How important is it to explore alternative forms of energy

How important is it to explore alternative forms of energy?

Energy is the source of life. Energy that we gain from food helps us to survive. It implies that food is a source of energy for us. The vehicles that we use, the industries that manufacture different products are all dependant on some kind of energy source. The source may be electricity or fossil fuel but it is clear that everything needs an energy source to run. In the old days firewood was the energy source. After the invention of automobiles and airplanes in early 20th century, fossil fuels have been the most prominent source of energy. Fossil fuels fulfill most of the energy requirement of the world because of which energy produced from other sources are regarded as alternative energy. Fossil fuels are found in a limited amount which puts it into a high risk of depletion. So, it has become very important to explore alternate forms of energy.

Fossil fuel governs the world economy as it is proved to be the prominent source of energy. It can be a benefit to those countries which have a large abundance of fossil fuels. Countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico are the major providers of fossil fuel in the present world. They are rich countries with their supply of fuel but when the fuel runs out, their economy may be thrashed. It will not only affect these nations but it will affect the global market. It will cause recession bigger than that of 2009/10. For instance, the increase in price of oil increases the monetary value of gold but when there is an Energy crisis it could drop down the monetary value of gold. It would cause inflation and developed or under developed, all nations will have to suffer. Saudi Arabia exports nearly 267 barrels of oil a year and UAE exports 98 billion barrels per year. Energy crisis will doom their economy not to mention it cause a lot people to lose their job.

This is exact reason why we should explore other forms of energy. We should explore it to balance our economy. Research in alternative energies could mean more jobs. Car manufacturers will be bankrupt if there is an Energy crisis. Japan exported 923000 cars to U.S.A in 2006 which used fossil fuels and the data relates 6 year ago. There is a steady 5% increase of cars sales each year. It means the cars and automobiles around the world would have to run on some other source if the trend is to follow and it can be stopped if we follow our duty. Our duty is not only provide ourselves with a steady economy but for our future generations also. If we explore and practice the use of alternative forms of energy now, we can even prevent an economic an energy crisis from happening.

The economy is not only the fossil fuels are destroying, it’s the environment too. The emission of harmful gases from the use of fossil fuels is destroying the water cycle and causing a worldwide climate change. Global warming is another problem created from the use of fossil fuels. The use of hydroelectricity and solar power could minimize these harmful effects of pollution and Global warming. Sea levels are rising and it is endangering many countries such as Maldives, Nepal, and Philippines. These all harmful effects are caused by the use of fossil fuels and it causing billions of dollars worth damage. The use of alternative energy is inevitable if we do not want floods and landslides. The disturbance in water cycle has caused change in season and disturbed wild flora and fauna. Alternative energy doesn’t only mean using electricity and solar power only but it also means nuclear energy and using ethanol in vehicles. They are less pollutant than fossil fuels. Fossil fuels pollute the environment but it also affects the health of wildlife and not to mention human life. The importance of alternative energy is that it can help create a healthier life than we live in today by saving our environment.

Environment issues have become important to many countries. The use of alternative energy has been a prime example to deal with those in many countries. For instance in U.K. apart from nuclear energy, offshore windmill has been implemented. Denmark has 20% of its population using public transportation and electric vehicles. It aims to eradicate fossil fuels by 2020. In 2008, consumption of renewable sources in the United States totaled 7.3 quadrillion Btu or about 7% of all energy used nationally. Germany is extending its arms towards solar power and India has building projects of onshore windmills. This shows the importance of alternative energy as it is explored by the leading nations also.

We are living on an economy which is dependent upon fuel and its transaction and we have to search new ways to produce fuels. Alternative energy is a step toward tomorrow. It can create a better tomorrow for all of mankind and the environment. It could help us sustain our future.

