Renewable Energy Sources

Traditional, carbon based resources like coal, natural gas and oil are finite. With time, it will become harder to find and remove these resources out of the ground and this cost will be passed onto the consumers. This will continue as more of these resources are used. And there are potentially more telling costs that come with using fossil fuels. These fuels are though to be a leading contributor to our current environmental problems like global warming and may leave an uncertain world for future generations. So what other options do we have to these traditional sources of energy creation. This article will cover a few of the alternative energy sources that are being touted as practical solutions both commercially and for the individual homeowner.

The first alternative energy source to be covered is solar energy. It has been around for quite a while now and most people have seen the odd solar panel on a neighbors roof. To this extent, mankind has always known about the Sun's energy and used it is one way or another since the first civilizations where established, however it is only fairly recently that it has advanced to the stage that we are at now.

Currently we use the Sun's heat and light to get usable energy.

Heat energy provided by the sun is used for many things like heating water, heating a room or cooking food. As the Sun's heat was tangible, the inspiration for using it as an energy resource was not a great leap of the imagination. In reality, the Sun was used by many of these civilizations not only as an energy resource but also as a god, indicating the importance that they gave it.

Getting energy out of sunlight is still a fairly new development by comparison. The innovation that makes this occur is the photovoltaic (PV) cell. The idea was first tested in the late 19th century however it wasn't produced and sold until the middle to late 20th century.

The idea behind this issunlight gives the atoms in the PV cell enough energy to throw loose a spare electron. Many cells and more sunlight cause more electrons to flow. This is how direct current (DC) electricity works. Direct current can be used to power appliances (that run on DC), stored in a battery or converted to alternating current (AC).

Wind power is another source of renewable energy that is becoming popular. I think this is because it is fairly well understood by most people as a concept. It may also be because plenty of wind turbines are popping up all over the countryside.

A wind turbine, much like the windmills of old, uses the wind to turn blades. The kinetic energy turns a generator that, in turn, creates electricity. Many developed countries that have the available wind power are creating more and more turbines each year. They represent a clean and cheap way to create energy.

Wind turbines or windmills can even be built in residential homes at a reasonable cost. It is quite simple to build a windmill or turbine from scratch or a pre-built variety can be purchased. Before you even think about this however, you need to establish if there is enough wind to make it viable and locate a good spot in your yard for it to go. You may also want to notify your neighbors that you are erecting a turbine as it could be an issue with some people.

Other familiar renewable energy systems exploit the kinetic energy in water to create usable energy, like electricity. This is hydro-power and a dam is an obvious example of this process in action. Geothermal energy can also be used to some extent. The principle behind this is that the molten core of the earth can heat up water which can be used as is or to create electricity.