Alternative Energy Sources

The depletion of conventional and non-renewable sources of energy i. e. fossil fuels, which include coal, gasoline and natural gas, has caused concern among the policy makers and the consumers. Moreover, the recent increase in oil prices has caused inflation due to higher transportation costs of the commodities. However, the biggest drawback of using the non-renewable sources of energy has been an increase in environmental pollution, and the phenomenon of global warming.When the fossil fuels are burnt by millions of vehicles on road, ships on water, and by aeroplanes in air, toxic emissions including deadly hydrocarbons, and lethal carbon monoxide are released into the atmosphere. These poisonous gases cause severe respiratory diseases, and cancer in the most vulnerable human population i. e. children and elderly. Is it beneficial to continue the use of fossil fuels whose emissions cause deadly diseases in humans?Also, one of the emissions is carbon dioxide, which is the main cause o f global warming. Since the fossil fuels are limited in supply, scientists, environmentalists and policy makers have been striving to find the alternative sources of energy, which are replenishable, easily available, non-polluting, non-detrimental to the health of humans, environmental friendly and do not cause global warming. Isn’t it beneficial for us to explore and deploy the alternative energy sources?I strongly feel that we must develop technology to commercially exploit the alternative energy sources. Some of the types of alternative energy sources along with their utility to humanity are highlighted in the following discussion. Discussion Different definitions of alternative energy have been given by different thinkers and organizations. Economy Watch reported that Material Management Services defined it â€Å"as an alternative for the renewable energy forms,† which has â€Å"not been extracted from fossil fuels.† Further, as defined by Natural Resources Defense Council, Economy Watch stated that alternative energy is peripheral and environmental-friendly. According to Economy Watch, Responding to Climate Change 2007 has defined alternative energy as the one â€Å"that is drawn from the untraditional sources of energy like winds, compressed natural gases, hydroelectricity and solar sources. † When different definitions are merged, the complete meaning of alternative energy sources becomes evident. Alternative Energy Sources The consumption of natural resources has come to dominate the minds of policy-makers and general public in the US, given the limited range of these resources and concerns associated with the burden the growing population places on the reserves.The most obvious problem the US encounters in the realm of natural resources consumption is undeniably the consumption of energy resources.In addition to increasing the efficiency of oil production, the nation will sooner or later have to turn to alternative energy sources. While these sources still remain too expensive to be operational, their technology is undergoing rapid transformations to make them more cost-efficient. Wind mills are already effectively used in Spain where the climate is characterized by strong winds.Solar energy, geothermal power, tides, hydroelectric power plants – all these are ways to receive energy in a way that is less dangerous for the environment and can with time fully replace oil as a source of energy. Con sidering the dangers posed to the US society by the resource depletion, we will also try to look at alternative solutions that will enable us to replace the reserves.Current StateSolar energy is attractive because the energy received by the earth annually exceeds the amount of energy used by humanity by 35,000 times, although â€Å"about 1/3 of this energy is either absorbed by the outer atmosphere or reflected back into space† (University of Utah).Geothermal energy that stems from the inner heat of the earth is of lesser importance as it can be used only to replace a small amount of human needs. The temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius are located only three miles away from the surface, which gives man an opportunity to use geothermal energy.Tidal facilities like the one operated by the former Soviet Union in Lumkara, use the power of the water â€Å"to fill reservoirs, which are then slowly discharged through electricity-producing turbines† (University of Utah).The at traction of tidal power, in contrast to solar and wind energy is its predictability and rich supply that can be calculated since it comes on a regular basis. In contrast, in the case of solar and wind energy, the industry often has to wait for days until the sun comes out or the wind begins to blow. However, the Survey of Energy Resources published by the World Energy Council in 2001 points to â€Å"long construction times, high capital intensity and low load factors† as preventing economic efficiency of this type of energy (World Energy Council). Alternative Energy Sources The move to alternative energy sources is inevitable for most of the modern world. Reasons for the move include sheer economics, geopolitics and environmental protection.Through the years, the world has gotten used to using fossil fuels for their energy needs. Products derived from fossil fuels are used in transportation, in electricity generation, in petrochemicals and even in road construction.The primary reason for the move is the inadequacy of fossil fuels to meet future energy demands at an economically feasible price. Fossil fuels, due to their nature, are of finite supply. Even though no estimates show that the amount of fossil fuels in the Earth is not about to run out, economic forces will cut the fossil fuel supply even before it runs out.As the amount of fossil fuels extracted decreases, the greater the demand for it becomes, particularly because of rising economies. Economics will thus dictate that the price of fossil fuels go up due to shifts in global supply and demand. Sooner or later, the price of energy will rise to unsustainable prices – prices which can cripple