Alternative Energy
Energy is very important in our life since we use it every day in many ways such as powering our vehicles, warming our homes or lighting the streets and buildings. We also use the energy to make industries like food, electronics and clothing.
Why search for Renewable (alternative) Energy:
Nowadays, people are using fossil fuel energy such as oil, coal and natural gases to power their vehicles, heat or cool their homes and light the streets and buildings. People began to search for alternative energy because they discovered that fossil fuel consumes the natural resources and harms the environment. They also figured that fossil fuel like oil, coal and natural gases are available on earth in limited supplies and we may run out of them someday, so it is good for us to discover an alternative clean and safe power to keep our civilization up when that happens. (http://0-www.school.eb.co.uk.library.hct.ac.ae/all/elementary/article?articleId=442186)
Alternative energy like wind power, solar power and tidal power is also known as renewable power; renewable power is created by natural resources such as wind, sun and tides which are naturally replenished compared to the other types of energy like fossil fuels. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_Power) So in other words, Alternative Energy is energy fuelled in ways that do not use up natural resources or harm the environment. (Oxford Dictionary)
Solar Energy:
The sun produces a high amount of heat and light which also produces an enormous source of energy which can be used to heat or generate electricity. Solar heat is usually captured by a device called a flat-plate collector. “The collector is a large plate of black metal covered with a sheet of glass. It is usually placed on the roof of a building. The plate absorbs sunlight and uses it to heat air or water that flows through pipes behind it. The air or water then goes through the building's heating or plumbing system. It can also be held in a storage tank for later use”. (http://0-www.school.eb.co.uk.library.hct.ac.ae/all/elementary/article?articleId=441724)
We can also use solar energy to generate electricity by using the photovoltaic cells which have been used to harness this energy so they can be used as a power source to generate electricity.
Tidal Energy:
Tidal energy is obtained from the tide shifting from low to high, it is considered as clean energy since it doesn’t consume any natural resources and also it is renewable and inexhaustible because tides always rise and fall due to gravity.
A tidal lagoon is a water containment reservoir that is filled with water when the tide goes up the reservoir and when the tide shifts from high to low level, a difference in pressure will exist and when the natural body of water reaches a very low level due to the low tide, the water within the reservoir will be released using specially made outlets equipped with turbines. The force of the rushing water would spin the turbine and turn a power generator which produces electricity. (http://www.tech-faq.com/tidal-energy.html)
Winds Energy:
Winds also counts as clean and inexhaustible source of energy, it can create energy by rotating wind turbines which drive a generator and create energy.
Large winds turbines can produce up to 1.8 megawatts of power and the amount of power produced is always based on the wind speed, so higher wind speed can produce more power. (http ://0-www.school.eb.co.uk.library.hct.ac.ae/all/comptons/article-9277764)
Problems with alternative energy sources:
All the sources that are mentioned above are considered to be clean and safe sources that don’t harm the natural environment. However, Industries and people have relied on fossil energy for hundreds of year. So changing to alternative energy is expensive and required a lot of changes on the nowadays system. And individuals need some support from the government to provide them with money in order to change their systems to alternative.
Bibliography:
1- Alternative energy. (2010). In Primary Britannica. Retrieved November 7, 2010, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition:http://0-www.school.eb.co.uk.library.hct.ac.ae/all/elementary/article?articleId=442186
3- Solar energy. (2010). In Primary Britannica. Retrieved November 7, 2010, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition:http://0-www.school.eb.co.uk.library.hct.ac.ae/all/elementary/article?articleId=441724
5- wind power. (2010). In Britannica Student Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 30, 2010, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition:http://0-www.school.eb.co.uk.library.hct.ac.ae/all/comptons/article-9277764
