Alternative sources of energy-renewable energy

By San wan

Why do we need alternative fuels ?

Our present fuel resources are not going to be around forever and with the ever increasing consumption their extinction is nearly unavoidable. Also our fuel resources which are mostly made up of fossil fuels are not renewable in nature

Currently around the world the consumption of fossil fuels is 100,000 times faster than their natural production

Another fact which should also be paid attention to here is that the consumption of fossil fuels is eating up our environment very fast. This causes global warming that melts the polar ice caps and affects weather all around the world

Alternative sources

• Solar energy• Wind energy• Geothermal energy• Tidal energy

Solar energy

• Solar Energy is the energy received from the sun that sustains life on earth. For many decades solar energy has been considered as a huge source of energy and also an economical source of energy because it is freely available. However, it is only now after years of research that technology as made it possible to harness solar energy

• India gets more than 5,000 trillion kWh of Solar Energy every year. This much of energy is very high compared to the overall energy requirement and consumption in the country. As regards the latest trends in developed countries like the U.S. and Japan, it is estimated by industry experts that millions of homes around the world are going to switch to solar energy in the next few years.

Wind energy• The terms "wind energy" or "wind power" describe the process by

which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity to power homes, businesses, schools, and the like.

• Wind turbines, like aircraft propeller blades, turn in the moving air and power an electric generator that supplies an electric current. Simply stated, a wind turbine is the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity.

Geothermal energy• Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth. It's clean and sustainable.

Resources of geothermal energy range from the shallow ground to hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, and down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma

• In the United States, most geothermal reservoirs of hot water are located in the western states, Alaska, and Hawaii. Wells can be drilled into underground reservoirs for the generation of electricity. Some geothermal power plants use the steam from a reservoir to power a turbine/generator, while others use the hot water to boil a working fluid that vaporizes and then turns a turbine.

Tidal energy• Tidal energy, sometimes called tidal power, is the power

achieved by capturing the energy contained in moving water in tides and open ocean currents.

• There are two types of energy systems that can be used to extracted energy: kinetic energy, the moving water of rivers, tides and open ocean currents; and potential energy from the difference in height (or head) between high and low tides. The first method - generating energy from tidal currents - is becoming more and more popular because people believe that it does not harm the environment as much as barrages or dams. Many coastal sites worldwide are being examined for their suitability to produce tidal (current) energy

advantages

• One major advantage with the use of renewable energy is that as it is renewable it is therefore sustainable and so will never run out.

• Even more importantly, renewable energy produces little or no waste products such as carbon dioxide or other chemical pollutants, so has minimal impact on the environment.

• Renewable energy projects can also bring economic benefits to many regional areas, as most projects are located away from large urban centres and suburbs of the capital cities. These economic benefits may be from the increased use of local services as well as tourism