Alternative Energy

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Alternative Energy Sources

Energy is all around us. Almost everything that you can see or touch is energy or took energy to make. Even our bodies are made up and made from energy and we can also produce energy but it takes energy to do so. So when you think of it in that way how can anyone say that the United States and even the world may be entering an energy crisis? We are though and some parts of the world already have.

Even though it maybe true that some sources of nonrenewable energy sources are virtually inexhaustible because of technological advancements. However, these resources such coal, oil, and natural gas are slowly killing us, the environment, and the whole world we live in. This is because fossil fuels such as those previously mentioned give off greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) which cause smog and allow harmful radiation from the sun to penetrate our atmosphere. This problem is continually getting worse because we continue to use more and more of these fossil fuels every year. This is mainly because of population growth, inefficient buildings, lighting, and automobiles, and a general wasteful attitude towards energy. In fact 43 percent of all commercial energy produced is wasted unnecessarily because of factors

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such as these. If we could be as completely efficient in energy use as technologically possible we would only need the current amount of electricity provided by the hydroelectric power plants to

satisfy most of out electrical needs. This sadly is almost impossible to achieve considering that you would need to rebuild buildings to insulate them better and redesign appliances to make them run efficiently. Even something as simple as an incandescent light bulb wastes 95 percent of its energy input (Miller 392-391).

There is only one answer to this ever-increasing problem: alternative sources of energy. This idea is not a new one it has been being explored since man's taming of fire. Man's first source of useable energy other than the sun (I do not include the sun as being a source of energy because all of our energy comes from it) was wood. This fuel was a very common and easily obtained type of energy but did not burn that hot. The next big revolution in energy was coal which was more difficult to obtain but burned much hotter which was better for industrial use. As people soon learned coal is a very dirty burning fuel and the first signs of pollution were noticed. London for example had a substantial amount of smog from all the coal being burnt in homes and from industry. Next came oil which was a very useful fuel that could be burned as is or could be broken down into different types of fuels such as gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel. These fuels quickly became very useful to mankind because of the invention of the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine, which wastes 85 to 90 percent of its energy input, is today one of the leading causes of pollution throughout the world. Oil can also be used

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for space heating but only has a net efficiency of around 50 percent. Natural gas is one of the newer and more environmentally friendly energy sources because it has less polluting

chemicals in it than oil based fuels. It can be used to for space heating or as fuel for certain types of automobiles. These sources continued to have better efficiency and

usefulness but the environmental problems also continued to escalate so alternative sources were needed that would provide people with enough energy but at the same time not pollute the environment (Cassedy 6-7).

It was not until around the 1950's that the need for low or nonpolluting alternative sources became a reality. Many ideas were surfacing around this time but the interest and funding were just not efficient enough to make any drastic effects. One of the first and still most popular ways of producing alternative energy is hydroelectric power. This uses water to turn turbines and produce electricity. Another one of the more effective ways of production is wind power in which huge windmills spin and charge generators. There are also other sources such as solar power, biomass, geothermal, and hydrogen. In this paper each of theses sources will be discussed along with how they work, their efficiency, and their pros and cons.

Solar energy is one of the most widely known sources of renewable energy that we have. It comes in two broad forms direct and indirect. All of us are very familiar with the direct form of sunlight whether we know it or not. We feel it every time we walk outside on a sunny day or get in a car that has been sitting in the sun. This warm feeling is energy directly from the sun, and although it may not seem like it could do anything but make the day feel a little more pleasant you have to take into consideration that that

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much energy falls over the whole lighted half of the Earth. The best use of direct solar energy is through the greenhouse effect. This is where the sun shines through a window and lets light back out but traps heat inside. This is why, as I mentioned before, your car feels warm inside when parked in the sun even on a cold day. Solar energy can be used very simply this way. For example just the positioning of the windows in your house can help you to harness this free and clean energy. Placing more windows on the side where the winter sun hits your house will get a little bit more heat and light in your house in the winter. Another way that direct sunlight can be used is to heat water. There are systems available that attach to the roof of properly prepared houses that will use the sun's energy to heat the water and send it back into your house. Energy can also be conserved through not using direct solar energy during the summer. This can be accomplished through installing awnings that let the lower winter sun in your windows but keep the higher summer sun out. Also planting tertiary trees will help to keep the sun off a house in the summer but let the sunlight pass through in the winter. These tips will help to reduce air conditioning bills in the summer and to reduce heating cost in the winter.

It is quite obvious that direct sunlight can help out a little bit but will never solve our energy crisis. So how can we change sunlight into electricity? There are two ways: one is to collect heat from the sun to be used to produce electricity and the other is to use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight directly to electricity. First I would like to discuss how heat is collected from the sun. There