Sven Van Zanten - Alternative Renewable Energy Resources

1. Sven Van Zanten - Alternative Renewable Energy Resources The amount of solar energy that falls on the world is truly astounding. Every day the sun shines and provides enough energy to supply for the entire globe for 27 years. Solar energy is just one of the renewable energy sources up for grabs. Wind energy and geo thermal energy are other alternative renewable energy sources available as well. This article will provide information about alternative renewable energy resources to give you an insight into the choices you have. One reason it is important to look at the options and consider renewable energy is that supplies of fossil fuels will eventually run out or get too expensive to use. Solar power is an excellent source of renewable energy. It converts sunshine to energy in the form of heat or electricity. Solar power directly converts radiation to electricity in the form of a solar PV system; other forms of solar power include solar hot water systems, solar water purification systems, and even solar heating systems. As the technology improves it becomes more affordable and becomes a real option for people wishing to save money, reduce carbon emissions and use a clean green source of power. At the current time only about 200,000 homes use solar power to generate electricity, but this number is increasing. Wind energy, another of the alternative renewable energy resources which is also currently being utilized by people who want to cut down on their energy cost and reliance on fossil fuels. Wind power has been around for a long time, For a while in the U.S. history you couldn't find a farm that didn't have a windmill powering a water pump, and wind power first generated electricity in 1890. In the present day, there is again a growing market for wind energy.

2. Despite what many people may think, wind does not have to constantly blow heavily to power homes with wind energy. Like solar energy, wind power is clean, green and you can produce it in your own back yard. If you have an intermittent source of wind you may need other sources as well, but it is certainly a contender for reducing dependence on fossil fuel. Out of all the renewable energy resources available, wind power has the greatest scope to grow. People that live in remote locations and have enough land will find wind power a viable option. Wind power is both reliable and consistent; the equipment costs are relatively low as well. These systems work when wind power is available, even on overcast or rainy days when solar power cannot produce usable power. A properly sized battery system with wind powered generation can provide consistent power at remote locations where commercial power is not available. You may still want to take advantage of small scale wind power even if you don't live in a remote location. Home sized turbines can generate up to 20 kilowatts of energy and this is usually enough energy to power most US households, but one at the top of this size range can be pretty expensive. Aside from solar energy and wind power, there are other alternative renewable energy resources, however these other systems are not generally as successful and are only suitable in certain locations. Hydroelectricity uses dams with high pressure water flow to produce energy. At the moment less than 10 per cent of the energy produced is in the form of hydro electricity. There are few large scale hydroelectricity dams scattered throughout the country, but most of them are out west, and you can bet the environmentalists wouldn't let a new one be built now, due to the amount of land that gets covered by a reservoir. However, people who are interested in using water to power electricity may be able to take advantage of hydropower by placing hydropower generators in small back yard rivers and streams.