Alternative Power Sources

The current turn of global events has lent a greater sense of urgency in our common quest to harness the available, viable and sustainable alternative power sources. These events touch on many aspects of modern society including but not limited to social responses to climate change, political initiatives toward lesser dependence on imported oil, and an increasing awareness for energy cost efficiency. Indeed, it is high time that we start to seriously consider the great possibilities of alternative energy sources!

Definition of Alternative Energy

Let's first define alternative power or alternative energy so that we may better understand the discussion on its sources. Alternative power is the umbrella term used to describe sources of viable energy considered as a replacement for fuel sources that have undesirable consequences on the environment like high carbon dioxide emissions. In its modern usage, alternative power sources include the sun, wind and the earth itself except for fossil fuel, petroleum and coal, among other conventional energy sources in prevalent use today.

It must be emphasized that nuclear energy is not widely considered alternative power. Laws like the Michigan Next Energy Authority Act of 2002 explicitly exclude nuclear energy as alternative energy, a view supported by the renewable energy community in general. Said exclusion stems from the undesirable consequences of nuclear energy plant meltdowns such as the case in Chernobyl and, more recently, in the Level 7 meltdowns of the Fukushima plant in Japan after the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake on March 2011.

In the history of mankind's search for better energy sources, many of the traditional fuels in widespread use today were actually considered as alternative power sources just a few centuries back. Thus, coal was considered as an alternative to wood while petroleum replaced whale oil in general usage. As man continues to discover new ways to provide energy to homes, offices and schools, the definition of alternative energy and its list of sources will change in response to the changing times.

Sources of Alternative Energy

With that being said, here are the top three sources of alternative energy in use today. It is worth mentioning that the prevalence of use for each source differs from one state to the next and from country to the next by virtue of differences in installation and maintenance costs, actual and perceived energy efficiency, and societal attitudes toward the source itself, among other factors.

First, solar energy

Is probably the most popular of all the alternative power sources for many reasons. An increasing number of homes, offices and factories now feature solar power generated by systems anchored on solar panels. Solar energy is most commonly used for heating, cooking and desalinating seawater as well as in the generation of electricity, which can actually be connected to the main grid.

There are many advantages to solar power. It is the world's foremost renewable resource since the sun will continue burning for millions of years to come. It releases no water, air and land pollution because there are no chemical reactions involved. It can be used for a great variety of uses and at lesser financial cost, too.

Second, wind energy

Closely follows solar energy as one of the most popular alternative power sources. The wind's energy is harnessed through the propeller blades of wind turbines and subsequently converted into electrical energy via the generator. Like solar power, wind energy is now connected to the main grid via large-scale wind farms both on land and on water such as in Copenhagen. Many homes, offices and factories now also have their own wind energy set-up.

Why wind power? Like solar power, it is also a renewable energy source; it is eco-friendly with little negative impact on the environment; and it allows for other uses like farming and grazing on the land occupied by the wind turbines.

Third, geothermal energy

Comes from the heat energy sourced from deep under the Earth's crust, thus, making it also one of the best alternative power sources. Hot rocks heat up the underground water, thus, generating steam. Holes are then drilled into the earth, which results in steam shooting up over the ground. The steam is purified and then used to drive the turbines with the final result being electricity generation. It is now used in countries as diverse as Iceland and the Philippines.

Geothermal energy also has advantages. It generates no harmful by-products when done properly. It is self-sufficient in terms of energy produced and used. It has very little effect on the landscape in general.

All of these alternative power sources are now gaining widespread currency, so to speak. The trick is in knowing how to adopt these sources into your home such as in DIY solar panels, which can be produced and then installed with little time, effort and money while also offering great possibilities for energy and monetary savings.

Generate electricity at home using solar power and wind energy and totally eliminate your power bill.