There are many different types of renewable energy. In order to be a good candidate for creating your own energy, you will need to know at least some basic information about them. One type of renewable energy that has become very popular lately is solar energy. There are many reasons why people have started converting to solar power, and these include things like global warming, financial problems, and issues with aging Western societies.
There are five primary renewable energy resources used in modern society. These include nuclear power, fossil fuels, natural gas, hydroelectricity, and solar energy. There are two primary ways to create electricity using these resources. One uses nuclear fission to split water and other elements into separate particles, while the other utilizes electricity created through nuclear fusion. The following is an ideograph comparing these methods in detail:
Nuclear Fission: With the advent of mankind’s technological advances in the past 150 years, there have been several attempts to create nuclear weapons. One such device was the bomb made out of Uranium and Plutons (plasmoids). Although this technology has long since been abandoned, a small amount of nuclear waste still exists and is being accumulated by communities around the world. One drawback with using nuclear fission to produce electricity is that the waste produced has a very long half-life, so it is imperative that this waste is stored safely, or else it will begin to cause major pollution.
Hydroelectric Power: This form of energy yields energy from flowing water. There are basically two types of hydroelectric power, which include traditional hydropower and intermittent hydropower. Traditional hydropower plants use a turbine to rotate a waterwheel which forces the water to move downstream. Intermittent hydropower uses a storage system to store excess energy created by the turbine and is then used when the turbine cannot generate enough energy. Both of these types of systems have a number of limitations, namely the speed at which they can be operated, and their effect on the environment.
Geothermal Energy: This is perhaps the oldest form of renewable energy. It has been around for thousands of years. Geothermal plants take advantage of ground temperatures that are below the freezing point of water. Water is heated above this temperature by the earth, forcing the water to move through pipes to the turbine, and then to the power plant. The electricity produced is generated at a lower rate than conventional electricity, but because the system uses no fossil fuels, it has no by-products that will harm the environment.
Biofuels: All fossil fuels are fossil derivatives, and biofuels have the additional problem that they cannot be used everywhere. If you go to the gas station to buy gas, you are likely to find that there are limited sources to begin with, and that the fueling infrastructure is in place to make sure that you never run out of fuel. This is not the case with biofuels, which is why they are often transported to remote areas where there are no fuel facilities, or to areas where it would be easier and less expensive to produce them. Unfortunately, this also makes biofuels very expensive.
Biomass: One of the most widely known forms of biomass energy production is wood. This is also a fairly limited source. Trees must be grown in large fields to allow for wood to be harvested, and the harvesting is done by burning the trees, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and causing even more greenhouse gases. Unlike wood, another commonly used source of biomass is waste material from factories and businesses, such as paper.
Wind Energy: While the wind energy that is produced by windmills is a clean energy source, this resource is still relatively expensive and does not provide the same kind of steady supply that other types of renewable energy can. One thing that is great about wind energy is that the wind blows constantly, even on windy days. This consistent wind flow creates large amounts of kinetic energy, which is converted into electricity in the wind turbine.