Alternative Energy Sources Essay Example for Free

Alternative Energy Sources EssayWhat does a car, heater, and stove need in common? They argon all powered by evoke roots. The most popular being fossil open fires. Fossil fuels atomic number 18 dead plant and animal matter that has been compressed and heated over millions of years. They ar burned to create heat, which in turn creates zip. However, with heavy industrialization (agricultural and manufacturing), transportation, and personal energy custom, our macrocosms fossil fuel supplies are rapidly depleting. Even more, fossil fuels pollute our environment. Scientists are on the search for alternative energy sources so the world arouse be weaned of its fossil fuel supply. Out of the many alternative fuel sources, I will be focusing on solar and draw power. solar power is simply the conversion of energy from the sunshine into usable energy. Solar energy evict be harvested in two moods indirectly by using the heat of the sun and directly by utilizing its energy to turn it into electric carity. What makes solar power so popular is the fact that it can be used anywhere that has sun clean-living. Solar power can be collected in 3 different ways solar heat collectors, solar thermal concentrating systems, and photovoltaics. Solar heat collectors are collectors that are designed to absorb the heat from the sun.The most common ones are flat plate collectors that gravel a dark absorber plate that is covered with a transparent plate (usually glass). In between the two plates are pipes that are filled with heat-transferring liquid like anti allowze. When sunlight strikes the absorber plate in the collector, the heat is absorbed into the liquid, which is therefore passed through pipes to the water heater. When the liquid is finished being used, it flows back up to the plate where it is heated again and repeats the process. Solar thermal concentrating systems use mirrors and lenses to concentrate the energy of the sun into a small area to wee energ y.The energy heats up molten salt in pipes that run along the concentrating system which is the power source of a generation system. The concentration system can make the liquid in the pipes heat up to 3000 degrees Celsius in some cases, which makes this method preferable for industrial use or electricity. Finally, the use of photovoltaics directly converts light from the sun into electricity at the atomic power. The system consists of a solar cell, which is made of semi-conductive materials like silicon.The solar cells are made to create an electric field. When the light from the sun hits the cell, the lectrons are separated from the atoms and form an electric current, which produces electricity. There are many benefits for using solar power as an alternative fuel source.1) Solar power is constantly renewable. The energy from the sun will virtually never run out. 2) The sun is alike available world wide so it is a power that everyone can use. 3) Solar energy is excessively very l ow maintenance after installation of the systems there is barely any other pee involved with it. In addition, 4) it is a silent producer of energy, even with the photovoltaic cells. However there are a few cons that go along with solar energy. ) Even though the sun is a free source of energy, the cost of solar cells can be quite costly with most cells starting a $1000 for one.6) Solar energy can only be produced when the sun is out so that heart and soul about half of the day solar panels arent generating electricity. Lastly, 7) weather can affect the efficiency of the solar panels. twist well-nigh power is the conversion of wind energy into a useable form of energy. Wind power is used widely around the world since there is wind everywhere, however you are most plausibly to find wind power being used in higher elevations (such as hills) since that is where the wind is the strongest.Wind power is harvested with wind turbines. The process is pretty simple the wind spins the turbin es, which activates a generator, which converts the energy into electricity. Like solar power energy, 1) wind power is sustainable and renewable since wind will always be around to move the turbine. 2) Wind power is also free. 3) The land that the wind turbines are on can be shared for other uses such as farming. 4) Since wind power is available worldwide, the US can use the turbines as its own fuel source and free its dependence from foreign oil.On the negative side, 5) wind turbines can take up a lot of space. ) Even though it is a clean source, the turbines can be very noisy which may be bothersome to nearby communities. Lastly, 7) the cost of wind turbines and the generators are far more expensive than fossil fuels, which makes it a poor competitor cost-wise. With the depletion of fossil fuels, alternative fuel sources are the obvious choice for the present and future. Two of these sources, solar and wind power, are both revolutionizing the way we produce electricity, while bene fiting the environment. Even though they both have a few cons, the fact that we have energy sources that are both sustainable and renewable is far superior to the latter.