Problem of Alternative Energy Sources Essay Example

being generated to match the changing power demands. Once set up, a hydroelectric power complex lacks direct wastes and has a substantially lower greenhouse gas output level as compared to energy plants that are powered by fossil fuels. Hydroelectric power can be generated from conventional dams, pumped storages, river flows, and tides.

The facilities can be categorized as large, small, micro, Pico or underground based on the amount of power they generate and situation. Pico-hydro plants are the least in terms of power generation (Rashid 81). Although hydropower is highly sustainable, there are a few challenges where dams and reservoirs are involved. Some of the setbacks include the loss of land and ecosystem damage; siltation, which may cause flooding to the surrounding areas; methane emissions from reservoirs in tropical regions due to decaying matter; relocation, as well as the risk of failure due to sabotage, natural disasters or poor construction (Rashid 87).

Solar energy refers to the radiant heat and light energy from the sun that is tapped using a wide range of technologies such as solar architecture, solar thermal energy, photovoltaic systems, artificial photosynthesis, and solar heating. It is a significant renewable energy source and the technologies involved in harnessing solar energy are broadly categorized as either active solar or passive solar based on how they capture and issue solar insolation or change it to solar power. In the passive solar method, buildings are made with special construction materials and oriented towards the sun such that windows, floors, and walls collect, store, and circulate solar energy as heat during winter but discard the same heat in summer.

The elements that are usually considered in this design include

thermal mass, thermal insulation, shading, window size and placement, and glazing type. Active solar designs, on the other hand, include the use of solar water heating, concentrated solar power, and photovoltaic systems to harness the sun’s energy. The abundance of solar energy makes it appealing as a source of electricity. According to the United Nations Development Program (Rashid 52), the annual potential of the sun’s energy is about 50,000 exajoules (EJ), which is several times more than world’s total energy consumption. In this regard, the development of the right solar technologies will undoubtedly have significant long-term advantages, including enhancing sustainability, and reducing pollution amongst others, on a global scale (Rashid 54).

Wind energy is harnessed when winds turn wind turbines to power generators to produce electricity. The energy itself is plentiful, widely distributed, renewable, clean, and comparatively cheap. Winds occur when solar radiation and the earth’s rotation cause different pressure cells to develop in the atmosphere, resulting in the movement of air currents. Wind energy is usually harnessed in wind farms, which consist of several individual wind turbines that are linked to an electrical power dissemination network. The power harnessed has considerable variations over short spells of time, but is quite consistent from one year to the next. Despite the annual consistency, wind energy is usually backed by other sources of energy to achieve reliability. Wind turbines can produce several megawatts of electricity depending on their sizes and the strength of the wind (Hirth 212).

Geothermal energy alludes to thermal energy produced and retained in the earth. The earth’s geothermal energy originates from radioactive decay of matter in the earth’s core that produces a lot of heat.

The heat causes pressure to increase and rocks to melt so that the mantle behaves plastically. Consequently, portions of the mantle shift upwards as they become lighter than the overlying rocks. The intrusion of molten materials into the crust heats up the ground water to very high temperatures. Mounting pressure may cause the heated elements to vent out through fissures in the crust to the surface to form geysers (Goldstein et al. 4193). The steam can then be used to turn turbines and generate electricity. Geothermal energy is reliable, environmentally friendly, sustainable, and cost-effective, but is limited to areas where geothermal wells exist.

Despite this fact, the available geothermal resources on the planet are theoretically more than sufficient to supply the energy needs of humanity. Only a small fraction, however, may be exploited profitably due to high drilling and exploration costs. The prospects of geothermal energy depend on technological developments, movement of plate boundaries, energy prices, subsidies, etc. Annually, geothermal wells generate tens of thousands of megawatts of electricity (Goldstein et al. 4198).

Biomass energy refers to energy derived from organic matter. The organism may be living or was alive recently. The materials are not used for feed or food. Energy can be derived from them through direct combustion to give off heat or through conversion into different forms of biofuels through thermal, biochemical, and chemical methods. Wood is the most widely used source of biomass energy. It is cheap and a readily available energy source. Nevertheless, the use biomass in some cases may result in significant pollution (Klass 41).

In all, the need to protect the environment has never been greater for the level of environmental pollution

has reached an all-time high. The high level of pollution is placing a tremendous strain on the environment, thus, testing its resilience to the uttermost. If this pressure is sustained for just a little longer, the planet will have to budge. A total environmental collapse will mean the extinction to all life on earth; hence, the need to shift to alternative, environmentally friendly, and sustainable energy sources.

Works Cited

• Goldstein, Barry, Gerardo Hiriart, Jeff Tester, Luis Gutierrez-Negrin, Ruggero Bertani, Christopher Bromley, … Hirofumi Muraoka. “Geothermal Energy, Nature, Use, and Expectations.” Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Ed. Robert A. Meyers. New York: Springer, 2012. 4190-4201. Print.
• Hirth, Lion. “The Benefits of Flexibility: The Value of Wind Energy with Hydropower.” Applied Power, 181. 2(2016): 210-223. Print.
• Klass, Donald, L. Biomass for Renewable Energy, Fuels, and Chemicals. Cambridge: Academy Press, 1998. Print.
• Nelson, Vaughn, C. Introduction to Renewable Energy. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2011. Print.
• Rashid, Mohammed, H. Electric Renewable Energy Systems. Cambridge: Academy Press, 2015. Print.