economies and cause great financial problems for the common man due to inflation.Already, we have seen evidences of this scenario happening. The price of oil has risen continually over the years and has already sparked unrest in some countries.Alternative energy sources, especially renewable energy sources are clearly better in the long run. Renewable energy sources will not face the problems faced by rising oil prices today simply because these energy sources are not finite.Alternative energy sources like biomass, wind, hydro and solar energy will always be replenished. Moreover, these energy sources are also less polluting than fossil fuel sources. The use of fossil fuels has been linked to the phenomenon of anthropogenic global warming.Carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels are said to cause Earth’s temperature to rise abnormally – a situat ion which can have disastrous effects on a global scale if left unchecked. Renewable energy sources do not suffer from this drawback which makes them more attractive from an environmental perspective.Nuclear energy is also another alternative energy form. While it is not exactly renewable due to the finiteness of the Earth’s Uranium deposits, the high yield of nuclear energy means that the accessible Uranium in the Earth can last us for centuries before running out.Nuclear energy is clean, already available and can supply energy at a large scale. While there are concerns regarding its safety as well as what to do with spent nuclear waste, newer technologies have managed to reduce the dangers from these nuclear side effects. These make nuclear energy an attractive stopgap until the development of more advanced energy sources.In the pipeline are also some more futuristic energy options. Hydrogen power is a promising alternative to using oil products in transportation. Unlike oi l combustion which releases pollutants into the air, the by-product of Hydrogen consumption is harmless water vapor. Lastly, Helium-3 fusion is an attractive solution which can potentially end all of Earth’s energy problems. Helium-3 fusion is a form of nuclear energy which utilizes Helium instead of Uranium and has no radioactive by products.ReferencesNational Renewable Energy Laboratory – www.nrel.govSchmitt, H. (October 2004). Mining The Moon. In Popular Mechanics. Retrieved August 26, 2008, from http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/1283056.html?page=4.Whitlock, J. (2008). Uranium. In Canadian Nuclear FAQ. Retrieved August 26, 2008, from http://www.nuclearfaq.ca/cnf_sectionG.htm#uranium_supply.    Alternative Energy Sources It is undeniable that global warming has been one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. Global warming is due to the greenhouse effect wherein greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide trap the sun's heat in our atmosphere and prevent it from radiating back into space. However the issue of global warming is not about global warming.The greenhouse effect has been around for millions of years and is indeed responsible for the development of life as without it the earth would be too cold to support the variety of flora and fauna we see today. The issue of global warming has been accelerated global warming.The issue is how the rate of heating by the earth's surface is proceeding at a much faster rate than mother nature can adapt to. If the predictions are correct, this will result in a multitude of changes. Environmental changes such as the rise in global sea levels due to the melting of the ice caps, an increase in the frequency of extreme weather due to changing precipitation patterns, and massive rates of extinction.These massive environmental effects also translate to massive economic effects especially in agriculture. Drought will affect the production of essential foodstuffs like grain especially in the equatorial regions. The retreat of glaciers will also affect farms which are dependent on glacier runoff for irrigation.Global warming will also strain government pockets as the need for preventive infrastructure like floodgates as well as for repair and reconstruction of old infrastructure which is damaged by the increased temperature variation. Increased health costs will also be a burden on social services.One of the key methods for mitigating the advance of global warming is by the reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Some of the ways of reducing greenhouse gases include changing practices in agriculture, stopping deforestation, as well as restoring and conserving degraded land.Another way for reducing greenhouse gases is by switching our energy production from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Some renewable energy sources include solar power, wind power, hydrogen, and nuclear power. This paper discusses these alternative energy sources and the prospects for their use.Most of the energy needs of the United States comes from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. The combustion of these fossil fuels drive generators which provide electricity as well as engines that power our transportation.However, these fossil fuels are considered nonrenewable energy sources simply because these fossil fuels are of limited supply. Sooner or later, the world's fossil fuel deposits will reach a point such that their extraction would not be economically feasible. Already, the huge demand for oil is pushing its price to record levels with each   passing year.As opposed to fossil fuel based energy sources, renewable energy comes from sources that wont run out in any anthropological time frame. Renewable sources suc h as wind or solar power come from sources which are constantly replenished, and will be constantly replenished barring major changes of geological or astronomical scale.As such, investments in renewable power is much more future proof. Because these renewable sources of energy wont run out, we can be sure that succeeding generations will be able to benefit from renewable energy sources we develop today. That much cannot be said for sources of energy from oil, gas and coal.