 Alternative Energy |
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Wind power is simply using the kinetic energy of wind by using mechanisms such as wind mills, or wind turbine. Wind exists in abundance on Earth. Therefore, tapping it to good use is very beneficial. This will significantly help to reduce global warming, as instead of using fuel for electricity and other purpose, wind energy can be harnessed by turbines to generate electricity. Furthermore, this energy does not produce any harmful effects and are thus, safe.
Picture from Flickr.com Geothermal comes from a Greek word, where Geo means Earth and Therme means Heat, loosely translated to be Earth’s Heat. The Earth’s core is very, very hot and is made up of molten larva and rocks. These hot liquid continuously flows outward and sometimes just underneath the ground. It will heat up the surrounding rocks and they are melted to becoming magma as the temperature rises. This hot magma travels up to the surface of the Earth, to what we know as Lava, however, most of it remains below ground. It will in turn heat up rainwater that has seeped through the rocks, where it will travel back to the Earth surface as hot springs or geysers. Most of them will also be naturally collected as a geothermal reservoir. Picture taken from:www.wikipedia.com Engineers, working along geologists and geochemists, drill wells to into geothermal reservoirs to bring the heated water to the surface of the Earth. From here, the hot water is used in geothermal power plants, where heat spins turbine that in turn generate electricity, without polluting the environment. Hydroelectric power involves the use of a head of water in a dam passing through a turbine to generate electricity. Hydroelectric projects generate controversy with environmental activists due to loss of habitat and ecosystems endured by native people and the area as a result of the flooding upstream of the dam. Recent reports also state that hydroelectric power is not that 'clean' due to release of methane over time, as a result of anaerobic digestion of the submerged trees.
Picture from wikipedia.com
Tidal energy is generated by the movement of seawater or ocean water through turbines built in partitions in marine environments, as a result of the tidal cycles. Tidal energy is considered as 'clean energy' although there would be ecosystem shifts in immediate vicinity of the tidal energy generation system. [ More: solar, biomass & green, nuclear & hydrogen]
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