Alternative energy seems to be all the rage today, but a lot of people have are unsure of what it is or have different definitions. I hope this article clears things up,
alternative energy is commonly used to refer to sources of energy that are an alternative to coal, oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels have been the most common source of our energy for generations.
This wasn't always the case. In the not too distant past, sailing ships and animals powered transportation.
Dutch windmills are an icon of the country. Windows are also closely associated wit old ranches of the American West.
Many people are surprised to learn that producing solar hot water heating systems was a commercially profitable business in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century.
As you consider the above and similar facts I think you can see that the dominance of fossil fuels has been very brief and very recent. As it becomes harder and more expensive to meet our energy needs with fossil fuel, we need to return to other sources.
With that background, here's my working definition of alternative energy: energy from a source other than the burning of fossil fuels (again coal, oil and its derivatives and natural gas).
While many people automatically assume that alternative energy sources are renewable, that isn't necessarily so. For example, burning peat for heat is an alternative energy, but it is neither clean nor renewable.
However most sources of alternative energy are renewable as well as better for the environment than fossil fuel. That is why there is such interest in these types of energy these days.
When people think about alternative energy solar panels and windmills are probably the most common things that come to mind. However there are many other forms of alternative energy are ready available (for example geothermal and biomass) and researchers are exploring some entirely new possibilities
My expectation is that in the not-too-distant future the tables will turn: what we consider "alternative" today will be the standard tomorrow. Burning fossil fuels will be oddball alternative.
alternative energy is commonly used to refer to sources of energy that are an alternative to coal, oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels have been the most common source of our energy for generations.
This wasn't always the case. In the not too distant past, sailing ships and animals powered transportation.
Dutch windmills are an icon of the country. Windows are also closely associated wit old ranches of the American West.
Many people are surprised to learn that producing solar hot water heating systems was a commercially profitable business in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century.
As you consider the above and similar facts I think you can see that the dominance of fossil fuels has been very brief and very recent. As it becomes harder and more expensive to meet our energy needs with fossil fuel, we need to return to other sources.
With that background, here's my working definition of alternative energy: energy from a source other than the burning of fossil fuels (again coal, oil and its derivatives and natural gas).
While many people automatically assume that alternative energy sources are renewable, that isn't necessarily so. For example, burning peat for heat is an alternative energy, but it is neither clean nor renewable.
However most sources of alternative energy are renewable as well as better for the environment than fossil fuel. That is why there is such interest in these types of energy these days.
When people think about alternative energy solar panels and windmills are probably the most common things that come to mind. However there are many other forms of alternative energy are ready available (for example geothermal and biomass) and researchers are exploring some entirely new possibilities
My expectation is that in the not-too-distant future the tables will turn: what we consider "alternative" today will be the standard tomorrow. Burning fossil fuels will be oddball alternative.
About the Author:
If you want to find out much more about alternative energy, a great site to go to is: Alternative Energy Primer
