The New Rise of Alternative Energy
You hear more and more about alternative energies these days a lot of people have different ideas about just what it is. I wrote this article to try to clear things up.
alternative energy is commonly used to refer to sources of energy that are an alternative to coal, oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels have been the most common source of our energy for generations.
However our reliance on fossil fuels is relatively recent. It wasn't that long ago that ships were powered by sales and horses move goods and people on land.
Dutch windmills are an icon of the country. Windows are also closely associated wit old ranches of the American West.
Many people are surprised to learn that producing solar hot water heating systems was a commercially profitable business in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century.
I think you can see that our dependence on fossil fuels is relatively recent. Rather than something completely new, using alternative energies is a return to an older practice.
With that background, here's my working definition of alternative energy: energy from a source other than the burning of fossil fuels (again coal, oil and its derivatives and natural gas).
While many people automatically assume that alternative energy sources are renewable, that isn't necessarily so. For example, burning peat for heat is an alternative energy, but it is neither clean nor renewable.
Most sources of alternative energy have less environmental impact and burning fossil fuel. And most are renewable, meaning we don't have to worry about running out of them. These considerations have led to the increased interest in exploring alternative energy today
When people think about alternative energy solar panels and windmills are probably the most common things that come to mind. However there are many other forms of alternative energy are ready available (for example geothermal and biomass) and researchers are exploring some entirely new possibilities
My expectation is that in the not-too-distant future the tables will turn: what we consider "alternative" today will be the standard tomorrow. Burning fossil fuels will be oddball alternative.
alternative energy is commonly used to refer to sources of energy that are an alternative to coal, oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels have been the most common source of our energy for generations.
However our reliance on fossil fuels is relatively recent. It wasn't that long ago that ships were powered by sales and horses move goods and people on land.
Dutch windmills are an icon of the country. Windows are also closely associated wit old ranches of the American West.
Many people are surprised to learn that producing solar hot water heating systems was a commercially profitable business in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century.
I think you can see that our dependence on fossil fuels is relatively recent. Rather than something completely new, using alternative energies is a return to an older practice.
With that background, here's my working definition of alternative energy: energy from a source other than the burning of fossil fuels (again coal, oil and its derivatives and natural gas).
While many people automatically assume that alternative energy sources are renewable, that isn't necessarily so. For example, burning peat for heat is an alternative energy, but it is neither clean nor renewable.
Most sources of alternative energy have less environmental impact and burning fossil fuel. And most are renewable, meaning we don't have to worry about running out of them. These considerations have led to the increased interest in exploring alternative energy today
When people think about alternative energy solar panels and windmills are probably the most common things that come to mind. However there are many other forms of alternative energy are ready available (for example geothermal and biomass) and researchers are exploring some entirely new possibilities
My expectation is that in the not-too-distant future the tables will turn: what we consider "alternative" today will be the standard tomorrow. Burning fossil fuels will be oddball alternative.
About the Author:
If you want to find out just about all there is to know about alternative energy, a great site to go to is: Alternative Energy Primer
You like it? Share it!
posted by SolveItQuick at
6:08 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home