How important is it to explore alternative forms of energy? Energy is something vital that drives everything- people, animals, plants, gadgets, industries, offices, and all the institutions or the activities one can imagine. It is the energy- be it a mechanical, chemical, tidal, wind or hydropower-that has created the world with different artificial stuffs and; compelled people to live in fantasies and search for newer ways to fulfill their dreams. This has been the same for quite a long period of time that people are eager to live better lives. A better life in a lay man understanding is to have good food, good clothes, good house to live in, a vehicle to transport to one’s work, a homely environment and various gadgets and so on so forth. As life gets better so does the energy consumption. And a haunt for alternative source of energy becomes essential.
Large amount of energy source especially petroleum products are spent on vehicles and industries to offer goods and gadgets for the world population. As the world population is increasing day by day, the demand for energy is also increasing. However, the petroleum products on earth are limited and one day all of them will be used up. Then what? So, alternative source of energy is necessary to replace and preserve petroleum products that are getting scarce.
Some of the sources of energy do no good to the environment. For instance, petroleum products like coal burnt in the industries release CO, CO2, SO2 and so on. These gases are harmful as they cause global warming, acid rain, breathing problem and so on. For this, energy renewable sources like biomass are taken as a good alternative source of fuel. Also some other efficient alternative source of energy can be explored so that the industry flourishes without much impact on the environment, where people and other organisms dwell upon. In one way, exploring eco-friendly-alternative-source of energy has good cause related to environment.
Some of the alternative sources of energy known to the world are solar energy, wind energy, nuclear energy, geothermal energy, bio fuel, ethanol and Hydrogen. Some may argue that the world has sufficient source of energy like nuclear energy which can produce enormous electricity, bio fuel and ethanol which can be used in powering vehicles and thus world needs no more sources of energy. However, this group of people should be aware about the fact that Japan was recently in trouble when some of its nuclear reactor burst and as a result the radiation was found in their people. Due to the heavy losses and radiation which caused possible harm to Japanese health, Japan has announced that it would stop all its nuclear activities. Hence one must take into the consideration that no source of energy is perfectly okay and that the situation may not be favourable all the time. For example, in early 19th century, whale oil was dominantly used as lubricants and fuel for the lamps until the whale stock depleted by the mid of 19th century. Then the petroleum was taken as alternative. There could be some of the disadvantages and so it is wise enough to have other forms of energy in stock so that they can be used when needs be. For this again, the world needs exploration of alternative source of energy.
All in all, alternative sources of energy need to be explored. In fact exploration of the alternative source of energy is thousand times more important than using non renewable source of energy or any kind of inefficient forms of energy. After all the energy demand of the world is increasing day by day and it’s the duty of scientists to explore the effective source of energy and begin the new era of technology without affecting much of the environment and health.
Alternative Forms Of Energy
Research to explore alternative forms of energy is extremely important today, given the increasing role that alternative energy sources have to play in our society.
In turn, the demand for alternative energy sources is driven by several factors.
Energy and power generated from fossil fuels have led to high concentrations of harmful green house gasses in the atmosphere. But in spite of the harmful effects created, the demand and price of the fossil fuels continue to be pushing upwards relentlessly. At the same time, the world's supply of these non-renewable resources is diminishing. Given all these reasons, we are both pushed and pulled to explore the various alternative forms of energy.
In today’s world, the term “alternative energy” usually refers to energy sources other than non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil and natural gas. In turn, “alternative energy” is often associated with renewable energy sources that are often cleaner and greener.
The alternative forms of energy available today constitute a substantial range, and more forms are continually being discovered.
These sources of energy usually make use of commonly occurring processes in nature and hence can be constantly renewed in a short period of time. These sources not only reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and pollutants, they also help us preserve natural resources. Read more about the advantages of renewable energies.
Here are some commonly known alternative forms of energy.

Solar Energy: Solar energy is the energy from the sun. So long as the Sun continues to exist, it is always emitting light, heat and other forms of radiation energy. As such, solar energy is often considered inexhaustible.
According to NASA, it is estimated that the Sun radiates about 174 Petawatts (Pw) of solar energy onto the earth every day. Of this amount, about 30% of the energy is reflected back to space, while another large portion is absorbed by our atmosphere. Only about 10% of the energy (about 17.4 Pw per day) is retained on earth, but this amount more than meets the daily energy requirement of the world.
Solar energy power not only drives many important processes in nature, such as photosynthesis, but also can be converted into other form of energy, such as electrical energy through the use of solar energy panels.
Wind Energy: Wind energy is another one of the alternative forms of energy. Wind is the movement of air resulting from the irregular heating of the earth and its atmosphere by the sun, as well as the rotation of the earth. This wind energy, when "harvested" by wind turbines, can be used to generate electricity. Wind turbines coupled with strong, steady winds can generate electricity in cost-effective ways without producing pollutants. In fact, wind energy is becoming one of the world’s fastest growing green energy technologies, creating a large supply of wind energy jobs.

Geothermal Energy: Do you know that the Earth’s center can reach 12000 degrees Fahrenheit? The large amounts of heat trapped under the Earth’s surface – in its core – can actually be used as a source of energy. In fact, it is the aim of geothermal systems to tap this heat, known as geothermal energy. Geothermal energy can be used for various purposes, including electric power production, heating and cooling of buildings.

Hydroelectric Power: Hydropower is energy that comes from the force of moving water either as it flows or as it falls. For large water bodies like rivers, hydroelectric power plants or dams are used to generate electricity from water on large scale basis. The hydroelectric power plant is usually built across a large river which has sufficient quantity of water. Flowing water through the dam generates energy which is captured and turned into electricity. This energy is called hydroelectric power or hydroelectricity.

Biomass Energy: Biomass energy is the energy acquired derived from plants and animal materials, for example, vegetation and crops, as well as organic remains from farms, residential or industrial waste.

