Understanding Alternative Energy

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Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

by Donna Miller

There are a lot of great sources of energy out there which are going underused as of yet. Whether from lack of research and development efforts or simply because the merits are not yet appreciated, these energy sources are sure to grow in popularity as people come to see the value of lessening our dependence on fossil fuels and the benefits of clean energy.

One alternative is wind power. While wind power is hardly a novel idea, it is only recently that the development of wind turbines has reached the stage where they are a truly cost effective and efficient way to produce energy. May nations are building “wind farms” as a part of their energy strategy. Best of all, these are now being sited in areas where they do not pose a hazard to bird populations as has been the case in the past.

One of the best known alternative energy technologies is solar power. Energy from the sun can be stored in solar cells, where it can be used to heat water for homes or to generate electrical power. Like wind power, solar energy does not generate any pollutants.

Ocean waves are being looked to by private investors and governments alike as a source of energy. There is an ocean wave generator currently in use in France which has performed very well - the U.K., and Ireland are experimenting with similar generators.

Hydroelectric power has been around for some time. This is a clean and efficient way to generate electricity; bu8t does have the limitation that not every place has a large dam for the purpose of hydroelectric power generation. Small regional hydroelectric stations have been built - and you can expect this alternative energy source to be part of the overall energy production strategy for the foreseeable future.

Geothermal energy has a lot of potential. This is an energy source which lies largely untapped right under our feet - the heat of the Earth’s core turns water into steam, which can drive turbines to produce electrical power. More research and development must be done on geothermal power, but there is great promise here.

Waste gas energies, namely methane are an alternative energy source which changes the usual energy-pollution paradigm by actually creating energy from a waste gas. This gas can be harnessed by fuel cells and even in gasoline generators.

Ethanol, a substitute for gasoline, is produced from plant matter. While corn-based ethanol is what generally comes to mind, Ethanol can be made from almost any vegetable matter. While some doubt that it can be efficiently produced to become a replacement for gasoline on a large scale, the extraction technologies are constantly becoming more efficient and sophisticated.

Biodiesel is a much cleaner burning alternative to petroleum based fuels and is created from plant oils such as rapeseed, soybean and sunflower oils. This is not yet produced on a large scale, but some corporations with the facilities to do so are taking notice of this relatively new technology.

Atomic energy is created through nuclear fission. This is an efficient and cost effective means of energy production; but there is some concern about the waste product, which is toxic and radio active and takes hundreds of years to become inert.

About the Author:

Donna Miller shows you how to cut your electric bill by 80%. Learn secrets to increase your gas mileage. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

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