Energy Topics

Energy Resources

Non-Renewable Energy: Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas, are a non-renewable source of energy. Created from plants and animals that lived many years ago, fossil fuels can be found deep beneath our earth. These kinds of fuel generate energy thru being burned, which then releases the chemical energy that is stored within.

The most common fossil fuels - coal (electricity), oil and natural gas - today supply more than 85% of all the energy used in the United States, almost 2/3 of our electricity, and nearly all of our transportation. Even with aggressive development of newer more renewable and nuclear technologies this dependency on fossil fuels is predicted to increase over the next two decades.

Renewable Energy: Clean Types Of Energy

Numerous communities realize that the poisoning of our precious air which is being produced by electricity generation plants, factories, transportation vehicles, and other activities which people carry out as a part of their normal routine do contribute to global warming; they also realize that global warming can potentially cause problems which affect life on our planet.

Solutions to these problems are difficult. Most everyone does agree that "cleaner" and more re-usable types of energy would probably solve these problem, but converting modern society to different types of energy will not be quick and easy.

There are enough responsible people in our societies which all agree that spending additional time and money to stop the harmful effects of pollution generating forms of energy. There are already many alternate types of energy being used today. These include both wind power and solar power types. Another easy, but often overlooked, option is simply conservation.

Benefits Of Cleaner Types Of Energy

One type of alternate energy to reduce pollution is Wind powered generators. The power is created by the wind and has no harmful byproducts. The only result is the electricity it generates. The electricity is very earth friendly and will help to greatly reduce the homeowner's monthly electric bills. There is also no risk of using up all of the wind, as it is a natural resource.

Solar power is another alternate type of power. It is a resource which is available just about anywhere in the world. Even on a cloudy day, ultra violet rays are able to penetrate the clouds and touch the Earth. You need to realize though that not all solar panels can convert ultra violet rays to electricity. Just be aware of this when shopping as the newer panels are able to do just that.

There have been some who claim wind power causes noise pollution. This might be the case for large industrial turbines. Smaller residential models, however, cause very little noise. Safety has been an issue for some people, however, according to research, a tree is more likely to fall in your yard than a properly installed wind powered generator's pole.

Although solar power energy is available in most areas for much of the year, this type of power works best when supplemented by other sources, unless the person lives in an area with virtually no clouds or has ultra violet absorbent solar cells. Wind power or power from a utility company are good sources to supplement solar power generation.

Ultimately, every individual is responsible for the "carbon footprint" they leave on our planet earth. If all of us use different types of energy and do our best to conserve the resources currently available, all of us together can greatly reduce the harm being done to our planet. Eventually scientific advances will mature to a point where we can correct some of the problems we and our ancestors have created with our valuable energy resources.

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