The growing concern for the overall planetary environment, as well as the deepening worries over energy costs, have all boosted the consumer demand for sustainable ways we can all live and work. The dream is that our money, standard of living and environment would all coexist in peace. A lot of attention is paid to applications of renewable sources of energy. The following paragraphs discuss five such applications that you might not know about.
Tidal power is something that certain coastal locations around the globe are investigating and in some cases using. The constant movement of waves in and out mean serious volumes of water going back and forth. While this is visible on any beach, the real power is just further out underneath the water. Some islands in the Pacific have started laying out the infrastructure to use this for their power instead of running a dirty generator.
Solar power has made some serious strides to being accessible by every day consumers. Solar panels that power entire homes on a massive basis still seem elusive, but solar options for everything from cooking to heating water have gotten very popular. In some areas, it is actually getting difficult to find outdoor lighting that is not solar powered.
Wind power does not get a lot of attention on a national level, so most do not know that they can actually use it on their home. Turbines have gotten small enough that you can put some on your roof! These can power part or even all of your home when enough air is moving.
Geothermal energy is incredibly clean and does not rely on the weather. The investment cost and set up can be high, and areas with tectonic activity are not good choices. However, in locations where it is an option, large scale geothermal operations run water down far enough to get boiled by the Earth’s heat. The steam comes back up and powers a generator for electricity production. On a smaller scale, individual properties, including residential homes, can not likely get water to boil, but they can get it warm enough that it can provide hot water for bathing and appliances and even maybe for house heat.
Nuclear power is something that did not see any activity for several decades following the accidents of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. However, reactors are incredibly safer than they used to be, and some new plants are finally in the process of being prepared. Aside from the issues of waste storage and minor amounts of thermal pollution, nuclear power is as clean a power source as you can ever hope for in terms of fission reactors. There is still research into fusion reactors, which would run from hydrogen and supply all the energy the world would ever need.
Consumers at both the individual and corporate levels alike are really starting to take to heart the power and advantages that renewable energy offers both the environment and the economy. As new methods or harnessing these resources are made practical, the world becomes a greener and more sustainable place to live.
Speak Your Mind