The Return to Alternative Energy

Posted on July 9, 2009
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by Sam Reynolds

You hear more and more about alternative energies these days a lot of people have different ideas about just what it is. I wrote this article to try to clear things up.

alternative energy is commonly used to refer to sources of energy that are an alternative to coal, oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels have been the most common source of our energy for generations.

This wasn’t always the case. In the not too distant past, sailing ships and animals powered transportation.

A windmill by a ranch house is an icon of the American west because thousands of windmills were used to provide power to pump water before electricity was available.

Many people are surprised to learn that producing solar hot water heating systems was a commercially profitable business in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century.

I think you can see that our dependence on fossil fuels is relatively recent. Rather than something completely new, using alternative energies is a return to an older practice.

Having said all that, let me give you my current definition of alternative energy: energy that comes from a source other than fossil fuels

We should make a distinction between alternative energy and renewable energy. People tend to assume that they’re one and the same but they aren’t. Some non-fossil fuel energy sources can be depleted.

However most sources of alternative energy are renewable as well as better for the environment than fossil fuel. That is why there is such interest in these types of energy these days.

The alternative sources people most commonly think of are solar power, wind power and hydropower. However, researchers are eagerly exploring other innovative sources as well. These include things such geothermal, biomass and tidal power.

I think we can safely expect that the use of all forms of alternative energy will increase until they become the new standard.

About the Author:
If you want to find out all about alternative energy, a great place to visit is: Alternative Energy Primer

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