Monday, May 18, 2009

Alternative energy and its benefits

Alternative energy is the energy obtained from the alternative energy sources like the sun, wind, tides, water, decomposed wasted of plants and animals and from the interior of the earth. Alternative energy is available in many forms and these forms are called the alternative energy store. The energy from the alternative energy store can be put to a number of uses.

In the form of solar energy, the alternative energy can be used for purposes like generating electricity, cooking food, heating water and keeping buildings warm. The alternative energy store in the form of wind energy can be used mainly for the generation of electricity. Biomass provides alternative energy that can be used to make bio fuels and to generate electricity. Geothermal energy as an alternative energy resource is used to keep buildings warm or cool and to generate electricity.

The question as to why alternative energy sources are put to so many uses can be answered by the fact that these sources of energy have several advantages. These sources of energy are green renewable energy sources that do not affect the environment adversely. They do not emit any harmful gases or particles into the atmosphere that may cause global warming or may be hazardous for the health.

Renewable alternative energy sources can be used again and again without the fear of them getting finished as they are replenished continuously. When used in an efficient and an effective manner, the alternative energy resources can meet the increasing energy demands of the world optimally.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Alternative energy companies

The use of alternative energy sources is rapidly increasing across the world. This has made the alternative energy companies grow at a rapid pace across the globe. Also there is a significant increase in the number of alternative energy companies that supply alternative energy to consumers.

A large number of alternative energy companies are operating today with the best infrastructure available. These companies employ highly professional and trained experts who work for developing new alternative energy sources and also for improving the techniques used for harnessing these sources.

Currently the energy requirements of the world are met by the use of fossil fuels. But there is a problem in the use of fossil fuels. The first is that fossil fuels are non- renewable sources of energy. Another problem is that the reserves of fossil fuels are depleting day by day. The fossil fuels as a source of energy will soon get exhausted. The use of fossil fuels emits harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. This has increased global warming and has also brought about climate changes all over the planet. The use of fossil fuels is threatening mankind. Therefore, the need of alternative energy resources arises.

These sources are being provided by alternative energy companies. The alternative energy companies use sunlight, winds, tide and other organic materials to generate alternative energy that can be put to many uses. Since all the sources used are renewable, it is believed that alternative energy companies will continue providing energy for a long time and also meet the energy demands effectively in the future.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Alternative energy homes

Modern homes need energy in various forms for a number of purposes. Heat and light energy are necessary for modern homes. Heat energy fulfills needs like cooking food, heating water and can be used for many other purposes. Light energy in the form of electricity is required by all households for a comfortable living. The use of heat and light energy has become expensive because of the use of the traditional forms of energy. Alternative energy sources are required by households to provide heat and light at lower costs.

Alternative energy resources are used in alternative energy homes. These homes make use of innovative and advanced technology to provide heat and light almost free of cost. The conversion of the energy obtained from alternative energy sources takes place to provide heat and electric energy. The use of solar energy, biomass energy and wind energy is being made to meet the energy needs of such homes.

Various alternative energy resources can be used to power the alternative energy homes. Solar energy has been successfully used to provide heat and generate electricity for alternative energy homes. Alternative energy stores for solar energy can be created for using this energy for the purpose of heating. The use of photovoltaic cells provides electricity. Windmill like devices have been used in such homes to convert the wind energy into electricity. This electricity can be used for many purposes or can be stored for future use.

The use of alternative energy sources in these homes will help save a lot of money and also the conventional sources of energy which can then be put to other uses.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Alternative energy companies

Alternative energy is the energy obtained from the alternative sources of energy like solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy etc. Alternative energy is a clean and non- polluting source of energy that can be put to a number of uses.

The production of alternative energy has increased in the past decade. For this reason alternative energy companies are also growing at a rapid rate.

Fossil fuels that meet most of the energy needs today are non- renewable sources of energy and their reserves are declining. Therefore an alternative source of energy is required to meet the increasing needs of energy of the world. The alternative energy sources are renewable and they will not dry up but will be available for ever.

Alternative energy does not cause pollution. On the other hand, the burning of fossil fuels emits gases like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide etc. in the air.

The energy produced by alternative energy companies reduces global warming and also does not produce acid rain.

Alternative energy companies are trying to develop fuels that are less polluting and do not harm the environment in any way. Alternative energy companies are also flourishing because of the development in science and technology. New technologies offer better ways for research on alternative energy.

Alternative energy companies require a lot of investment for set up. However, once they start operating, their benefits overshadow their costs. Alternative energy companies produce enough energy that can meet the ever increasing energy demands of the world.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Sources of alternative energy

Sources of alternative energy are the ones that can be used as an alternative to the energy sources or fuels used now- a-days. Sources of alternative energy are many and so are their uses. Alternative sources of energy are used because they are easily and freely available.

Wood was earlier considered to be an alternative source of energy because it was abundantly available and it was thought that the forest cover on this earth will never cease to exist. However, with the increase in deforestation, wood is not used an alternative source of energy any longer though it is used in place of oil many a times.

Hydro electric energy is the alternative energy generated from running water in the form of electricity. However, like wood hydro electric power cannot be said to be a true source of alternative energy. The reason is that all the reservoirs in which water is stored to generate electricity eventually get filled with sediment. Because of this a dam site can generally be used only once.

The fuel cells are another source of alternative energy that is being developed. It is used for producing electricity without causing any pollution. Fuel cells release water as the only waste product. The use of fuel cells is made in vehicles and electricity generation plants. Fuel cells are a promising source of alternative energy provided they are used wisely.

