What's New with Renewable Energy?
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by: AlexisJameson | Total views: 117 | Word Count: 578
With dwindling supplies of fossil fuels and a rapidly rising population, humanity is starting to turn to renewable energy sources. Such sources of energy come from the natural functions of the earth, are cleaner for the environment, and, of course, we don't need to worry about the running out. Renewable energy is derived from forces created by water, sunlight, wind and geothermal energy, which utilises the natural heat of the planet Earth.
These days, by far the most common form of energy, which people around the world used to supply heat and light, is simply the burning of wood. However, hydroelectricity is one of the biggest suppliers in the world of electricity accounting for almost 20 per cent of the world's electricity.
Wind power is one form of energy becoming increasingly popular, especially in Europe. This has however, become a controversial form of energy supply. This is because the turbines used to generate the power do not produce enough power unless there are going to be a very large number of them. These "wind farms" take an enormous amount of space and can severely degraded local environment due to sight and sound pollution amongst other things.
Another form of renewable energy that is the most popular one in the world today, is hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity is power entirely generated by the forces of water in the forms of waves, tides, water wheels and water mills. Although large hydroelectricity plants generally rely on dams, which are very expensive to build, they also produce a great deal of electricity, currently supplying almost 20 per cent of the world's electricity.
Becoming very popular domestically, solar power also provides a practical renewable energy source which offers a number of advantages to the end user. In some countries, especially Australia, it is becoming very popular for people to install solar panels in their homes. Not only do they get a free electrical supply, but the government also pays them for any excess power that their solar panels produce which is then sent back into the main grid. Not only does it work out well for the environment, but it also works out well for people's money supply.
Another form of renewable energy which is becoming quite popular these days is biofuel. Biofuel comes from organic matter that is died fairly recently unlike fossil fuels which come from organic matter the deceased millions of years ago. These days a number of car manufacturers are building cars which have a dual fuel system, allowing for the ability to use biofuel.
Finally, the others common form of renewable energy is that of geothermal heat, which works by directly tapping into the heat sources which are naturally found under the crust of the planet. Although this is a particularly expensive form, it is very effective, generates a lot of power and of course we do not need to worry about geothermal heat running out.
The industry for renewable energy is rapidly growing these days, as the concern is ever increasing for replacing old fossil fuels which are going to run and very soon and of course they're not environmentally friendly. Many organisations around the world today are starting to capitalise on environmentally friendly solutions, solar power by has been one of the most popular, as a large number of people wanting to install it in their homes.
Unfortunately, we only have one planet, and we cannot afford to destroy it, likewise, we cannot afford to continue to rely on fossil fuels, the supplies which are dwindling.
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