Alternative Eenergy Today

Alternative electricity generation is the wave of the future and will be very important for providing electricity years to come. Specifically the focus has moved from burning fossil fuels to using renewable energy sources. Burning gas, coal, and petroleum currently produces the vast majority of all electricity generation. Some renewable energy sources include hydropower, solar energy, biomass and wind power. There is a lot of research being applied to renewable energy sources.

The three main reasons to using alternative electricity generation come down to supply and demand and effects on the environment. Fossil fuels do not magically regenerate and will one day run out. This finite resource will also become more expensive as the supply dwindles but the demand remains the same. The majority of all alternative electricity generation focuses on using renewable energy that will not run out one day. Finally all renewable electricity sources are ’green’ energy and do not pollute the environment.

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.

Solar power will soon be even more affordable then ever as research at MIT has produced an even more effective solar cell for less money. Researchers have managed to increase effectiveness by 50% and decrease the amount of silicon in the cell. The silicon is what makes cells expensive so in essence you are getting much more for your dollar then ever.

Burning garbage is another form of alternative electricity generation that has been around for over 100 years but not widely used. This type of electricity generation would not only produce energy but also get rid of much of the world’s garbage that is currently polluting the planet. This is a great method that should be investigated further as the actually transformation of garbage to electricity needs to become more effective to make it a more feasible option of electricity production.

Although it may appear that burning garbage is an inexpensive way to generate alternative electricity, it is uncertain how viable this option really is. Given the current state of technology, the hazards of creating toxic fumes or adding to carbon emissions are greater than the potential benefit of reducing the amount of garbage put into city 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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