Alternative sources of energy are a viable option as energy sources that can efficiently and cost effectively meet the energy requirements of the present day and will continue to do so in the future.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Why use alternative energy

Alternative energy sources are the sources that have been developed to meet the increasing energy demands. Alternative energy resources are not based on the combustion of fossil fuels. The various alternative sources available are:

• Wood or biomass
• Hydro- electric power
• Solar energy
• Wind energy
• Wave energy
• Tidal energy
• Ocean thermal energy
• Geothermal energy
• Bio diesel power

Today, most of the energy comes from oil such as kerosene, gasoline and diesel fuel. They are commonly used fuels and have several benefits. They are available in abundance. These fuels are easy to transport and have a high energy density. Fuels are versatile as they can be produced from several different products. They are also important for the petroleum industry.

The question that arises is why to use alternative energy store when these fuels are available?

The simplest answer to this question is that the oil reserves of the world are not going to last forever. A time will come when the oil available in the world will finish or it will become too expensive to drill for oil. Alternative energy is a solution to this problem as it is renewable. This means that alternative energy will always be available and will never run out.

Another reason for the use of alternative energy is that it does not cause pollution and does not affect the environment adversely. On the other hand, fuels cause a lot of pollution.

With the increasing costs of fuels worldwide, alternative sources of energy offer the best possible solutions to meet the energy demands in future.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Alternative energy –A replacement for Oil

The energy requirements of the modern world are fulfilled by the use of oil. Oil is said to be running the modern world. Oil is used in the form of gasoline, kerosene and diesel for a variety of purposes. The reason is that oil is available in the world in abundance and can be easily obtained.

Oil is used for transportation. It is also used in the manufacturing process of plastics, medicines, paints and many other materials. Oil also forms the base of petrochemical industry.

Oil has several characteristics that make it so popular for use. It is easy to transport, readily available, safe and versatile. However, oil is a finite resource. This means that there will come a time when no oil reserves will be left in the world. The cost of obtaining oil will exceed the benefits that it presently provides to the mankind. This will lead to an energy crisis which will be met by the use of alternative energy.

Alternative energy refers to those energy sources that will always be available for use on the earth. Alternative energy refers to all those sources of energy that will be used in place of oil to meet the energy needs of the future. The use of alternative energy will result in sustainable growth. However, the switch over from oil to alternative energy will require a lot of time and investment.

Alternative energy is the only way to meet the increasing energy demands and so methods must be developed to reduce the costs of moving from oil to alternative sources of energy.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Benefits of wind energy

The air in motion is called wind. It therefore possesses energy in the form of kinetic energy. The energy obtained from wind is called wind energy. This source of energy has been in use for thousands of years and can be used for various purposes.

The benefits of wind energy are lots. Wind energy is a renewable source of energy. Energy from wind will never run out and will always be available. It does not produce greenhouse gases or other toxic elements. Areas where electricity cannot be supplied by electricity grids, wind energy is the best way to generate electricity. Wind energy is freely available. Low maintenance is required for wind energy. Because of the growth in the use of wind energy in different sectors like manufacturing and construction, several employment opportunities are being generated. It is a sustainable energy source.

Wind energy is used by wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind turbines have a few social and environmental disadvantages. It gives negative visual impact. Because wind turbines are installed at heights, their rotating blades may injure birds. They cause noise pollution. Wind turbines when installed in wind plants require a lot of land, thereby reducing the land available for other uses. They may cause interference in television signals. Wind turbines are expensive.

Most of these problems have been taken care of by using new and improved technologies to generate electricity from wind energy. Wind energy is a highly valued renewable source of energy available today.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Solar ponds

The sun is the best source of renewable energy available. Solar energy is by far the most abundantly available energy source for this planet.

One way to trap solar energy is by using solar ponds. Solar ponds are large scale solar collectors that have an integral heat storage capability to provide thermal energy. In ordinary ponds, the sun’s rays heat water and this heated water rises upwards and loses its heat to the atmosphere. This results in the pond water remaining at atmospheric temperature. A solar pond dissolves salt in the bottom layer of the pond making the water too heavy to rise.

The solar pond has three zones. The topmost zone is the surface zone or the Upper Convective zone which has little salt content and is at atmospheric temperature. The middle zone is called the Non Convective zone where the salt content increases as the depth increases. Considering a particular layer in this zone, it can be observed that water cannot rise because the layer above this particular layer will have lesser salt content and will be lighter. Also water cannot fall from this layer because the layer below it has more salt content and is heavier. This zone therefore acts as an insulator that permits sunlight to reach the storage zone and also keeps it trapped there in the form of solar energy. The bottom most zone is the most salty one and is called storage zone or Lower Convective zone that collects and stores solar energy in the form of heat.

Solar ponds can be constructed anywhere economically.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Geothermal power

By considering the ever increasing energy crisis, it has become utmost important to find out other efficient alternatives to compensate the energy needs. So, several renewable sources of energy like solar energy, geothermal energy and wind power are being used for generating electricity for household as well as commercial purposes.

The generation of electricity from geothermal energy has proved a highly efficient and powerful method, yet site selection for geothermal power plant is a crucial factor. Only few locations are present in whole world which retain the capability to produce viable and proficient stratum of electricity from geothermal sources of energy. Therefore, in the year 2007, merely 1% of electricity supply comes from geothermal power for whole world.

Now-a-days, geothermal power showcases enough energetic potential to whole world. It presents a fairly unexploited energy sector that can render skeptical amount of energy if used properly. As it comes directly from the crust of earth, so it is all natural without engraving even a little amount of harmful chemicals like lead and arsenic in it. Frequently, it is being used in small scale industries, however it is almost impossible to use it on large scale because it requires high maintenance. However, the amazing benefits of this geothermal power can not be ignored at all

Therefore, some crucial efforts are being done by governments of several countries to make people aware about the benefits of geothermal power and thus becoming less dependent on other resources like oil and fossil fuel.