Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Some Alternative Electricity Sources To Replace Fossil Fuels


By Denzil De Vries

Educating the public about alternative electricity sources is one of the first steps to getting renewable energy installed throughout the country. Most energy is produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas, over 75%. Nuclear power produces about 20% of electricity and the rest is from renewable energy sources. It is possible to produce electricity from biomass, geothermal power, wind power and solar energy and this type of electrical production is much kinder to the environment.

The key to electricity production is to keep the movement of a magnet around a conductor. This can be achieved by having two conductors in salt water, shining a light on the conductors or by touching the conductors together. The energy produced to keep the electricity moving comes from absorbing energy or energy collected for burning fuels. This energy is needed to keep the copper wire found between two magnets spinning as this is the most common form of electricity generation and delivery.

The most effective alternative energy source would be electricity produced from wind power. Currently wind power only produces a small amount of the world's electricity. It is the cleanest and most environmentally friendly form of electrical generation and the wind blows enough that the entire United States could run on wind power alone if the collection system was in place.

Solar power is transforming the sun's energy or into electricity. This is a well-known electricity source that has been made many advances in recent years. Home solar units and commercial solar energy are becoming much more popular with any excess collected energy being fed back into the electricity grid.

Most solar energy users have found that after the equipment is installed they rarely, if ever, need to pay for electricity again. Unfortunately unlike in movies large-scale solar electricity conversion has proven to be very impractical. Similarly, start-up costs can be very high and most howmeowners may balk at the costs involved. However, there are a few government incentives available to assist with alternative energy conversions.

Hydropower generates electricity from falling water, so most times when you see a dam you will also notice an electricity generator or station nearby. The falling water, pulled by gravity, turns turbines which then create electricity. The best example of this may be from Niagara Falls when a mouse caused a large black out by chewing through a wire. It is also possible to purchase small hydro electric generators if you have any running water on your property.

Biodiesel can be used as a substitution for petroleum and biodiesel is becoming more popular for trucks and tankers. Biodiesel is produced from animal fats and vegetable oils and was first used in 1895. Almost all vehicles can be converted to running on biodiesel, though your car may smell like French fries if you use straight vegetable oil!

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