Alternative Green Energy Sources - The Best Aid in Times of Crisis

Biofuels are also a green energy source.

Biofuel has been around for a long time but lately people are beginning to take notice.

Liquid biofuel is a natural, renewable green energy source that can only be used for diesel engines. It can be made from vegetable oils such as soy and corn. The nice thing about it is that it contains no petroleum, is nontoxic and biodegradable.

By fueling up with biofuel, you decrease the pollutants in the air because there are no emissions. Right now it is the only fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has passed every Heath-Effects Test of the Clean Air Act and meets the requirements of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

Biodiesel is a type of biofuel made from methanol and a chemical process that separates glycerine and methyl esters (biodiesel) from fats or vegetable oils. Aside from methanol, some countries have also experimented with corn and sugarcane to create their own version of biofuel.

Glycerine is a common product that is used in making toothpaste and soap. Since it is quite a new process converting it is expensive. But if you look at what you pay for it, the returns are huge. You will help preserve a cleaner environment, see an improvement in air quality and a reduction of cancer-causing agents.

A cheaper and primitive way to make bio-diesel is by collecting cooking oil and then processing it. This may not be good for your car's engine so be careful if you try to use it.

Don't be skeptical about biodiesels. Studies have shown that its performance on the road is just as good as petroleum in terms of power to efficiency, hauling and climbing. You can use biodiesels in their pure form or blend them with petroleum fuel. The most common mix in the market is 20/80 and is referred to as "B20." This means that 20% is biodiesel and the remainder is 80%. Another version is the E85 which is fuel composed of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

The best part about using biodiesel is that you only have to make a few changes in your engine to be able to use it. Aside from making the car run, it also helps clean the engine. Converting your engine for biofuel will not void your vehicle's warranty either. In the US, B20 is the most common one available but there are only a few gas stations that carry it.

Is it too late? Not yet because there is still time to use biofuels and other green energy sources.

We have the technology to do a lot of things and one of these is to tap the earth's energy.

This is exactly what we do when we decide to use geothermal which happens to be a green energy source.

Geothermal energy is energy obtained by tapping heat from the earth itself. This comes from magma and the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium.

The downside to geothermal energy is the fact that it is expensive to build. On the other hand, because the earth's crust continuously decays replenishing the heat, it is still a renewable source of energy.

There are three types of geothermal plants around. These are namely dry steam, flash, and binary.

Dry steam plants take steam out of fractures in the ground and use it to directly drive a turbine that spins a generator.

Flash plants take on water at temperatures over 200 °C, out of the ground, and allows it to boil as it rises to the surface then separates the steam phase in steam/water separators which runs the steam through a turbine to generate electricity.

Last, you have binary plants. Here, hot water flows through heat exchangers and that boiling organic fluid is what spins the turbine.

Once power is generated, the condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid from all three types of plants are injected back into the hot rock to pick up more heat.

Geothermal plants are used operational in different parts of the globe. These are usually located in geologically unstable parts of the planet. You can see some in Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, United States, the Philippines and Italy. At home, two most prominent areas for this are in the Yellowstone basin and in northern California.

Aside from digging deep into the earth, there are some who believe we can generate power from hot dry rocks. You have to dig 3 kilometers deep are drilled into the earth first to find these hot underground radiogenic granite rocks. Right now, some Australia companies are exploring this technology.

If you were to compare the amount of energy collected from geothermal to solar, you still get more from the sun. Despite that, people should still use it since solar energy cannot be harnessed when the clouds block the sun's rays from reaching the solar panels.

Geothermal energy is a green energy source just like wind, hydropower and biofuel because it is a renewable. By maximizing its potential, we don't have to worry about the price of oil in the world market when it hit more than $110 a barrel and is now under $40 in the world market.

But that is not the only thing we should be concerned about. We should also do our best to protect the environment given that coal fired and nuclear power plants produce harmful gases and radioactive waste that may cause to people and the surrounding areas.

Everyone knows that our planet has changed due to global warming. We learned our lessons from Chernobyl and Three Mile Island but this does not mean it may not happen again.

For us to do our share to protect the environment now and for generations to come, we have to promote alternative energy and geothermal as a green energy source is just one of many that is currently available.

Why is hydropower a green energy source?

It is because we are able to harness electrical power by converting water into electricity.

The use of hydroelectric power or even hydroelectricity dates back to Ancient Greece and China when they installed waterwheels in rapidly flowing rivers to turn millstones and other equipment. Years later, this was used in the New World which is now known as North America to power saws and other equipment.

