Alternative Energy Sources to Solve the World Energy Crisis

When people think of solving the world energy crisis, they usually think of using the old methods of power, such as coal or oil. This is non-renewable, which means if it runs out, there isn’t any way to get more power from those sources, because they’re used up. Or they think of using the most commonly thought of renewable energy source, solar power. They don’t usually think of other ways that the power problem could be solved, such as geothermal power, or hydroelectric power. These kinds of power have both positives and negatives to using them.

Geothermal is a system where power is generated by boiling water in a tube in the ground in order to create steam, which in turn is released into the air, past a turbine which generates energy. Unlike other sources of renewable energy, this is a consistent source of energy, while the other sources are variable in their output. The negatives are it might need some way to kick-start the system if it isn’t working, which could be problematic.

Biomass a method of generating energy where excess plant matter and garbage are decayed into biomass, which releases methane, which can then be harnessed to create power, biomass can also be burned to create energy in the same way as coal or other fossil fuels. It can use excess plant matter or garbage to produce energy for other things; biomass can be stored for later use in other places. It does take a little bit of time in order for the garbage and plant matter to decay in order to get the biomass, so that does pose a problem.

Hydroelectric a method of power where running water flows through a turbine, which moves the turbine and creates energy. It can generate energy just by using running water; doesn’t usually cause problems to the environment. It needs to be close to a source of running water; if the plant is built incorrectly, it can cause problems to the environment, such as if a lot of water was just dumped into an area without removing all of the vegetation, which causes the plants to decay and release methane, which causes problems. These are just some of the ways that we can get energy that people usually don’t think of, these options do have their drawbacks, but the positives usually outweigh the negatives, so in the end, they are very good options to at least think about, and possibly use.