New alternative energy source for homes

Understanding Alternative Energy

There are a lot of energy resources which are going largely untapped. If we could develop the necessary technologies to take advantage of these resources, we could begin to move away from fossil fuels and indeed, the existing electrical grid by using these alternative sources of energy.

One of these alternatives is wind power. The development of wind turbines continues to progress, with each new generation being more cost efficient; "wind farms" have begun to be used in many countries and these have been placed better than in the past, when they were often a threat to migratory birds.

One of the better known alternative energy sources is solar energy. Solar energy involves using solar cells which can store the energy received from the sun and transform this into electricity (or sometimes, the heat is used to heat water for homes). Solar energy, like wind power, creates no pollution.

Many governments and private investors are looking too ocean waves as being a potentially great source of energy. There is one generator which has been in use in France for sometime now with great success. In Ireland and the U.K., there are experimental generators in use as well.

Hydroelectric power has been around for some time. This is a clean and efficient way to generate electricity; bu8t does have the limitation that not every place has a large dam for the purpose of hydroelectric power generation. Small regional hydroelectric stations have been built - and you can expect this alternative energy source to be part of the overall energy production strategy for the foreseeable future.

Geothermal energy is a promising alternative energy source; it is abundant, being right under the Earth's surface. This energy is produces by water being converted to steam by the heat of the Earth's molten core. This steam can drive electricity generating turbines. There needs to be more research done into how to best utilize this potentially great source of energy.

Waste gas energies, namely methane are an alternative energy source which changes the usual energy-pollution paradigm by actually creating energy from a waste gas. This gas can be harnessed by fuel cells and even in gasoline generators.

Ethanol is a gasoline substitute sourced from plants; these sources include (most notably) corn, but can be produced from any cellulose-containing plant materials; even wood chips! There is still doubt that the extraction process can become efficient enough to really be a serious alternative to gasoline other than on a regional level, but the production process is becoming ever more efficient.

Biodiesel is a much cleaner burning alternative to petroleum based fuels and is created from plant oils such as rapeseed, soybean and sunflower oils. This is not yet produced on a large scale, but some corporations with the facilities to do so are taking notice of this relatively new technology.

Atomic energy is created through nuclear fission. This is an efficient and cost effective means of energy production; but there is some concern about the waste product, which is toxic and radio active and takes hundreds of years to become inert.

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