Renewable Energy

There are many sources of renewable energy that can be applied for use within our infrastructure. With the latest and greatest advancements in technology, these systems are becoming more and more efficient. Wind, solar, and water are great examples of renewable sources of energy that are environmentally friendly and free.

There are many hot discussions about pros and cons of nuclear power, and there are many critics and proponents for this form of energy. No matter how safe these operations are handled and barring any nuclear accident, which is almost impossible to do, radioactive waste is created which will be dangerous for hundreds or even thousands of years. This leaves a toxic legacy for future generations to clean up. Nuclear power is very risky, and can have disastrous consequences when something goes wrong. Incidents like Chernobyl and Three Mile Island have made many wary of allowing a nuclear power plant anywhere near their city. When all pros and cons are taken into consideration anything as deadly as nuclear energy should probably not be used. This energy is not renewable either, because there is a limited amount of Uranium in the earth, so when this is depleted then it is gone completely.

The first problem is that our dependence on energy continues to grow. As the size of the population increases we are using more of our depleted natural reserves of fuel every single day. People today live longer due to advances in medicine and health care and we are a society dependent upon our electronic gadgets as well.

Most modern nations depend on natural gas, oil and coal to supply the majority of their energy needs, but dependence on fossil fuels is a huge dilemma. Fossil fuels are considered a finite resource, meaning the world can and will run fresh out of fossil fuels. These fuels can also cause pollution of the air, soil and water. However, people are turning to renewable energy sources.Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by hydropower, i.e., the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy. Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct waste.

Wave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work " for example for electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water (into reservoirs). Wave energy can be difficult to harness due to the unpredictability of the ocean and wave direction. Wave farms have been created and are in use in Europe, using floating Pelamis Wave Energy converters.

The fun of exploring renewable energy can also be applied to wind power. Did you know that 19 percent of the electricity in Denmark is produced by windmills? Did you know that the amount of electricity generated by wind power increased by a factor of more than five between 2000 and 2007? This is truly an emerging energy source. Your project could focus on the innovations that made the recent growth in wind power possible. Do you foresee further comparable growth in the future.

Photovoltaic (PV) Solar power is harnessing the suns energy to produce electricity. One of the fastest growing energy sources, new technologies are developing at a rapid pace. Solar cells are becoming more efficient, transportable and even flexible, allowing for easy installation. PV has mainly been used to power small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to off-grid homes powered by a photovoltaic array.

Alternative energy sources such as wind and water are perfect energy sources. They are simple, cheaper, non-polluting as well as efficient. Alternative energy sources emit no carbon dioxide, which is a great help in reducing global greenhouse emission. These other means of obtaining energy lessens our dependency on limited reserves of fossil fuels. Renewable energy sources capture the mechanical power of wind or water and convert it to electricity. There are enough sources of renewable energy to provide present world's energy needs. The only challenge is to formulate the capacity to efficaciously and economically get, save and use the energy when needed.

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This article has been written by the author, Alexis Kenne. Should you require any more resources regarding home made energy, please check out his renewable energy sources resources

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