Alternative Power Sources

It is funny to reflect that what for thousands of years were the only power sources are now called alternative power sources. For millennia, people only knew about sun light, wind and water power, tides and hot springs. The great god oil has overthrown them in our minds. But oil is becoming too expensive for home use and so we need to look again at the old 'alternative power sources'.

Alternative Power Sources

Environmentalists have been promoting alternative power sources and warning about the impending shortage or oil for decades, but it always seemed rather a long way off. Now that we have been engaged in at least two wars recently over oil (the Gulf Wars), the warnings of oil shortages have to be taken seriously. The wars have cost many lives and hundreds of billions of dollars and have gotten the West a rotten reputation in the rest of the world.

And all for what? Oil. The cost of which, either directly or indirectly, is the bane of most people's lives. It is responsible for higher petrol prices, higher electricity prices and higher levels of pollution, which is going to cost us a fortune to clean up as well. However did we get into this stupid mess?

Well, when the environmentalists talked about alternative power sources, the politicians did not listen and did nothing about it. Or very little, anyway. Perhaps it is time for the ordinary household to tell the energy companies where to get off, by coming off the electricity grid and running a hybrid or an electric car as well

The main alternative power sources that we can implement at home are: solar, wind, biomass and bio fuel, hydrogen and water and Earth power. We can take a brief look at these kinds of alternative power sources on this web page.

Solar: solar panel arrays are the simplest route for most people to follow. If you cannot afford a professional solar energy panel array, then you can make your own. It is really not that difficult. You will need the components, which are available at a hobbyist store and a set of plans. The plans are also available by clicking the link in the right hand margin of this web page.

Wind: is also one of the oldest alternative power sources. Wind has been used to drive ships, wind mills and water pumps by sail for hundreds of years and now it can produce electricity too. The modern use of the wind to generate energy is by the use of wind turbines. When wind turbines are grouped together, it is called a wind farm.

Biomass or Bio fuel: means the conversion of biological waste materials into energy. This usually means converting manure into energy, so it is really only viable for farms. Farmers have been quick to pick up on the idea, although it has yet to be exploited to the full. It is interesting to note that fossil fuels were once biomass products.

Hydrogen: hydrogen is not yet an alternative power source for the home but it will soon be one of the alternative power sources for transport. Huge amounts of research is going into so-called 'water cars' - cars that can be run by burning the hydrogen and oxygen resulting from splitting water molecules (H2O). There are working models, but they are still too expensive.

Water and Earth: these forms of energy have been used for centuries too, but you have to be lucky to be able to exploit them for home use. Water power would require a fast moving stream for a water wheel and Earth power would mean boring deep into the Earth to use the natural heat there to boil water for central heating or and turbines.

All these types of renewable energy will have to be used in the near future or most people will not be able to afford energy. Fossil fuels are running out, but that is not the only problem. As fossil fuels are becoming exhausted, wars are being fought over fuel. Lives can be saved by the West weaning itself off reliance on oil.