BY ROMAYNE ROBINSONSunday, April 01, 2012Career & Education shares with you this week an article from meteorologist Romayne Robinson following World Meteorology Day on March 23, which was being celebrated under the theme: 'Powering our future with weather, climate and water'.[Hide Description] A solar water heater is an almost fundamental bit of equipment to attach to one’s home needs. (Photo: Observer file)[Restore Description]1/1THE growing energy needs of the world are of great concern to many industry players, as well as financial entities that control the money required to purchase the capital.In the current Jamaican energy spectrum, oil is the chief source of power for our industries and lifestyles. The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has sought to venture into alternative sources of energy, such as wind and hydroelectric power.These alternate sources need some minor revision, both from a meteorological and financial perspective. They can be truly viable and can help, in tandem with other sources of energy, to create a more stable energy policy, ultimately leading to cheaper electricity for all.Wind energyWind power is energy from turbines which create the electricity as the wind turns the blades. The wind turbine is built to a certain specification in order to maximise the efficiency of the power generation. The typical turbine revolves at about 10 to 25 revolutions per minute and the type of wind to yield this rotation is about eight to 10 knots or 10 miles per hour (16 km/h).From a meteorological perspective, wind is described as moving air and is essentially a movement from an area of high pressure to one of low pressure. This motion is enhanced when there is little to disrupt the overall flow. Thus, the most effective wind turbine energy generation should be done in areas of high elevation or over open water.Examples of open water wind turbine installations are becoming more frequent. Installation is slightly more expensive due to the taxation requirements for operating over open water. However, these are political issues, which can be addressed by governments.So far, the Munro wind farm, which has four turbines -- exclusive of the one located at the school -- is one such source of electricity derived from the wind. Located at about 700 metres above sea level, this station provides as much as three megawatts of electricity to the overall distribution of the JPS.The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica's Wigton Wind farm has stepped up the alternate energy game immensely, with the installation of nine turbines and an increased capacity reaching about 47,000 megawatts of electricity per year. The Rose Hill (Manchester) situated development boasts the Engineering Project of the Year Award.The wind farms at Wigton and Munro together make renewable energy 11 per cent of Jamaica's total usage throughout the year. Effective site management and maintenance are key to holding these standards as public awareness increases, reducing our dependence on foreign-imported oil.Solar energyThe sun is the closest star to the Earth and, arguably, the most misunderstood. Seen as a calm yellow ball in the sky, setting the template for romance on the Negril sunset, many fail to realise how violently the sun behaves in its natural potency as our weather engine, as it persistently hurls light beams, radiation and electromagnetic particles, light years across the fabric of space.Solar energy is described as energy garnered from the heat of the sun, but more specifically, it is energy which is derived from physical reactions on photovoltaic cells of a solar panel as the radiated energy strikes earth's atmosphere.Heavy meteorology and atmospheric physics is required if we are to achieve effective management and exploitation of this brilliant resource. Jamaica needs at least one dedicated solar engineer or solar physicist in its corner to monitor the actions of the sun, to measure its highly varied output and generate even more accurate weather forecasts. The Meteorological Service should pioneer this undertaking, especially considering the effects the sun has on the service. If there was no sun, there would be no weather nor climate.The most frequently used application of solar energy in the current Jamaican energy regime is through water heating. A solar water heater is an almost fundamental bit of equipment to attach to one's home needs. Through keen adaptation and monitoring, the solar water heater can produce near-boiling temperatures through a regular tap, which is ideal as purification. Several bacteria cannot survive in water at temperatures higher than about 80 degrees Celsius and as such, water heaters are an oblivious water purifier for many homes.Generating electricity from solar panels has repeatedly been done effectively and the Meteorological Service is adamant that more panels in the right places can offer a very positive solution to removing Jamaica from the world's oil-based grid of power.Water or hydroelectric energyAs far as hydroelectric plants are concerned, there are about eight in operation in Jamaica currently. There are two in St Andrew; two in Trelawny; three in St Ann and one in St Elizabeth.Positioning these plants is important in that they have to be within rivers, which are not seasonal and have a fairly strong current throughout the wet and dry seasons. With this in mind, the parish of St Mary could be considered for another more efficient hydroelectric plant.St Mary is among the top three wettest parishes and has significant rainfall totals, even in the dry season. There is only one seasonal river in the parish and additional training could ensure that the few which are there can support the development of electricity all year round.Hydroelectricity has had some success with the hydroelectric station at Maggotty in St Elizabeth. The station is very old, but there are other newer and more efficient stations in St Ann and Trelawny.The atmosphere is more resilient than we think and the earth-atmosphere system always creates balance. As scientific organisations, we can go in depth to generate facts that help to influence positive decisions by governments, making local energy policy even more viable.Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/The-growing-energy-needs-of-the-world_11031414#ixzz1qt9W232p