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Alternative Energy Sources – Overview

Human civilization has started realizing how much harm they have already caused to the environment; and when it comes to
take a stand against these environmental problems, the focus shifts to the use of Renewable Energy. Have you ever wondered
what Alternative Energy Sources are? and why are they supposed to help us sustain? Alternative sources of energy are
the ones which do not cause any undesirable consequences to the environment, are renewable and are free!

Alternative energy sources can be implemented for houses, for cars, factories and any other facility you can imagine.
Scientists around the world are researching on developing and discovering new Alternative Energy Sources so that the growing
energy needs of human population can be met more easily, safely and efficiently. Here is a list of Alternative Energy Sources
which will help us maintain the balance of nature without causing it much harm as compared to the conventional energy
sources.

Commonly known alternative energy sources

Hydroelectric Energy

The potential energy stored in the water held in dams by is made to drive a water turbine and generator. Which in turn
produces electric power. This form of energy generation is called hydroelectric power. Out of all the alternative energy
sources, this one has been most commonly adopted in the current time.

Advantages of hydroelectric power generation

– The source of hydroelectric power generation i.e., water is free of cost.

– Dams can provide virtually continuous electricity generation.
– The water used for power generation can be put to use again.
– There is no chemical process involved in the power production process, therefore, the power generated is clean and does not
harm the environment.
harm the environment.

Solar Energy

This is the energy which the earth receives from the Sun. This is one of the most promising alternative energy sources, which
will be available to the mankind for centuries to come. The only challenge remains to tap the solar energy in the most efficient
way. The solar power generation is done by using a series of photovoltaic cells where the solar rays are converted into
electricity. Apart from electricity production solar energy is also being used for heating water, cooking food etc.

Advantages of solar energy

– The source of energy is absolutely ‘free’.

– Solar power which is generated in the day time can be stored to be made available in the night time as well.
– Solar power generators can be used to generate power in rural and remote areas where there is no reach of the conventional
form of energy.
– The generation of solar power is quite and absolutely clean.
– Solar energy is a renewable form of energy will not deplete until thousands of years.

Wind Energy

The power of the wind is harnessed to propel the blades of wind turbine attached to an electric generator to generate wind
energy. Wind energy is an effective alternative source of energy in areas where the velocity of wind flow is high.

Advantages of wind energy

– Wind energy is a clean form of energy.

– The source of power generation i.e., wind is free of cost.
– Wind energy is a renewable source of energy.

Biomass Energy

This is the energy developed from the wastes of various human and animal activities like the by-products and wastes from
timber industry, agricultural yields, municipal solid waste etc. Out of the many alternative sources of energy this is the one
which takes into account the utilization of waste material to develop energy thereby disposing them off in a profitable and
effective way.

Advantages of biomass energy

– It is an environmental friendly way of energy production in which biological mass is recycled and re-used.
– The biomass will keep generating and decomposing as part of the natural biological cycle. Therefore, biomass energy is
considered as a renewable source of energy.

New alternative energy sources

To answer the question of which Alternative Energy Source have been brought to picture newly, you should understand
that as you are reading this, there are developments being carried on to find more and more alternative energy sources. Apart
from the commonly known alternative energy sources there have been recent advancements in terms of discovering new
alternative energy sources to add to the list of alternative energy sources.

Geothermal Energy

This is the energy tapped from the heat inside the earth. Hot rocks residing in the core of earth heat water which emits the
surface of the earth with pressure and as steam. This pressurized steam can be used to run steam turbines to generate
electricity.

Advantages of geothermal energy

– Similar to other alternative energy sources, geothermal energy source is free of cost.
– With a proper power generation system in place, no harmful by-products are produced.

Tidal Power
The surface of earth is 71.11% covered by water bodies especially oceans. The tides in water rise and fall due to the gravity of
sun and moon. Since we know about how the position of moon changes we can predict the rise and fall of tides. This rise and
fall of tides can be utilized by setting up small dams and passing water through the turbines to generate power.

Advantages of tidal energy

– The source of power generation is free and renewable.

– The power generated is clean and does not cause any pollution.

Challenges with using alternative energy sources

As promising as the use of alternative sources of energy may sound, it is still under research as to how to tap energy from
these resources in the most efficient and effective way. Although small power generation systems can be put in place but
power production from these resources on a large scale is still a challenge with hydroelectric power generation being an
exception.

Many countries are not yet ready to move from using conventional energy sources to the alternative energy sources as it
involves a huge amount to decommission the old power generation infrastructure and establish a new infrastructure.
Therefore, the shift is ideal to be made in phases.

Why use alternative energy sources?

Alternative energy sources are available free of cost and do not tax the environment for their usage. Power generation
through alternative sources of energy is clean and ‘green’. If we shift to use power generated from these sources, then carbon
dioxide emission from the conventional energy sources will be greatly reduced, and the problem of global warming will be
solved in a few years. Also the fast depleting traditional energy sources can be preserved. Along with air pollution, the use of
traditional energy resources also cause soil pollution and water pollution by releasing various toxins to the land and water. This
can also be controlled reasonably.

