Global Warming Causes

Renewable Energy Sources

Traditional, fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas are a limited resource. As they get harder to find and extract from the ground the price to use these resources will go up. There will be no change in this trend as more of these resources get used up. And there is another, potentially more serious, cost to using these types of fuels. They are thought to contribute to environmental problems like global warming and destroying the ozone layer that will be paid for by future generations. So what are the alternatives to these traditional sources of energy. This article will cover a few of the alternative energy sources that are being touted as practical solutions both commercially and for the individual homeowner.

The first alternative energy source to be covered is solar energy. It has been around for quite a while now and most people have seen the odd solar panel on a neighbors roof. Indeed, mankind has always used the Sun's energy since earliest times but only in the past 60 years has it developed to the extent that we are now familiar.

At this stage we use heat and light from the sun to create energy.

Heat energy provided by the sun is used for many things like heating water, heating a room or cooking food. As the Sun's heat was tangible, the inspiration for using it as an energy resource was not a great leap of the imagination. In reality, the Sun was used by many of these civilizations not only as an energy resource but also as a god, indicating the importance that they gave it.

Getting energy out of sunlight is still a fairly new development by comparison. The technology developed to do this is called the photovoltaic (PV) cell. It was first used in the 19th century but only started being produced commercially in the 1970's.

The principle behind it is that photons in sunlight hit the PV cell causing an electron to be displaced from the atom. Many cells and more sunlight cause more electrons to flow. This is how direct current (DC) electricity works. Direct current can be used as is, stored in batteries for later use or converted to alternating current for use in homes.

Wind power is another source of renewable energy that is becoming popular. I think this is because it is fairly well understood by most people as a concept. It may also be because plenty of wind turbines are popping up all over the countryside.

A wind turbine is a modern day windmill, it uses the power of the wind to turn blades. The kinetic energy is utilized by the generator to create electricity. Many developed and developing countires are increasing their production of wind turbines each year. They promise to deliver clean and cheaper ways to create energy.

Wind turbines or windmills can even be built in residential homes at a reasonable cost. It is quite simple to build a windmill or turbine from scratch or a pre-built variety can be purchased. Before you even think about this however, you need to establish if there is enough wind to make it viable and locate a good spot in your yard for it to go. You may also want to notify your neighbors that you are erecting a turbine as it could be an issue with some people.

Other familiar renewable energy systems exploit the kinetic energy in water to create usable energy, like electricity. This is hydro-power and a dam is an obvious example of this process in action. Geothermal energy can also be used to some extent. This is using the heat from the earths core to heat water which can be turned into steam that can turn a generator or be used as is.

Published by zoe on September 26th, 2008 | Filed under Global Warming

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