Alternative Electricity Generation Can Save You Money
Research in alternative electricity generation has taken off as concerns of the cost and damage to the environment have increased. Most energy, particularly electricity are produced from burning coal, petroleum and natural gas. These fossil fuels account for almost 80% of al electricity production. Some areas of interest for alternative electricity production are in wind power, solar energy, biomass and hydropower.
There are three main reasons to start using alternative electricity generation methods. The first being that fossils fuels will one day run out and as supplies dwindle fossil fuel driven electricity will become very expensive. The second reason is that renewable energy is not harmful to the environment. You are not diminishing a natural resource but using something that uses gravity, the sun or wind to produce electricity. The third reason is cost; there will come a time when renewable energy will have almost no associated costs besides the purchasing of equipment.
One brand new field of research on renewable energy is to transform slow moving water currents into energy. This method takes the vibrations in the water and transforms it into energy. By using 0.1% of the power of the ocean’s currents, electricity needs of over 15 billion individuals would be meet. This option will not solve the problem but it is a feasible option. The University of Michigan is undertaking this current research.
Research into solar cells is going much further than before. Solar energy is a great source of alternative electricity generation. Groups at MIT have designed a solar cell that is 50% more efficient then any that are currently available on the market. Most solar cells are expensive due to the usage of silicon but the new cell only uses 1% of refined silicon.
It is quite possible that waste will be turned into an alternative electricity source, as a new waste to energy project will take care of much of the waste disposed. Garbage is a problem to the environment and this is a great renewable options. Municipal trash is burned to produce steam and electricity. This has been know to produce electricity for over 100 years yet it has not been a popular source of electricity. This is a fantastic way to get rid of landfills and produce electricity at the same time.
Burning garbage may seem to be a cheap way for alternative electricity generation, however, the feasability of this option remains to be seen. The danger of creating noxious fumes or further contributing carbon emissions currently outweigh any benefit to the reduction of municipal landfills.
Wind power and solar energy are the most effective alternative electricity generation methods but some cutting edge technology focuses on harnessing the energy from the change of pH between the soil and trees, cyanobacteria, and more. There are many areas of renewable energy yet to be discovered and it is with hope that world embraces renewable energy production over the consumption of fossil fuels.
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