What are alternative energy sources?
Alternative energy refers to energy sources other than fossil fuels (such as coal, petroleum, and diesel) and includes all renewable and nuclear energy sources.
Although nuclear energy is not as bad for the environment as fossil fuels, it still isn’t classified as a renewable energy source because nuclear material cannot be replenished within a human’s lifetime. Nuclear energy is produced by using elements like uranium and thorium, which cannot be replenished and have a finite amount in existence.
Webmaster: Krittin Thitivoradakul M52 No.17
References: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/clean-energy-101/types-of-alternative-energy&ved=2ahUKEwjl2szgsaOIAxV4wjgGHVnPAfAQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0Nl05snxPZcrtKDqa8Oar8
What is an advantage to alternative energy technology?
The major advantage of alternative energy technology is that it won’t run out. Our days using fossil fuels are numbered, and so any and all alternative energy sources are beneficial over traditional sources. Another huge advantage is that many of them do not require the same damaging and expensive extraction techniques, as much of it is available to us here on the surface.
If you have been thinking of lowering your reliance on fossil fuels, and are wondering how to get started, you can look into changing energy plans.
Why are alternative fuels called green energy?
Alternative fuels are often described as “green” or renewable energy, but this isn’t always the case. Alternative energy is a broader category that encompasses all non-fossil-fuel-based energy sources and processes, of which renewable energies are only a part.
What are the pros and cons of alternative energy?
This can depend on the specific source of energy, of which there are many, for example:
- Biomass comes from the burning of organic matter, which is an efficient use of waste. However, this process requires large landfill spaces and may result in pollution due to the burning of this matter.
- The pros of wind energy are that it is sustainable, wind turbines are relatively harmless to surrounding wildlife and are inexpensive to build and maintain.
- Solar power has similar pros and cons to wind energy: the sun will always shine just in varying amounts on each day. The pros of solar power are that there’s an unlimited supply of sunlight. However, it relies entirely on sunlight, so panels only produce energy when the sun is shining. This renders solar panels fairly useless on overcast days, during the night, or if a building has a west-facing roof.
Each individual source of energy has its own set of pros and cons, as well as variables that should be taken into account, such as location, climate, financial benefits and, most importantly, the overall reduction of damage done to the environment.
What are examples of alternative energy?
Besides the seven energy sources listed above, other alternative energy sources include geothermal power, wave energy, hydroelectric energy, solar thermal energy and even space solar energy.
Geothermal energy is that generated in the earth and harnessed, while wave and hydroelectric energy harness the power of water. Of course, solar thermal energy and space solar energy are other ways of harnessing solar energy.
