important as meeting energy needs, so getting that dual benefit is appealing. Some examples of waste as a bio-fuel would be using discarded vegetable oil to create bio-diesel and capturing methane gasses produced by the breakdown of materials in landfills.
Corn and Soy are also often used to create ethanol. While it is a renewable source, the biggest problem with biomass as a replacement for our energy needs would be it competing with our food needs. We only have so much land that is suitable for growing our food, much less having to share that limited fertile land to grow corn or soy or whatever for our fuel needs as well. Of course as our population continues to grow, needing more of food and energy, this problem becomes even worse.
It also requires a good amount of water to grow these crops, a resource that in itself is very important for our survival and in short supply in many regions (the current California drought being a great example).
The last thing to note about biomass as a fuel or heat source is that while it has lower carbon emissions than fossil fuels, it is still not a totally clean source of energy like wind or solar.
Hydro Power
Hydro power provides a clean and renewable power source as it works from harnessing the flow of water in an area. Rivers can be used, but dams and reservoirs can also be built to create a reliable energy source for the plant.
Unlike solar and wind, water sources are more stable and reliable. This is turn makes the power to the plant more reliable than these other clean energies too.
There is no mining and no burning associated with water power. The overall rate of pollution released during the production of hydro power is far less than any other fossil fuel type.
Hydro power plants may have a higher cost to build, but the lifetime costs of a plant work out to be much more cost effective than fossil fuel dependent energy plants.
While fossil fuels can take thousands of years to renew themselves, water renews its amount on a regular basis.
Reservoirs can be used for irrigation, public water and as recreational points in a community. The additional use potential of the reservoir makes this for of power even more cost efficient.
Creating a reservoir damages the marine ecology of an area that then effects all of the other ecologies around it. Even though the ecology is replace with the one in the reservoir, it is not the ecology native to the area.
There are certain “wild card” factors that naturally occur that can dramatically lessen a hydro-powers production. Factors such as drought, extreme weather and excess evaporation can all cause water levels to drop.
While the overall lifespan cost of a plant may be less than fossil fuels, it is much higher in cost to create a hydro power plant and maintain it over its first 10 years.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is one of the cleanest forms of renewable energy to use. It is done by running systems underground to allow the Earth’s natural heating and cooling properties to transfer to the liquid passed through the strata. This type of renewable energy scores high on the environmentally friendly scale. There is next to no pollution resulting from its use. The source of the energy, the Earth’s strata, is always replenishing itself. It is thought that if all the areas currently able to use geothermal energy did so it could add 2 terawatts of power to our resources. Less reliable powers such as solar and wind can’t be used to meet the base load need of a community, but geothermal power is highly reliable and can meet that need. You can use geothermal power as easily for a home as you can a major building. Half of a geothermal plant is underground so you don’t need much space to build one. Research programs to improve on current technologies are well funded compared to other energy sources. There is no way to build something on land, or go underground, without there being an environmental impact. It is small with geothermal plants, but still there.Earthquakes and other seismic activity can damage a geothermal system. While less land is used, the cost of constructing a geothermal system is much higher than other types of plants. The current technology only allows for certain regions to use geothermal power. If a geothermal system is not managed correctly the power resource can run dry. 

Renewable Energy in Europe

 

Renewable energy can be produced from a wide variety of sources including wind, solar, hydro, tidal, geothermal, and biomass. By using more renewables to meet its energy needs, the EU lowers its dependence on imported fossil fuels and makes its energy production more sustainable. The renewable energy industry also drives technological innovation and employment across Europe.
2020 renewable energy targets
The EU's Renewable energy directive sets a binding target of 20% final energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. To achieve this, EU countries have committed to reaching their own national renewables targets ranging from 10% in Malta to 49% in Sweden. They are also each required to have at least 10% of their transport fuels come from renewable sources by 2020.
All EU countries have adopted national renewable energy action plans showing what actions they intend to take to meet their renewables targets. These plans include sectorial targets for electricity, heating and cooling, and transport; planned policy measures; the different mix of renewables technologies they expect to employ; and the planned use of cooperation mechanisms.
A new target for 2030
Renewables will continue to play a key role in helping the EU meet its energy needs beyond 2020. EU countries agreed in 2014 on a new renewable energy target of at least 27% of EU’s final energy consumption by 2030, as part of the EU's energy and climate goals for 2030.
On 30 November 2016, as part of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package, the Commission published a proposal for a revised Renewable Energy Directive to make the EU a global leader in renewable energy and to ensure that the 2030 target is met.
On 14 June 2018 the Commission, the Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement which includes a binding renewable energy target for the EU for 2030 of 32%, with a clause for an upwards revision by 2023. This political agreement must now be translated into all EU languages and formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, and then published in the Official Journal of the EU.

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