Welcome to Renewable Energy Science and Technology
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Energy and
environmental issues are among the most important
problems of public concern. Renewable Energy
Science & Technology (REST) strives to work
with you towards a clean environment. We help you
to understand and to utilize solar and wind
energy, the promising solutions to our
environmental issues and energy crisis.
Annual solar energy at the Earth's surface amounts to about 3.3E+24
joules, more than six thousand times the world's total energy consumption.
Global Energy Consumption in 2006 was 459 quadrillion Btu, or 4.8E+20 joules, equivalent to a power of 15 billion kW (1.5E+10 kW).
Global wind within 200 meters above the surface provides much more power than global power consumption.
World Electricity Generation totals 4 billion kW (4.0E+9 kW).
A 50 m2 solar panel situated on a roof in Maryland can produce 12,000 kW hours of electricity annually, capable of satisfying the electricity needs of an average American household.
Solar energy from just one percent of the land in the United States can meet the whole nation's energy needs!
Two personal automobiles annually consume 1000 gallons of gasoline, or 1.3E+08 kW. One turbine with a 20 meter rotor on a 25 meter tall tower can supply enough energy for usage by two cars.
Renewable Energy Survey
and Prediction
We use National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data to
calculate solar and wind energy distributions. The
Google map-based tool on this website can help you
and help policy makers to estimate solar and wind
energy. We can use weather forecast data to
predict solar and wind energy in order to optimize potential renewable energy production and storage.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is often
referred to as solar heat and electricity
converted from sun radiation. Solar heat has been
used to dry foods, cook materials, and produce hot
water. Solar electricity has also become a unique
energy resource on spacecrafts. Photovoltaic
energy results from the conversion of sunlight
into electricity through a photovoltaic (PV)
cell, commonly called a solar cell. Solar thermal
technologies use concentrator systems to heat a
working gas or fluid for running a conventional
power plant.
To calculate detailed solar energy amounts, click on the following image of conceptual solar electricity generation.
Wind Energy
Wind energy is atmospheric kinetic
energy, calculated from an air mass and its
wind speed. Wind power is often referred to as
electricity converted from kinetic energy. This
website provides a tool and a data set for you to
estimate wind energy, wind power, and wind power
density (wind power for a unit area). You can zoom
in/out and select an area. You can choose a rotor
diameter for your wind turbine. You can enter the
number of wind turbines. You can also put your
wind turbine at various altitudes.
To calculate detailed wind energy amounts, click on the following image of a wind turbine.
