14 Alternative Power Sources Changing the World Right Now

Introduction

There are many alternative energy sources we can use to power vehicles as well as our homes.

Solar Power

Solar power is a clean, renewable energy source that’s been around since the 19th century. But it wasn’t until recently that people began to truly realize its potential as a viable alternative to fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources. And now it’s finally becoming more accessible to everyone.

Solar energy can be used in many different ways:

• To generate electricity (powering homes and businesses)
• To heat water (running dishwashers or washing machines)
• To charge batteries (keeping your smartphone alive on long trips) And even powering electric vehicles!

Wind Power

Wind power is a renewable energy source that has long been used to generate electricity. It’s becoming more popular and competitive with other energy sources, and it’s gaining ground in the United States.

Wind power is clean, safe and reliable–but not as reliable as some other sources of energy. If the wind stops blowing for any reason (including bad weather), you don’t have any electricity at all!

Hydroelectricity

If you have ever visited a waterfall, then you have seen hydroelectricity in action. The process of generating electricity from falling water is simple: as the water flows over the dam and falls down into the reservoir, it turns turbines that spin and create electricity.

Hydroelectricity is one of the oldest renewable energy sources on Earth (along with geothermal power). It has been used since ancient times by people who lived near rivers or streams–but some of today’s biggest dams were built during World War II when there was an acute shortage of fossil fuels like coal and oil.

Today there are more than 1 million hydropower plants worldwide; they account for 16{a5ecc776959f091c949c169bc862f9277bcf9d85da7cccd96cab34960af80885} of global electricity generation!

Tidal Energy

Tidal power is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into electricity or other useful forms of power. Tidal energy can be classified as either marine (tides), or freshwater (barrages). Marine energy is generated from the kinetic movement of tides, while barrages make use of falling water levels to create energy through turbines.

Tidal power has been used since ancient times to grind grain and drain wetlands, but the modern era began in 1950 with an experimental station at Rance Estuary in France. Since then, several large projects have been built around the world including South Korea’s 20 MW Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant which came online in 2011 and China’s 2 MW Huanghai Sea World Project which finished construction this year [2].

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is the heat energy that exists in the earth. It can be used to power homes and businesses, and it’s a renewable source of power that doesn’t produce harmful emissions. However, geothermal isn’t available everywhere–it needs to be near volcanoes or other geologic activity for it to be an option (which is why you don’t see many geothermal plants in Massachusetts).

If you live near one of these areas, though? You’re in luck! Geothermal heating systems use pipes buried deep below ground level to transfer heat directly into your home or office building through water circulation systems called closed-loop pumps; these pumps circulate water between two tanks: one filled with cold water from outside sources such as lakes or rivers; another tank containing hot water drawn from underground reservoirs via pipes laid beneath them by drilling crews working together with local utility companies like [insert name].

Biomass Energy

Biomass energy is a renewable, carbon-neutral energy source. It can be used to generate electricity, heat and power in a variety of ways.

Biomass refers to plant materials like wood or straw that have been converted into fuel through the process of combustion. Biomasses are burned in boilers which produce steam that drives turbines connected to generators that make electricity. Biomass also produces heat that can be used directly for space heating or industrial processes such as drying food products (e.g., corn).

Wave and Tidal Current Energy

Wave and tidal current energy are renewable energy sources. They are not as efficient, reliable or safe as other alternative energy sources, but they do have the potential to be scalable.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is a source of clean, renewable energy that can be used to generate electricity. It’s also used in medicine and industry. The technology behind nuclear power plants has come a long way since the 1950s and 1960s when there were several serious accidents involving releases of radioactive material into the environment. Today, there are more than 450 commercial nuclear reactors operating around the world providing about 11{a5ecc776959f091c949c169bc862f9277bcf9d85da7cccd96cab34960af80885} of global electricity needs (compared to 75{a5ecc776959f091c949c169bc862f9277bcf9d85da7cccd96cab34960af80885} from coal).

Nuclear energy has been used in vehicles since 1957 with the first prototype car being powered by uranium rods inserted into its engine compartment!

Natural Gas and Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs)

Natural gas is a fossil fuel, but it’s cleaner and more efficient than coal. It’s made up of methane, ethane, propane and butane–all gases that are found underground in the form of shale gas.

Natural gas is a fairly recent discovery in terms of energy production. In fact, it wasn’t until about 100 years ago that we started using natural gas for heating our homes instead of wood or coal (which had been used previously). As technology improved over time, we were able to extract more from wells than just oil –we also learned how to get at the naturally occurring methane inside them as well!

There are many alternative energy sources we can use to power vehicles as well as our homes.

• Solar power
• Wind power
• Hydroelectricity – the energy generated by moving water, such as rivers or waves.
• Geothermal energy – the heat trapped within Earth’s core is used to produce electricity.
• Biomass – using organic material to create fuel for cars and homes, like wood chips or corn husks for example.

There are many other alternative energy sources we can use to power vehicles as well as our homes. One of these includes solar panels which collect sunlight from the sun and convert it into usable electricity that powers homes or vehicles throughout their lifespan of 20 years or more! Another option would be wind turbines that take advantage of air currents moving across their blades which then generates power through induction generators located inside each turbine blade (similarly how an electric fan works).

Conclusion

We are living in a time where we have access to more energy sources than ever before. There are many ways to power our vehicles and homes, but unfortunately not all of them are feasible for everyone. Hopefully this article has helped you understand some of the alternatives out there and what they can do for us as humans!