Alternative Sources of Energy:

Alternative energy is any energy source that is an alternative to fossil fuel. These alternatives
are intended to address concerns about such fossil fuels, such as its high carbon
dioxide emissions, an important factor in global warming. Ocean, wind and solar power are
some sources of alternative energy.
The nature of what constitutes an alternative energy source has changed considerably over
time, as have controversies regarding energy use. Because of the variety of energy choices and
differing goals of their advocates, defining some energy types as "alternative" is considered
controversial.

Solar Energy
Solar energy can be used for heating, cooling or electrical power generation using the sun.
Solar heat has long been employed in passively and actively heated buildings, as well as district
heating systems. Examples of the latter are the Drake Landing Solar Community is Alberta,
Canada and numerous district systems in Denmark and Germany. In Europe, there are two
programs for the application of solar heat: the Solar District Heating (SDH) and the International
Energy Agency's Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) program.
The obstacles preventing the large scale implementation of solar powered energy generation is
the inefficiency of current solar technology, and the cost. Currently, photovoltaic (PV) panels
only have the ability to convert around 16% of the sunlight that hits them into electricity.

Wind Energy
Wind energy research dates back several decades to the 1970s when NASA developed an
analytical model to predict wind turbine power generation during high winds. Today, both Sandia
National Laboratories and National Renewable Energy Laboratory have programs dedicated to wind
research. Sandias laboratory focuses on the advancement of materials, aerodynamics, and

sensors. The NREL wind projects are centered on improving wind plant power production, reducing
their capital costs, and making wind energy more cost effective overall.
The Field Laboratory for Optimized Wind Energy (FLOWE) at Caltech was established to research
alternative approaches to wind energy farming technology practices that have the potential to reduce
the cost, size, and environmental impact of wind energy production.
Renewable energies such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal combined, supplied 1.3% of
global final energy consumption in 2013.

Biomass
Biomass can be regarded as "biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. It
most often refers to plants or plant-derived materials which are specifically called lignocellulosic
biomass. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly via combustion to produce heat,
or indirectly after converting it to various forms of biofuel. Conversion of biomass to biofuel can be
achieved by different methods which are broadly classified into: thermal, chemical,
and biochemical methods. Wood remains the largest biomass energy source today; examples
include forest residues (such as dead trees, branches and tree stumps), yard clippings, wood chips
and even municipal solid waste. In the second sense, biomass includes plant or animal matter that
can be converted into fibers or other industrial chemicals, including biofuels. Industrial biomass can
be grown from numerous types of plants,
includingmiscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, corn, poplar, willow, sorghum, sugarcane, bamboo, and a
variety of tree species, ranging from eucalyptus to oil palm (palm oil).
Biomass, biogas and biofuels are burned to produce heat/power and in doing so harm the
environment. Pollutants such as sulphorous oxides (SOx), nitrous oxides (NOx), and particulate
matter (PM) are produced from this combustion. The World Health Organization estimates that 7
million premature deaths are caused each year by air pollution, and biomass combustion is a major

contributor of it. The use of biomass is carbon neutral over time, but is otherwise similar to burning
fossil fuels.

Ethanol biofuels
Main article: Ethanol biofuels

As the primary source of biofuels in North America, many organizations are conducting research
in the area of ethanol production. On the Federal level, the USDA conducts a large amount of
research regarding ethanol production in the United States. Much of this research is targeted
toward the effect of ethanol production on domestic food markets.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has conducted various ethanol research projects,
mainly in the area of cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol has many benefits over traditional
corn based-ethanol. It does not take away or directly conflict with the food supply because it is
produced from wood, grasses, or non-edible parts of plants. Moreover, some studies have
shown cellulosic ethanol to be more cost effective and economically sustainable than cornbased ethanol. Sandia National Laboratories conducts in-house cellulosic ethanol research and
is also a member of the Joint Bio Energy Institute (JBEI), a research institute founded by
the United States Department of Energy with the goal of developing cellulosic biofuels.

Geothermal
Main article: Geothermal electricity
Geothermal energy is produced by tapping into the thermal energy created and stored within the
earth. It is considered sustainable because that thermal energy is constantly replenished.
However, the science of geothermal energy generation is still young and developing economic
viability. Several entities, such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia
National Laboratories are conducting research toward the goal of establishing a proven science
around geothermal energy. The International Centre for Geothermal Research (IGC), a German

geosciences research organization, is largely focused on geothermal energy development

research.

Disadvantages
Further information: Disadvantages of hydroelectricity, Tidal power Tidal power issues, and Issues
relating to biofuels
The generation of alternative energy on the scale needed to replace fossil energy, in an effort to
reverse global climate change, is likely to have significant negative environmental impacts. For
example, biomass energy generation would have to increase 7-fold to supply current primary energy
demand, and up to 40-fold by 2100 given economic and energy growth projections Humans already
appropriate 30 to 40% of all photo synthetically fixed carbon worldwide, indicating that expansion of
additional biomass harvesting is likely to stress ecosystems, in some cases precipitating collapse
and extinction of animal species that have been deprived of vital food sources. The total amount of
energy capture by vegetation in the United States each year is around 58 quads (61.5 EJ), about
half of which is already harvested as agricultural crops and forest products. The remaining biomass
is needed to maintain ecosystem functions and diversity .Since annual energy use in the United
States is ca. 100 quads, biomass energy could supply only a very small fraction. To supply the
current worldwide energy demand solely with biomass would require more than 10% of the Earths
land surface, which is comparable to the area use for all of world agriculture (i.e., ca. 1500 million
hectares), indicating that further expansion of biomass energy generation will be difficult without
precipitating an ethical conflict, given current world hunger statistics, over growing plants for biofuel
versus food.
Given environmental concerns (e.g., fish migration, destruction of sensitive aquatic ecosystems,
etc.) about building new dams to capture hydroelectric energy, further expansion of
conventional hydropower in the United States is unlikely. Wind power, if deployed on the large scale
necessary to substitute fossil energy, is likely to face public resistance. If 100% of U.S. energy

demand were to be supplied by windmills, about 80 million hectares (i.e., more than 40% of all
available farmland in the United States) would have to be covered with large windmills (50m hub
height and 250 to 500 m apart). It is therefore not surprising that the major environmental impact of
wind power is related to land use and less to wildlife (birds, bats, etc.) mortality. Unless only a
relatively small fraction of electricity is generated by windmills in remote locations, it is unlikely that
the public will tolerate large wind farms given concerns about blade noise and aesthetics.
Biofuels are different from fossil fuels in regard to net greenhouse gases but are similar to fossil fuels
in that biofuels contribute to air pollution. Burning produces airborne carbon particulates, carbon
monoxide and nitrous oxides.