Additional Sources of Alt Energy

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Alternative energy refers to any source of energy that does not come from traditional fuel sources. It also pertains to energy which may be harnessed for practical use without acquiring the negative effects associated with conventional sources. Also known as renewable energy, it comes from natural resources that are replenished by nature itself, such as sunlight, rain, tides, and wind.

What are the different types of alternative energy?

Historically, coal, petroleum, and alcohol were considered as alternatives to wood, whale oil, and fossil fuels, respectively. However, the current classification of alternative energy covers only renewable sources. As such, its main categories include only biofuel, biomass, geothermal energy, hydro power, solar energy, tidal energy, and wind power. Biofuels, such as ethanol, come from processing biological material and crops, such as corn and sugar cane. Biomass refers to fuel derived from living and recently dead biological material. Geothermal energy comes from underground heat. Wind energy generates electricity with the use of wind turbines. The most popular type of alternative energy remains to be solar energy, in which the heat of the sun is converted into electricity and may be used also for cooling and heating systems. Lastly, hydro power is generated by the force of moving water. Its subtypes include tidal energy and wave energy, to name a few.

Efficiency of these types of alternative energy

For now, most of these types are not considered cost-efficient, since infrastructures and devices required to harness renewable sources are expensive. With ongoing intensive research and development initiatives geared towards increasing the efficiency of energy storage systems and lowering production and operation costs, the transition to alternative power sources will be more viable in time. With the Solar Two project, solar power has achieved 99% efficiency by using molten salts for energy storage.