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Alternate Sources Of Energy


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Introduction

Energy is very, very important because everythingthat we consume, use, eat is energy or has energyembodied in it. A piece of paper has used energy orhad energy used to create it and transport it towhere it is, so although it only contains a little bit of

energy, there has actually been a huge amount ofenergy used to get it to where it is. And its the samewith the chair you sit on and the shampoo you washyour hair with. So energy is embodied in everythingthat we use, and in order to have economic growth,we need to have lots of energy and preferably nice

and cheap energy. So not only do we need carbonneutral energy, we need large quantities of it.


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Types of Energy Sources

On the basis of renewability, energy sources can be broadly

divided into two categories

Renewable

Energy that comes from

resources which are

continually replenished by

nature.

E.g. Sunlight, wind, rain, tides,

and geothermal heat.

Non Renewable

Energy that comes from

a natural resource which

cannot be reproduced, grown,

generated, or used on a scale

which can sustain its

consumption rate; oncedepleted there will be no

more available for use in the

near future.

E.g. Petrol, Coal.


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What are Alternate Sources of Energy ?

Energy fuelled in ways that do not use up

natural resources or harm the environment.

Naturally, they fall under Renewable Sources of

energy.


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Alternate Energy Sources of the Past


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Coal as an alternative to Wood

Historian Norman F. Cantor describes how in the latemedieval period, coal was the new alternative fuel to savethe society from overuse of the dominant fuel, wood:

"Europeans had lived in the midst of vast forests

throughout the earlier medieval centuries. After 1250 theybecame so skilled at deforestation that by 1500 AD theywere running short of wood for heating and cooking... By1500 Europe was on the edge of a fuel and nutritional

disaster, [from] which it was saved in the sixteenth centuryonly by the burning of soft coal and the cultivation ofpotatoes and maize.


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Petroleum as an alternative to Whale Oil

Whale oil was the dominant form of lubrication and

fuel for lamps in the early 19th century, but the

depletion of the whale stocks by mid century caused

whale oil prices to skyrocket setting the stage for theadoption of petroleum which was first commercialized

in Pennsylvania in 1859.


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Alcohol as an alternative to Fossil Fuels

In 1917, Alexander Graham Bell advocated ethanol from corn,wheat and other foods as an alternative to coal and oil, statingthat the world was in measurable distance of depleting thesefuels. For Bell, the problem requiring an alternative was lack ofrenewability of orthodox energy sources. Since the 1970s, Brazil

has had an ethanol fuel program which has allowed the countryto become the world's second largest producer of ethanol (afterthe United States) and the world's largest exporter. Brazilsethanol fuel program uses modern equipment and cheap sugarcane as feedstock, and the residual cane-waste (bagasse) is used

to process heat and power. There are no longer light vehicles inBrazil running on pure gasoline. By the end of 2008 there were35,000 filling stations throughout Brazil with at least one ethanolpump.


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Coal gasification as an alternative to Petroleum

In the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter's administration advocated

coal gasification as an alternative to expensive imported oil. The

program, including the Synthetic Fuels Corporation was scrapped

when petroleum prices plummeted in the 1980s. The carbon

footprint and environmental impact of coal gasification are bothvery high.


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Alternate Energy Sources of the Present


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Algae fuel

Algae fuel is a biofuel which is derived from algae. During

photosynthesis, algae and other photosynthetic organisms

capture carbon dioxide and sunlight and convert it into oxygen

and biomass. The benefits of algal biofuel are that it can be

produced industrially, thereby obviating the use of arable landand food crops (such as soy, palm, and canola), and that it has a

very high oil yield as compared to all other sources of biofuel.


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Biomass briquettes

Biomass briquettes are being developed in the developing worldas an alternative to charcoal. The technique involves theconversion of almost any plant matter into compressedbriquettes that typically have about 70% the calorific value of

charcoal. There are relatively few examples of large scalebriquette production. One exception is in North Kivu, in easternDemocratic Republic of Congo, where forest clearance forcharcoal production is considered to be the biggest threat toMountain Gorilla habitat. The staff of Virunga National Park have

successfully trained and equipped over 3500 people to producebiomass briquettes, thereby replacing charcoal produced illegallyinside the national park, and creating significant employment forpeople living in extreme poverty in conflict affected areas.


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Biogas digestion

Biogas digestion deals with harnessing the methane gas that is

released when waste breaks down. This gas can be retrieved

from garbage or sewage systems. Biogas digesters are used to

process methane gas by having bacteria break down biomass in

an anaerobic environment. The methane gas that is collectedand refined can be used as an energy source for various

products.


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Floating wind farms

Floating wind farms are similar to a regular wind farm, but the

difference is that they float in the middle of the ocean. Offshore

wind farms can be placed in water up to 40 metres (130 ft.)

deep, whereas floating wind turbines can float in water up to

700 metres (2,300 ft.) deep. The advantage of having a floatingwind farm is to be able to harness the winds from the open

ocean. Without any obstructions such as hills, trees and

buildings, winds from the open ocean can reach up to speeds

twice as fast as coastal areas.


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Alternative Energy ResearchThere are numerous organizations within the academic, federal,

and commercial sectors conducting large scale advanced

research in the field of alternative energy. This research spans

several areas of focus across the alternative energy spectrum.

Most of the research is targeted at improving efficiency and

increasing overall energy yields. Multiple federally supported

research organizations have focused on alternative energy inrecent years. Two of the most prominent of these labs are Sandia

National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy

Laboratory (NREL), both of which are funded by the United

States Department of Energy and supported by various

corporate partners. Sandia has a total budget of $2.4 billion

while NREL has a budget of $375 million.


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DisadvantagesThere are a number of issues that may arise from switching to alternative

energy. Increasing the nations use of natural gas for electricity generation

could result in adverse economic consequences, especially since natural gascurrently costs about four times more than coal. Furthermore, if there were

a widespread switching to natural gas from coal some countries would

become increasingly dependent on international supplies. Also, large-scale

fuel switching would require substantial investments in pipeline storage and

storage capacity and new terminals to process imported natural gas. There isalso the question of whether to convert existing coal-burning plants or to

construct new ones. Burning natural gas at an existing coal plant would

require a pipeline with the ability to meet the plants fuel supply

requirements. It would also require expansion of interstate and intrastate

pipelines to transport increased volumes of natural gas Overall it would bemore feasible and cost-effective to construct new natural gas units than to

switch coal-burning plants.


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ConclusionThe need for alternative energy sources is getting urgent, hence the development ofrenewable energy is moving fast. Nationally and internationally various individuals and

research companies are creating new and exciting energy systems. Some of these

apparatus are great works and need improving for massive use. Politician's world-wide

are drafting policies and are making agreements to make greater use of these energy

sources. Our beautiful planet gives us the opportunity to make proper us of sunlight,flowing water, strong winds, and hot springs and convert these into energy. These

energy sources are abundant and free to use. We must be sure that we convert the

energy the right way, without causing other problems that can again hurt our

environment. Luckily the many efforts by individuals and companies show that this

can be done.


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The End

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