Alternate Energy
Alternate Energy
Alternate Energy
Imagine a world where the wind starts your coffee machine, the sun
powers your lights, plants fuel your car, and the very earth heats your home.
This world is closer than you may think. Currently, the leading source of
energy is fossil fuels; fuels derived from long dead remains of living
organisms. These fuels, most commonly found in the forms of coal and gas,
release harmful gasses into the atmosphere. Alternate energy, also known
as green energy, is energy generated without the use of fossil fuels and
without harmful gas emissions. There are four main sources of alternate
energy: solar, wind, biofuel, and geothermal. These alternate sources of
energy, while they do have their faults, are better for the environment.
Alternate energy is derived from the world around us. For example, solar
energy utilizes the largest source of power in our solar system: the sun.
Photovoltaic cells (solar panels) are made out of materials that react with
sunlight (usually silicon, phosphorous, and boron) to generate electricity
(Union of Concerned Scientists, 2015). As the sun wont burn out for another
five billion years, there will always be access to solar energy. This means
that it is a renewable energy, unlike fossil fuels. Another example of
alternate energy is found in geothermal energy. Geothermal energy uses the
heat from the earth core to heat water into steam in a vague approximation
.
Alternative energy, while ultimately better for the environment, has its faults. It creates electricity without the
use of fossil fuels but it also has its share of problems and obstacles. Thankfully, there are solutions on the
market. The production of alternate energy can have negative effects on both the environment and local
communities. While the day where our world and lives are powered by alternative energy is coming fast, it still has
a way to go.
Work Cited
Greenfacts.(2015).LiquidBiofuelsforTransportProspects,risksandopportunities.
Retrievedfrom
http://www.greenfacts.org/en/biofuels/l3/4environmentalimpacts.htm
MaehlumM.(2013).GeothermalEnergyProsandCons.Retrievedfrom
http://energyinformative.org/geothermalenergyprosandcons/
NRDC.(2011).RenewableEnergyforAmerica.Retrievedfrom
http://www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/wind.asp
UnionofConcernedScientists.(2015).HowSolarPanelsWork.Retrievedfrom
http://www.ucsusa.org/cleanenergy/renewableenergy/howsolarpanelswork#.Vo2XRS
fwvIU
SolarEnergyDevelopmentProgrammaticEIS.(n.d.).SolarEnergyDevelopment
EnvironmentalConsiderations.Retrievedfrom
http://solareis.anl.gov/guide/environment/
Stewart,C.(2012).Story:GeothermalEnergy.Retrievedfrom
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/geothermalenergy/page5
UnionofConcernedScientists.(2015).HowSolarPanelsWork.Retrievedfrom
http://www.ucsusa.org/cleanenergy/renewableenergy/howsolarpanelswork#.Vo2XRSfw
vIU
Wind Energy Development Programmatic EIS. (n.d.) Wind Energy Basics. Retrieved from
http://windeis.anl.gov/guide/basics/
Images Cited
[FarmlandforBiofuel].Retrievedfrom
http://www.climatetechwiki.org/technology/agriculturebiofuelproduction
[SolarPanelsSunset].Retrievedfrom
http://my.whirlwindsteel.com/blog/bid/390493/SolarPanelsandMetalRoofingAMatchMad
einInstallationHeaven
[UnderWaterTurbines].Retrievedfrom
http://teeic.indianaffairs.gov/er/hydrokinetic/restech/uses/index.htm
[WindTurbinesandSolarPanels].Retrievedfrom
http://www.caribbean360.com/news/stkittsstepsupeffortstoharnessgeothermalenerg
y