Alternative Sources of Energy

Does electricity magically come out of nowhere? Does it fall from the sky? Electricity is often referred to as electrical energy, we use electrical energy for everything in our daily life, and no, it most definitely doesn’t fall from the sky. Today, electricity is one of the most needed assets, a life without electricity would be near impossible, everything would shut down, with no internet access, clean water, or medical services. Most of our energy comes from fossil fuels, as of today, around 80% of the energy in the world is supplied by fossil fuels. This essay will bring light to alternative energy, the different types of alternative energy, and their uses around the world.

Alternative sources of energy are energy sources other than fossil fuels, most alternative energy sources are renewable. Renewable energy is energy that can be renewed and is sustainable, it’s unlimited. Non-renewable energy is energy that comes from sources that don’t replenish, there are limited amounts of that source, or the source wouldn’t be able to replenish in our lifetime. Fossil fuels were formed millions of years ago from decomposed organisms, the three types of fossil fuels are coal, oil, and gas. However, fossil fuels are limited and aren’t renewable, this causes a problem for us and our future. Besides being non-renewable, fossil fuels play a major role in global warming. To produce energy, fossil fuels are burned, the burning of fossil fuels releases air pollutants: greenhouse gases, and carbon dioxide. The demand for cleaner and renewable energy sources rises every single year, the temperature rise we experience every year is becoming a threat to the safety of mankind. The use of alternative energy can cut down global warming emissions and provide job opportunities.

Wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal energy are all examples of alternative energy sources. Wind energy is a clean and renewable source of energy. It’s harnessed by constructing wind turbines, an average wind turbine is 70 meters tall, with each blade being 50 meters long. These turbines can cause certain problems for the environment, restrict views, and can be dangerous to some wildlife. Solar energy is an extremely common and affordable alternative energy source that the public can access easily. Using solar panels to harness the sunlight during the day, and storing energy for when the sun is down. Hydroelectric energy is one of the most developed producers of alternative energy, it can be found in most countries around the world. This type of energy is usually developed in dams or barriers. There are three different types of hydroelectric energy plants. The first one is called an impoundment facility, it’s used to control the flow of water, the electricity generated from the dams are used to power a turbine, providing electricity. The second one is called a diversion facility, it doesn’t use a dam, a flowing river is channeled into a generator that powers turbines. The last type is a pumped-storage facility, this facility would collect power from different alternative energy providers, for example, solar, wind, and nuclear power which would be stored for future use. Geothermal energy is energy that comes from the Earth’s subsurface, it’s from the magma that is contained in the Earth. To produce geothermal energy, there will be wells that are dug to access the hot water and steam we have under the Earth. There are three types of geothermal power plants. The first one is dry steam, it takes steam from the ground and it drives a turbine to produce electricity. The second power plant is a flash plant, it uses high-pressure hot water into cool low-pressure water. Binary power plants make hot water pass through another liquid with a lower boiling point, the vapor produced from that will be used to produce power.

Iceland is one of the leading countries in renewable energy, and the use of geothermal energy. In Iceland, clean and renewable energy is produced by hydro and geothermal power plants. 73% of electricity is powered by hydropower plants, 26.8% from geothermal energy, which accounts for over 99% of power in Iceland. In Alaska, the United States, 44% of their energy is produced from natural gases, 27% of electricity is powered by hydroelectric power plants, 15% petroleum liquids, 11% coal, and 3% wind and biomass energy. Indonesia still mainly relies on fossil fuels, however, wind, solar, hydro, tidal, and geothermal currently make up a small percentage of the energy used. Similar to Indonesia, Russia still uses fossil fuels as an energy source. Natural gas provides 53%, coal accounting for 18%, liquid fuels 18%, and only 3.2% of Russia’s energy being renewable (solar, hydro, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy).

All things considered, countries around the world are working towards using clean and renewable energy sources to preserve our Earth. There are multiple alternative energy sources with many power plants around the world supporting them. Wind turbines, solar panels, dams, and geothermal power plants are all renewable sources that produce electricity that we need daily. The importance of electricity grows every year, with new inventions and advancements we make. Mankind needs alternative energy sources for the better of the future.

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