The damage that we have caused to earth after the industrial revolution is huge and we will have to take action immediately if
we want to keep the planet sustainable for our future generations. The biggest leap that mankind can take to prevent further
damage is to start using alternative energy sources.

Comments

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 REPLY 

SEO Training
“Alternative energy sources are available free of cost”. I guess you mean you won’t have to pay for electricity bills,
nevertheless, they are not free of cost due to one time payment, maintenance, etc..

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 REPLY 

Adel Sal
They are free of cost means, they are renewable as the governments won’t have to pay for resources such as oil, coal.

JANUARY 18, 2017 REPLY 

John
Nothing is “free of cost” as there is always a cost for something that is produced. It may be free to the consumer, or free to
those who are allowed to use it, but it is not “free of cost” as you still need to pay for construction and maintenance, as SEO
Training said. Something can be free to somebody as the consumers, but not to the government. Not having to pay for
Training said. Something can be free to somebody as the consumers, but not to the government. Not having to pay for
resources does not make it free, it simply reduces the price of producing energy.

NOVEMBER 4, 2017 REPLY 

joshy
NOTHING IN THE WORLD IS FREE YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO GET IT LIKE GETTING THIS COMMENT OUT I HAVE TO
TYPE IT UP WHICH IS USING THE ENERGY I ATE EARLIER

MAY 4, 2018
Dave
haha

JANUARY 25, 2018 REPLY 

PRABIN
Free Cost means Government Will get free but Cost you pay for Electricity bill is For The Facility you used. In home you get
Electricity Without any problem. YOU Only Pay Money which you used as Facility Like Wire, Electrical Pole etc.

JANUARY 30, 2018 REPLY 

zlison
agree

MAY 12, 2018 REPLY 

Lilly marie
We are using these energy but still the environment is polluting

MAY 14, 2018 REPLY 

Adel Sal
In fact, these energies are not to blame for polluting the environment. They, at least, helped in reducing the pollution. It
could’ve been worse.
People should be ware of how serious it is to ignore the effects of the sources of pollution.

MARCH 17, 2016 REPLY 

Alex ramesy
WHY IS THE alternative energy sources SO IMPORTANT ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS GO GREEN

APRIL 12, 2017 REPLY 

Amit Pandeye
I totally agree with you Alex, People are thinking only to produce various way of producing energy, in order to do that we
destroying valuable things for life that are trees. we must stop cutting trees and start planting trees.

JULY 6, 2017 REPLY 

Gordan Ramesy
calm down son

MARCH 7, 2018 REPLY 

Alex ramsey
sorry dad

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 REPLY 

Jack
By using alternative energy sources you are “going green” by not polluting the Earth using fossil fuels or other finite energy
sources

JANUARY 30, 2018 REPLY 

Tirah
I agree with Alex

AUGUST 31, 2016 REPLY 

Steve
An Alternative energy as demonstrated here http://www.youtube.com/1energy4u and claimed in US patent
http://www.google.com/patents/US7531930

Energy from magnets is only one very small benefit to this discovery of Wardforce! More information can be found here
http://www.wardforce.com

OCTOBER 29, 2016 REPLY 

Gerard Campeau
We would like to add a paragraph about Thermoelectric power as it is an up and coming form of Green Base load Conservation
Energy.

DECEMBER 8, 2016 REPLY 

Louis Vigier
THANKS FOR HELPING ME IN MY TEST MEANS ALOT!!!

MARCH 7, 2017 REPLY 

logan
this really helped me on a project, thanks a lot for this.
this really helped me on a project, thanks a lot for this.

JULY 14, 2017 REPLY 

trnava
Thank you, I’ve recently been searching for information about this topic for ages and
yours is the best I have found out till now. However, what about the bottom line?
Are you sure concerning the supply?

JULY 29, 2017 REPLY 

John D.
It is very important to educate people about the clean energy sources that we know today, let’s not forget that renewable
energy will finally become the only energy source used on planet Earth, and this could happen in less than three decades from
now.
I read on https://www.alternative-energies.net/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-alternative-sources-of-energy/ what are
the advantages, but also the disadvantages of alternative sources of energy known today.

OCTOBER 12, 2017 REPLY 

Brooke Byrum
God I love energy

JANUARY 30, 2018 REPLY 

Avery
I agree with Alex

APRIL 19, 2018 REPLY 

Samara Randolph
i love this paragraph

MAY 4, 2018 REPLY 

Dave
This was useful thx!

MAY 12, 2018 REPLY 

MOHAMMED AL MASWARY
All of the mentioned sources are the main concern of sustainability development with regards to energy consumption which
have considerable negative impacts on global warming and other environmental indices.
The main challenge which is considered at the same time as an opportunity is how to optimize these energy sources production
to be more efficient and effective.
MAY 15, 2018 REPLY 
Dan
I see in the list above that biomass is considered today an alternative energy source (alternative to fossil fuels) that can be
used to produce electricity at the same way like using coal.
The problem is that the wood is obtained from the forest https://www.alternative-energies.net/coniferous-forest-biome/
and we need the forest to consume the carbon emissions produced by cars and the energy sector.

MAY 19, 2018 REPLY 

anuj mishra
very helpful answer in simplest language

MAY 27, 2018 REPLY 

Dr Stanley
Good and very educative article

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