But the hydroelectric plants of today still use the same basic principles as the historical waterwheel with some variations. The difference is that we use the force of the power to push the turbine which in turn powers a generator thus generating electricity.

To make sure that there is a steady flow of power being produced, a dam has to be built to retain the water. If there is a need for more power, the gates of the dam are opened so water can be released. During non-peak, the gates are closed. To ensure there is water at all times, some dams have a recovery and pumping systems to the water released can be used again.

There are issues with the use of hydroelectricity. Some claim that it poses a problem for fish and aquatic plants on both sides of the dam. Because the flow of water has been altered, the nutrient rich silt which helps crops grow could be affected which is exactly what happened when the Aswan Dam was completed in Egypt.

But there are ways to fix that and the bigger picture is that power produced from hydroelectric plants do not generate any emissions or waste which happens to be much better than operating a coal-fired power plant.

There is another way to generate hydropower and you get this form the sea. This is also known as wave power or wave energy which uses changes in the air levels of sealed chambers to power turbines. When a wave rises into the chamber, the rise water pushes the air out which then turns a generator.

Once the wave goes down, air flows into the turbine and back into the chamber through doors that will close.

These chambers remain afloat on the ocean and how much power it produces varies. A lot of these are used on the western coasts of Scotland, northern Canada, southern Africa, Australia, and the northwestern coasts of the United States. These systems are usually small and can power a warning buoy or a small light house.

There is also tidal energy. The difference with wave energy is that when the tide approaches, the water is trapped in reservoirs behind dams. When the tide drops, the water behind the dam is released thus producing power similar to a hydroelectric power plant.

This can only work if you have tides that are at least 16 feet and since there are only a few places in the planet that can do that.

Lastly, you have ocean thermal energy. Here, you get power based on the different temperatures in the water. For this to work, you need at least 38 degrees Fahrenheit difference between the warmer surface water and the colder deep ocean water. Still in the trial stage, it is used Japan and Hawaii.

Hydropower is a green energy source. It is safe to use and what is even better is that it is renewable.

You have been hearing all about it. It seems to be a big problem now all around the globe.

Energy crisis is something that people can be blamed for. But it is too late now to point fingers to whoever committed the biggest mistake.

What you can do to do your share in helping to solve the root of the problem is by finding and using available alternative energy sources.

Look around you.
Amidst all the technological advancements, you will still be amazed at how nature provides for all the needs of mankind. But through the years, this has been overlooked and taken advantage of.

This resulted to the energy crisis that we have now. But you cannot turn back the time to undo the damage. The best thing that you can do is to help resolve the problem or reduce it even with your own little means.

But first, do you know the available renewable sources of energy that surrounds you. It is everywhere.

Look up and there is the sun that produces solar power.
The sun's rays are converted into electricity through solar cells, solar thermal panels, parabolic mirrors and other medium.

Look underneath.
Did you know that the heat coming from the ground can also be turned into energy resources? There are holes that are being drilled in certain regions to find steam that are being produced by the heat underneath. The steam is purified to be used as power to electric generators.

Feel the air.
The wind can also create energy as this drives the blades of the wind turbines. This rotation produces electrical current that can be utilized through electrical generator. In 2005, it was reported that the capacity of the wind-powered generators reaches up to 58,982 megawatts.

Hydroelectric energy comes from water.
The later can be used for its kinetic energy or the tidal power to produce the energy. It can also be contained in a dam that harness the gravitational fall of a river to become the energy source.

Crisis Alert
Now more than ever is the time to act to make use of the available renewable energy resource like the abovementioned. Aside from the fact that they are free, they will be available as long as you know how to care for your environment.

There are methods and studies being conducted by experts worldwide to find ways on how to improve on the utilization of these available sources of energy. People must learn to slowly detach themselves on being too dependent on the use of energy sources that are non-renewable. In a matter of years, the latter will decrease until they slowly diminish.

Are you going to wait for that time to come when all along, if you will only look around, you will discover how nature provided for everything that you need. All you have to do is to find ways on how to use them wisely.

Time to Care
Upon finding the means on how you can make use of the available resources around you, the next thing that you have to make certain of is how you will care for such.

Once in a while, it will be okay to pause from your busy life to look back and give gratitude to where it is due.

You can do your share of caring for these available alternative energy sources by being a good citizen who cares for your environment.

You can start in your own simple ways like not adding up to the pollution, planting plants and trees and supporting products that do not contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

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