Alternative Energy Resources By: edward szczepaniak

The availability of alternative energy comes in many different forms. Solar power which is driven by photovoltaic cells is just one of these alternative energy sources that are increasingly becoming more advanced and less expensive. Solar power does not harm the environment and can be used for all our energy requirements including generating vast amounts of electricity with the added benefit of being environmentally friendly. Even so, we are still in the early days of using this 'free' source of unlimited energy and a good deal more research and development is still required. The one major problem is storing the power for use when the sun is not as strong, on overcast days and when night falls.

There is however a great deal of investment (usually private) in the creation of giant 'wind farms' which are less costly to set up. These are huge windmills with two but more often three blades which harness the power of the wind to generate electricity for many communities. The power of the wind has been known about and used for centuries but now they are being used purely for the generation of power. Of course today's windmills are much larger than their predecessors and much more advanced. The only downside to this form of power is when the wind isn't blowing, you cannot produce power. When the wind doesn't blow we have other power stations that can make up the energy deficit so we cannot, at present use wind farms as a primary source of power.

Another more reliable source of alternative energy is the use of hydroelectric power plants and these (usually very large) plants can produce huge amounts of power. Simply put, hydroelectric energy uses the motion of water—its flow in response to gravity, which means downhill to turn turbines which then generate electrical energy. Needless to say, water is ubiquitous: finding sources for driving hydroelectric turbines is, therefore, not much of a problem. The main problem with this process is the initial financial cost and the size of these dams means it is a lengthy project which does not come without it's own issues. To utilise this power, the dams that are built are huge structures otherwise they will not be able to a) hold back the water and b) have enough water to run the turbines efficiently. These projects require years of planning and work but there are impacts on the environment which conservationists have serious concerns about. Of course, a dam is not always needed if one is not trying to supply the electrical needs of a city or other very densely populated area. Some businesses and communities use a run-of-the-river hydroelectric converter which is suitable for their power needs but without the problems associated with large dams.

Geothermal energy which is simply the naturally-occurring energy is also in all probability the most underestimated and less appreciated form of alternative energy that can be generated when artesian waters just below the earth's crust are heated. The heat from the earth's core gets taken up by the water. Methods such as the “dry steam” power plants, “flash” power plants, and “binary” power plants are some of the various methods used to draw up water for harnessing geothermal energy. Steam is essentially gathered and for this reason, hot water should be drawn up. The Geysers, approximately 100 miles north of San Francisco, is probably the best-known of all geothermal power fields - it's an example of a dry stream plant.

http://windadvances.com

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