Alternative Electricity Sources For Now And The Future
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by: DenzilDeVries | Total views: 115 | Word Count: 473
Educating the public about alternative electricity sources is one of the first steps to getting renewable energy installed throughout the country. Most energy is produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas, over 75%. Nuclear power produces about 20% of electricity and the rest is from renewable energy sources. It is possible to produce electricity from biomass, geothermal power, wind power and solar energy and this type of electrical production is much kinder to the environment.
Electricity can be generated by many different methods with the most common method using a magnet moving around a conductor. You can touch two different conductors together, put two different conductors in salt water, and shine a light on two different conductors. Almost all types of electricity involve spinning a copper wire between magnets. In order to start getting the copper wire spinning with electricity energy needs to be added and this comes typically form burning fossil fuels like coal, gas and petroleum.
The most effective alternative energy source would be electricity produced from wind power. Currently wind power only produces a small amount of the world's electricity. It is the cleanest and most environmentally friendly form of electrical generation and the wind blows enough that the entire United States could run on wind power alone if the collection system was in place.
Solar energy is an effective electricity source that is slowly gaining popularity. Solar cells have advanced so much that solar panels are become extremely affordable. In fact modern solar energy technology is capable of pumping electricity back into the electricity company. The major downside to solar energy electricity production is that very large-scale productions do not work well.
Converting your home to solar energy is a great option as most homeowners discover that after the initial costs are paid for they may never need to make electricity payments again. The initial installation costs can be rather high, but there are numerous tax and other incentives available to lessen the sticker shock.
Hydropower generates electricity from falling water, so most times when you see a dam you will also notice an electricity generator or station nearby. The falling water, pulled by gravity, turns turbines which then create electricity. The best example of this may be from Niagara Falls when a mouse caused a large black out by chewing through a wire. It is also possible to purchase small hydro electric generators if you have any running water on your property.
A substitute to running generators on petroleum of other fossil fuels is to use biodiesel. Biodiesel is a fuel that is made from animal fats and vegetable oil. Biodiesel has been around for over 100 years, since 1895, but it has not been a popular form of fuel. Currently many tankers and trucks run on biodiesel though any vehicle can be converted to running on biodiesel.
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