The first form of alternative energy is biomass, which is the use of recycled plants and materials or anything that can burn or decompose. Biomass can be a producer of a myriad of things including electricity, liquid, solid and gaseous fuels, heat, chemicals and more. Bioenergy ranks second to hydropower in renewable U.S. primary energy production but only accounts for 3% of the major energy production in the United States (Brosius, Chad. "Biomass Fuel." 18 Nov 2008 http://www.alternative-energy-resources.net/biomassfuel.html). A popular use is the utilization of crops and animal waste. Countless things that we eat or use have excess waste material that can be reused, but it is up to us to take that garbage and reprocess it. Biomass fuels are becoming more common in fuel not only because of the rising cost of fuel, but the CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere. Biofuels can be produced from any carbon source and the most common is photosynthetic plants, but it can also be produced from forestry residue and municipal waste. Plants that are high in sugar content like sugar cane, sugar beet, or even corn are grown and fermented to produce ethanol. Ethanol can be a fuel or fuel additive and can be a major substitute for fuel. All gas sold in Brazil has a content of 25% ethanol and is fuel for 90% of all new cars sold ("Ethanol." Wikipedia Use as a fuel18 Nov 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol#As_a_fuel). Ethanol also results in less greenhouse gas emissions and is entirely biodegradable, unlike other fuel additives. Since plants are the founder of ethanol, growing so much of them cuts GHG because plants take in CO2. In addition, another renewable resource I would like to address is solar energy and the use of the sun.
The sun ultimately supports all life on Earth and its energy is free for the taking. We can harness about 51% of its energy, which can produce heat, electricity, and others. There are three main ways of controlling, directing, and using the sun's rays. The first is solar energy cells, which take heat directly from the sun and convert it into electricity. When the energy hits the cell, electrons in two different semiconductors absorb the energy and use it to move around, creating an electrical current. The second is solar energy collectors, which are said to be the most affordable and practical use of solar energy. Solar energy collectors are solar panels on a roof that heat water pipes that are then carried through the house to heat water and to heat the house during winter. There are two main parts: the solar collector and a storage tank. A flat, thin, rectangular box with a transparent cover is mounted on the roof facing the sun. The sun heats an absorber plate in the collector thus heating the water running through the tubes within the collector. The remaining way of usage is a solar energy concentrator. A solar energy concentrator is used to make electricity by converting the sun's energy into high temperature heat using mirror configurations. The sunlight is concentrated by fresnal lenses and curved mirrors, which is directed onto a pipe that contains oil, thus creating electricity in a traditional generator. The last and final resource is geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy is heat that is extracted from the earth to generate electricity or heat. It produces 95% less greenhouse gases than fossil fuel and can support whole cities from one plant. There are numerous ways to extract heat from the Earth but the best are geothermal heat pumps, and geothermal power plants. A geothermal heat pump is a heating and/or air conditioning system. It operates based on the stability of underground temperatures, which the ground, a few feet below surface, has a very stable temperature throughout the year. A heat pump uses that obtainable heat in the winter and puts heat back into the ground in the summer. This system differs from the traditional boiler or heater because of its capability to transfer heat instead of creating heat. The second most prevalent form of geothermal energy is power plants. There are three types of power plants which are dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle. Dry steam is electricity being produced directly by steam emerging from the earth's surface which in turn turns turbines generating electricity. Flash Steam is the most common geothermal power plant and it begins when hot water is pumped up to the surface. When it reaches the surface, the pressure is diminished and as a result, most of the water changes to steam. This creates a blast of steam that turns the turbines, therefore generating electricity. The last plant is called a binary cycle power plant. With this, there are two adjacent pipes coming out of the Earth that have hot water and a secondary liquid that is much cooler. The hot water passes through a heat exchanger and the secondary liquid is vaporized, thus turning the turbines. Although these energies would greatly improve our situation, we cannot undo what we have already done.
As Abe Lincoln once said, "You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." It's apparent that something has to be done soon, and biomass, solar energy, and geothermal energy would be very beneficial solutions to combat climate change.
Derek DesRosier
Works Cited
http://www.altenergy.org
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info
http://www.alternative-energy-resources.net
http://www.eere.energy.gov
http://www.eia.doe.gov
http://www.nesea.com
http://www.quotationspage.com
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030328073115.htm
http://www.wikipedia.com
The 11th Hour. Dir. Nadia Connors, Leila Connors Peterson. Perf. Leonardo Dicaprio. Warner Independant pictures, 2007
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