Alternative Energy

Abstract

In this study we try to explore the concept of Alternative Energy in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on Alternative Energy and its different types. The research also analyzes many aspects of Alternative Energy and tries to gauge its effect on the world environment.

Table of Contents

Abstract1

Introduction3

Solar3

Wind5

Geothermal6

Bio fuels6

Electric Vehicles7

Water Power9

Adoption Factors9

Cons of Alternative Energy10

Works Cited11

Alternative Energy

Introduction

Alternative energy is derived from sources that are renewable, do not use up natural resources or harm the environment, or can replace fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil. Alternative energy is generated for electricity and heating from sources such as moving water, the sun, wind, geothermal energy from the earth's heat, biomass from vegetative or waste material, and biogas from anaerobic digestion. Given the looming energy crisis facing much of the world, alternative energy is destined to become an even more important area for science communicators.

Renewable energy sources can restore themselves over short periods of time and do not diminish. Green power, a subset of renewable energy, is clean technology that provides the highest environmental benefit. Green energy sources produce electricity with less impact on the environment than conventional power technologies and produce no anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Brown energy sources, the nonrenewable or polluting energy sources, generally consume water; require mining, drilling, or extraction; or emit greenhouse gases and air pollution during combustion. Categorization of nuclear energy is debatable because it emits no greenhouse gases yet requires mining, extraction, and long-term radioactive waste storage. Concerns about skyrocketing oil prices, world energy security, and impacts of greenhouse gases have driven growth in multiple renewable energy industries. By mid-2007, investments in more than 140 publicly traded renewable energy companies exceeded $100 billion (Flavin, 90).

Solar

Every hour, the sun delivers as much energy to the earth as all humans use in a year. The energy from 20 days of sunshine is equal to all energy available in the world's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas. Solar energy can be harnessed from passive solar heating, rooftop solar cells that convert sunlight to electricity and large solar plants that use the sun's heat to generate steam.

PV cells use thin polysilicon film to convert sunlight into electricity. The power produced by a solar array, a set of PV cells, will depend on weather conditions, the sun's position, and the capacity of the array. During suboptimal conditions, solar energy can be stored using molten salts, which are low-cost and can efficiently deliver heat. The average price for a PV module was $100 per watt in 1975; it is expected to drop to $2 per watt by 2010.

PV production has increased nearly 50% each year since 2002. Although solar power is the world's fastest growing energy technology, it produced less than 0.05% of U.S. electricity and only 0.66% of the world's electricity in 2007. The top five PV-producing countries are Japan, China, Germany, Taiwan, and the United States. Although Germany is the top market for installed solar energy, the amount of useable solar ...