Understanding Alternative Energy - What is Alternate Energy Fuel Sources?
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Alternative energy is that which is not popularly used. It is usually environment friendly, and is from a source other than the traditional fossil-fuel sources like oil, natural gas and coal. It is also referred to as "alternative fuel." It can come from sun, wind, ocean, the earth, nuclear reactors and other renewable energy sources.
The term is used interchangeably for renewable energy. It minimizes the negative effects on the environment (energy from sources that do not produce harmful emissions) as opposed to traditional hydrocarbon resources and technology. It produces no net greenhouse gas emissions in generating electricity.
Due to the rise in gas prices in 2008 and the US national average price for a gallon of regular gas rising above $4.00, there is an ever-increasing interest in developing economical alternative energy sources with higher fuel efficiency. This has encouraged many big and small firms to double their efforts in researching news ways of producing such energy.
And indeed, there are large reservoirs of energy that can be accessed and made available for commercial and individual uses through research and development in the alternative energy technologies. These can allow us to begin to move away from fossil-fuel burning energy sources that we have been heavily dependent on for many decades.
Some of the alternative energies being explored are:
Biomass energy. Biomass is living or recently dead biological matter, which can be used as a source of energy. There are plants that are grown especially to be used as biofuel. These and other plants, some animal matter as well as biodegradable waste are used as biofuel to generate heat energy and produce fibers and other chemicals.
Geothermal energy is energy created by tapping heat stored below earth's surface as well as collection of absorbed heat in the oceans and atmosphere. It is abundant, as it lies just below earth's surface. It is produced by using earth's thermal energys to heat water. The hot water changes to steam and is then used to run turbines which produce electricity.
Solar energy is created from the heat and light of the Sun, which drives the season changes and supports life on earth. Solar energy converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic cells. Solar cells gather and concentrate sun’s energy and convert it to electricity or use it for heating water. This energy creates no pollution.
Wind energy is converted into electricity, using wind turbines. By December 2007, wind energy was generating about 94.1 gigawatts of power. That is approximately 1 percent of the electricity used in the world. Wind power production has increased by about five times in the last six years. Electricity is the biggest use that wind energy is currently put to. Huge wind farms are connected to electrical grids. Windmills convert wind energy into mechanical energy to pump water or grind grain. This energy is renewable, clean, available in abundance, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Research in wind turbines continues to lead to more cost-effective and energy efficient equipments. Many countries are developing wind farms and employing them beneficially.
Wave energy is the energy of ocean waves and is captured to produce electricity, pump water into reservoirs and perform desalination. It is renewable energy and is different from tidal energy. It is not currently used very widely for commercial purposes. It has immense potential to generate energy, and generators in France and Ireland are doing so successfully.