Alternative Renewable Energy Sources

by Darren

Our earth is running out of non-renewable energy sources, it’s time to change our way of living by using renewable Energy Sources. There is much different kind of renewable energy sources. These renewable resources are Biomass, Hydro, Geothermal, Wind and Solar.

Let’s take a look at the different types of alternative renewable energy sources

Biomass is getting energy from plants and animals. It’s a material that’s made from different types of plants and animals, mainly materials containing energy from sun. The reason such material is renewable is because plants can be re-grown. An example of a suitable material for biomass are wood and manure. When these materials are burned, the energy in the biomass is released. This energy comes out as heat. An obvious example of using biomass as an energy source is burning wood in a fire place.

Hydropower uses water to create electricity

Hydropower is the use of water to create electricity. Hydropower sometimes also means creating energy from moving water. Since water is always renewable, this type of energy is renewable. There are many different ways to harness electrical energy from water. One primary example is the use of man-made dams to store the water. Once the dam is opened, the water flows through the turbine which causes the turbine to move. Once the turbine begins to move, the generators begin to move. This creates energy for everyone to use. Since this is all powered by the movement of water, this is a renewable energy source.

Geothermal energy utilizes heat from the Earth

Geothermal is another way of saying Earth Heat. Geo means earth and thermal means heat. This method involves using the steam/hot water in the earth to create energy and to heat buildings. This is a renewable method because water is always replenished by rainfall and the heat inside the earth is always produced. This method of energy production is very efficient and is the future for the environment because it’s the one that’s most effective in taking advantage of the earth’s heat.

Wind energy harnesses the power of Wind

Wind energy is using moving air to create energy. This is created by using a wind machine which is like a wind mill but it’s called a wind turbine. As the wind moves past the propeller, the propeller also begins to move since the wind pushes the propellers. The generator near the propeller converts the mechanical energy that the wind has made by moving the blade, and converting the resultant effort into electricity. This is a renewable energy source because wind will always blow everyday just as the sun will always shine.

Solar Energy captures the power of the Sun

Solar energy is what it sounds like, using the Sun’s power and converting it to a different kind of energy. Solar energy can be converted to Heat Energy which can be used to heat water and homes. The biggest disadvantage of using solar energy is that the amount of sunlight that is sent to earth is not constant and differs from different times of the year. There are many different ways to collect solar energy and converting it to heat. Solar panels will collect the energy and then concentrate it to heat a certain area. Solar energy is absolutely free except that you will be required to buy a solar panel before harvesting the energy. Also using solar energy creates no pollution.

All in all this brief overview of alternative renewable energy sources should give you an idea of why the time has arrived for a change to these less harmful ways of energy production. As population expands, we need to consider every method of energy production that is safe for the environment, and for all of us.