Alternative Energy Sources

Table of Contents :

As the most common and popular forms of energy are being used up quickly, the search to find new sources of energy is underway. These sources of energy must be renewable and not cause the pollution that fossil fuels do .

Solar energy

The sun can provide us with all the energy we need, for free ! The main problem is to collect and store this energy in an economical way.

Today, we can capture energy from the sun with plates or cells. Collectors put on roofs of houses and other buildings turn solar energy into heat. With this energy we can heat up water or the air inside.

Solar cells convert the sun’s light directly into electricity. They are used in small objects like watches and pocket calculators .

In deserts and other subtropical areas sunlight is captured by big mirrors that turn it into heat. Water, which is 30 times hotter than boiling point, then creates steam which, in turn, produces electricity.

Geothermal energy

Geothermal power can be produced in places where water comes into contact with hot rock below the earth’s surface. The water that reaches these hot areas turns into steam, which then produces electricity. In places where no natural underground water supplies exist, engineers pump it into the hot rock layers.

Geothermal heat is an important source of energy in countries that lie in volcanic areas, like Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, California or the Philippines. Geysers are eruptions of hot water that come to the surface. Such naturally heated water is used to heat homes and greenhouses.

Wind energy

Windmills have been used for centuries to grind grain and pump water out of areas that have been flooded, like the Netherlands or the northern parts of Germany.

Today, large wind generators turn the power of wind into electricity. Such devices, however, can only be used in places with strong and constant winds. At the moment, though, costs are too high to produce wind energy on a big scale.

Tidal energy

Tidal energy comes from the movement of ocean waves. One way to use the power of waves is to seal off a bay with a dam. When water moves into and out of the bay it turns a turbine, which produces electricity.

There are some coastal areas around the world where the difference between high and low tide is up to 10 metres and more. Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany or France have coastal regions where such power can be created.

Nuclear Fusion

Fusion may solve all our energy problems. Hydrogen atoms are united and can produce large amounts of energy. In contrast to the splitting of atoms fusion is safer and does not produce a lot of nuclear waste.

We have an almost endless amount of hydrogen in our oceans but, up to now, scientists have not yet come up with a way to produce large amounts of such energy. Such a system, which produces cheap energy from our oceans, will probably take years or decades to develop.

Biomass

Biomass is material that comes from plants and animals. It contains energy that the sun has produced and when burned produces heat. Wood , plants and crops are the most important sources of biomass today.

Biomass can also be changed into other forms of energy , like gas, ethanol or bio diesel. In Brazil, for example, about 20 % of all cars are driven by ethanol, produced from sugar cane. Biomass is also a renewable source of energy because crops and trees can always grow.

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Words

amount =how much of something
bay =part of the sea that is separated by a curve in the coastline
big scale =here: a lot of
boiling point = the temperature at which water boils
capture = here: to get control of something
cause = lead to
common =widespread, normal
contain = has
convert = to turn into
decade = a period of ten years
develop =here: make , design
device = machine that does a special job
economical = cheap
electricity =the power that is carried in wires and cables ; it gives us light , heat and makes machines work
engineer = technician ; someone who does technical things
eruption =outbreak of a volcano
ethanol = here: alcohol that comes from plants
fossil fuels = forms of energy like coal or oil that have been produced by dead plants or animals over millions of years
fusion = atoms join together to produce power
generator = a machine that produces electricity
geothermal = heat that comes from inside the earth
geyser = a hole in the ground from which hot water and steam come out
grain = the seeds of plants like corn, wheat or rice that are used as food
grind = to break up into small pieces or powder with a machine
high tide = the time when the sea reaches its highest point
hydrogen = a gas that forms water when mixed with oxygen
in contrast =compared to; as a difference
layer =material between two objects
low tide = the time when the sea reaches its lowest point
movement =when something moves
plate = a flat metal object
pocket calculator =a small machine that you use to do calculations
pollution =when air, water and other resources get dirty, so that you cannot use them any more
provide = give
renewable = something you can use over and over again
scientist =a person who is trained in science
seal off = to stop something from coming in
source =where something comes from
split = to separate into two or more parts
steam = the hot gas that water produces when it gets hot
store = to put away for a longer time
sugar cane = sugar that grows in tropical regions
supplies =reserves
surface =top layer of something
tidal = everything that comes from the rising and falling of ocean waves
turbine = a motor in which gas or water moves a wheel around
unite = come together
use up = to use all of something
waste = materials that you don’t need any more or are left over

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