Alternative Energy Resources
The energy that is used today comes from fossil fuels, which is a nonrenewable limited resource that will eventually be used up. Alternative energy sources such as solar, hydroelectric, geothermal and wind energies can be used, to conserve the planets limited natural resources. Alternative energy is the use of another energy without the burning of fossil fuels and break up on atoms. Solar energy can be used to operate cars and provide electricity for homes and businesses. Hydroelectric energy can be used to provide electric power to small towns and cities. Geothermal energy can be used to heat buildings or water and to power turbines to make power. Wind energy can be used to pump water and generate electricity. Solar energy is of the most resourceful sources of alternative energy. It is the most important of the non-conventional sources of energy, because it does not pollute the earth. "One of the reasons for this is that the total energy we receive each year from the sun is around 35,000 times the total energy used by man." (Alternative energy sources) Solar energy can be converted directly or indirectly into alternative forms of energy. People use solar energy for many things, but most of it is used for heating, cooling, transportation and the generation of electricity. When the sun 's rays are transformed into electricity, it is called photovoltaic energy. This is a simple way to get electricity. Photovoltaic panels can be put on the roof of a house to provide electricity or can be used in remote places where there is not electricity from other sources. Solar energy also powers cars without the use of gasoline which is made from the fossil fuel oil. Solar-powered vehicles (SPV 's), such as cars, boats, bicycles, and even airplanes, use solar energy to either power an electric motor directly, and/or use solar energy to charge a battery, which powers the motor. They use an array of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells (or modules made of cells) that convert
Cited: Energy Story. Wind Energy, 15 April 2005 www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter16.html Green Nature. Solar Powered Vehicles 25 April 2005 greennature.com/article101.html The World Bank Group. Geothermal Energy, 19 April 2005 www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/energy/geothermal/ Tran P.. Alternative Energy Sources, 19 April 2005 www.cc.utah.edu/~ptt25660/tran.html Union of Concerned Scientists. How Hydroelectric Energy Works, 25 April 2005 www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy/page.cfm?pageID=82