Alternative Renewable Energy Resources

Everyday the sun shines and provides enough energy 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 detail the alternative renewable energy resources on offer to give you insight into what choices you have. The reason why it is important to look at your options and consider renewable energy is that supplies of fossil fuels will eventually run out.

As stated above, solar power is an excellent source of renewable energy and utilizes sunshine to create energy (heat and electricity). Solar power uses direct conversion of radiation in the form of a solar PV system; other forms of solar power include solar hot water systems and solar water purification systems.

At the moment, approximately 200,000 homes use solar power to generate electricity, and as the technology becomes more affordable it becomes a real option for people wishing to save money, reduce carbon emissions and use a clean green source of power.   

Wind energy is another one of the alternative renewable energy resources which is 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 and wind power first generated electricity in 1890, fast forward to the present and there is a growing market for wind energy.

Despite what people may think, wind does not have to constantly blow heavily to power homes with wind energy. Like solar energy, the great thing about wind power is that wind is clean, green and you can produce it in your own back yard. Out of all the renewable energy resources available, wind power has the greatest scope to grow.

People that live in remote locations and have a decent amount of land find wind power a viable option. This is because in some locations grid power is not available. Wind power is both reliable and consistent; the equipment costs are relatively low as well. These systems work when wind power is available, and when it’s not available people at remote locations can use battery powered systems.  

Even if you don’t live in a remote location you may still want to take advantage of small scale window power. Small wind turbines generate about 20 kilowatts of energy and this is usually enough energy to power most US households.

There are other alternative renewable energy resources aside from solar energy and wind power, however these other systems are not 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.

People who are interested in using water to power electricity can take advantage of hydropower by placing hydropower generators in small back yard rivers and streams.