Alternative Electricity Generation At Home Is Possible
The majority of electricity research focuses on alternative electricity generation. Energy and electricity production has shifted from burning fossil fuels to using alternative sources that are better for the environment. The traditional methods of electricity generation involve burning coal, petroleum and natural gas. But slowly the world is shifting to investigating and producing electricity from alternative sources. Electricity generation from biomass, solar energy, hydropower and wind power have been successfully developed and more research is being conducted to make them cost effective.
The three main reasons to using alternative electricity generation come down to supply and demand and effects on the environment. Fossil fuels do not magically regenerate and will one day run out. This finite resource will also become more expensive as the supply dwindles but the demand remains the same. The majority of all alternative electricity generation focuses on using renewable energy that will not run out one day. Finally all renewable electricity sources are ‘green’ energy and do not pollute the environment.
The use of slow moving ocean currents has successfully generated electricity. This type of electricity generation cannot supply the planets needs but it can supply over 15 billion people by accessing just 0.1% of the ocean’s currents. The vibrations that occur in the water are transformed into energy, which can then produce electricity. These vibrations can be due to gravity, fish swimming or wind at the surface of the ocean.
The development of solar cells is reaching new heights as MIT has produced a solar cell that is 50% more effective then current solar cells. They have also reduced the cost of the solar cell as the silicon found in the cell makes prices increase. Their new cell uses 1% refined silicon making it much more affordable as well as providing more power per area or solar cell.
Burning garbage is another form of alternative electricity generation that has been around for over 100 years but not widely used. This type of electricity generation would not only produce energy but also get rid of much of the world’s garbage that is currently polluting the planet. This is a great method that should be investigated further as the actually transformation of garbage to electricity needs to become more effective to make it a more feasible option of electricity production.
Although it may appear that burning garbage is an inexpensive way to generate alternative electricity, it is uncertain how viable this option really is. Given the current state of technology, the hazards of creating toxic fumes or adding to carbon emissions are greater than the potential benefit of reducing the amount of garbage put into city landfills.
Wind power and solar energy are really the best forms of renewable energy as the sun shines whether it is cloudy or not and wind power is the most efficient form of renewable energy. With the energy challenges to face in the future researchers are investigating electricity generation from the pH difference between soil and trees, cyanobacteria and wind current to name but a few research projects.
Is wind electricity the way for everyone to be electricity self sufficient? Some parts of the country have sufficient reliable wind to make sufficient electricity to serve everyones requirements.
