Sources of Alternative Energy

             Since the discovery of petroleum in the 1860s, fossil fuels have become the foremost source of power in the world. For over a century after their inception, their availability was very seldom called into question. The oil crisis of 1973, however, brought this issue to the forefront. With the widespread knowledge that the supply of oil and gas would eventually expire, the public eye has turned toward finding renewable sources of power. Moreover, fossil fuels are amazingly destructive to the environment. The burning of oil for power creates great amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes a great deal to the greenhouse effect. The Great London Fog of 1952, wherein over 12,000 people died of smog inhalation, was the result of coal-burning. Additionally, power plants and factories are known to dump their waste into lakes and streams, consequently fouling the water and killing whatever marine life may reside therein.
             Over the past few decades, three alternative energy sources (henceforth altsources) have become the most well known: solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. The main point of support is, of course, that there is an unlimited supply of sun, wind, and water; equally important is that they all produce minimal amounts of pollution. All three have attracted controversy as being unreliable, costly, and aesthetically unpleasant. Granted, though they have their faults, altsources are ultimately preferable to fossil fuels.
             The most popular altsource is solar power. As a matter of fact, solar power is "the original energy source for all human activity [...] via growing plants. Solar energy's main human application throughout most of history has thus been in agriculture and forestry, via photosynthesis. (wikipedia.org, Renewable Energy)". There are two types of solar energy: passive and active. Passive solar energy, which can be used without the use of mechanical systems has been used for centuries, mainly a...

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Sources of Alternative Energy. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 20:12, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/26243.html