A Word About Alternative Energy

By Jenny Robinson

Alternative energy is everywhere around us and it's possible to use it in many different ways. An example that can be sited is one that is driven by photovoltaic cells called the solar power which in time can get more advanced and affordable. Solar energy is non-polluting and can be used to produce electricity in addition to hot water. Nevertheless, for us to be able to inexpensively make use of the sun's energy, we need to subject ourselves to more work than ever. For the time being, the resource is a little too conditional as storage batteries are needed to be used as backups in the evenings and on inclement days.

Wind energy has become the most-invested-in (by private investors and governments together) alternative energy source for the time being. Using the wind's kinetic energy once its motion have been captured can greatly contribute to conversion of mechanical or electrical energy and this can be done through the development of "wind farms" which is the placement of great arrays of triple-bladed windmills all over the place.

We have used windmills for a number of centuries but it is only recently that they have been converted to produce electricity on an industrial scale. The windmills used today are massive compared to those used in the past and much more 'high-tech' and often referred to as 'wind-turbines'. There is always a negative aspect to everything and with wind farms it is they become useless when you have days without any or little wind. When the wind doesn't blow we have other power stations that can make up the energy deficit so we cannot, at present use wind farms as a primary source of power.

For many years now, hydroelectric power has been used as a form of alternative energy to create prodigious amounts of power almost everywhere in the world. The concept of hydroelectricity is simple - using vast amounts of water and gravity to turn electricity producing turbines. Needless to say, water is ubiquitous: finding sources for driving hydroelectric turbines is, therefore, not much of a problem. Even though the exploitation of hydroelectricity as a source of alternative energy can be beneficial and has a lot of sources, producing it may still hold back its implementation due to some complex and high-priced procedures.

Fortunately water is all around us in vast quantities so creating these plants has never been a problem generally. The main problem with this process is the initial financial cost and the size of these dams means it is a lengthy project which does not come without it's own issues.Building of dams is often the most common and effective means of controlling the flow of water to sufficiently provide the source in generating the needed power. These projects require years of planning and work but there are impacts on the environment which conservationists have serious concerns about. To produce power this way does not always require a dam, especially if it is only a small community that is being serviced. There are small run-of-river hydroelectric converters which are good for supplying neighbourhoods or an individual office or home.

Probably the most underrated and under-appreciated form of alternative energy is geothermal energy, which is simply the naturally-occurring energy produced by the heating of artesian waters that are just below the earth's crust. The heat from the earth's core gets taken up by the water. Methods such as the "dry steam" power plants, "flash" power plants, and "binary" power plants are some of the various methods used to draw up water for harnessing geothermal energy. Steam is essentially gathered and for this reason, hot water should be drawn up. The Geysers, approximately 100 miles north of San Francisco, is probably the best-known of all geothermal power fields - it's an example of a dry stream plant.

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