Ocean Energy: Oceans contain at least two types of energy – mechanical energy from the tides and waves, as well as thermal energy from the sun’s heat.
The potential for alternate energy sources is tremendous. With the increasing need for alternative forms of energy in the world today, we are seeing an increase in the number of alternative energy companies all over the world.
They may invest in green technologies, explore and discover new forms of alternative energy, seek to improve the efficiency of existing forms of renewable energies, transform these alternative energy forms into useful forms like electricity, and even manufacture products (such as solar panels) that allow individuals to make use of alternative energy sources even in their own homes or offices.
Subsequently, this also means an increasing number of alternative energy jobs and green energy jobs appearing in the job market.
If you think that green energy is one of the amazing green innovations ever to be made, let others know about it.

How Important Is It To Explore Alternative Forms Of Energy?
In today's rapidly developing world, vast amounts of energy resources are being utilized at an alarming rate, one which can certainly result in the extinction of our valuable natural resources. Moreover, majority of the energy resources utilized today are non-renewable natural resources like the petroleum products which account for nearly eighty percent of all the energy resources used. Thus, exploring alternative forms of energy so as to decrease our dependency on non-renewable forms of energy and consequently save the environment, has become more important than ever before.
Today, energy resources used especially, the petroleum products, and in some developing countries like Nepal, fuel wood, are major sources of Green House Gases (GHG), which is the prime cause of climate change. The threat of climate change to the whole of mankind is greater today than ever before. Rapid utilization of Earth's valuable resources has caused an imbalance in its delicate natural processes, thereby accelerating the rate of climate change, which is in fact a natural phenomenon. Thus, although climate change is a natural process, the alarming rate at which it is being noticed today has posed a serious thereat to the existence of mankind as we know it. And, almost all the credit of this danger lurking in our life goes to the over utilization of petroleum products because of their harmful byproducts. Therefore, exploring and utilizing green and alternative sources of energy has not only become important to save our Earth's valuable resources but the Earth itself and along with it all the living creatures that call it "home".
Thus, it is seen that exploring alternative energy resources is very important. It is not only important to save energy resources for future generations and to provide them the technology to utilize better, unlimited sources of energy and save the Earth. It has also been seen as important step to curb the world's poverty by creating millions of so-called "Green Jobs". It is a fact that millions of workforce will be required to create and maintain infrastructures to tap solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectricity and other alternative energy resources. Also, many people will be required to save forests and use it sustainably.
It is being debated that exploring and utilizing alternative sources of energy will need billions of investment and curbing the current rate of use of non-renewable resources will result in economic meltdown. This is partly true. However, although a lot of investment is needed for exploring and utilizing alternative energy sources, it can certainly give very huge benefits. Reduction of dependency on petroleum products and a security for future when non-renewable resources are used up are some of the benefits. There are also arguments that such alternative sources of energy like solar energy are very expensive because of the initial high cost of setting the equipments. But, if we develop cheaper technology to tap such alternative energy through collective efforts and investment, such resources will be very much cheaper than the petroleum products that we so heavily rely on today. Also, hydroelectricity and similar alternative sources like bio-gas are only expensive to develop but the cost of unit energy will be very cheap.
Similarly, what people raising voice against the exploration of alternative sources of energy, seem to be unaware of is that petroleum products will eventually be used up. They must be questioned, "What then?" "What will our future generations survive on?" "What will be the condition of future economy?" Thus, it is clear that exploration of alternative forms of energy is very important, in fact, unavoidable. Doing it is the only way possible to save our future generations. No doubt, this argument is debated for and not against by people not driven by lust for power and riches.
Importance of Alternative Energy
The need for alternative energy was understood after fossil fuels like coal and petroleum failed us in many ways.
The Issue
Coal has a glorious past. It is often referred to as the ‘first fuel of the industrial revolution.’ After decades of endless use of coal, sadly enough, we are now paying the price.
What research proved about coal was also true for all other fossil fuels. The environment was getting polluted, global warming was increasing, and alarmingly, the ozone layer was depleting.
Importance of Alternative Energy / Fossil Fuels – What Went Wrong?
The term ‘fossil fuel’ refers to fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. They are prefixed ‘fossil’ because their source (carbon and hydrocarbons) was found in earth’s crust. In layman’s term, fossil fuels are the remains of animals and plants that lived up to millions of years ago. Most importantly, fossil fuels are non-renewable.
In earlier times, we heavily relied on wood for all our energy needs. Deforestation became a regular phenomenon and we worried about planet earth. And then coal was discovered, an efficient alternative to wood. Later we found petroleum.
During this period we thought our energy needs had been taken care forever. Industrial revolution ensured that their usage spiked through the sky.
However, after never-ending mining and ‘drill baby drill,’ we realized that there is was limitation to how much we can use them. Because one day, the mines will be empty and drilling pipes would dry out. Over the years, their demand has been far outstripping their availability.
The other thing that shook us was the irreversible harm that done to the environment. We are left with acres of destroyed shorelines and ocean beds, forests and wildlife.
Combustion of fossil fuels emits harmful gases like sulfur dioxide (causing acid rain) and carbon monoxide (contributing to greenhouse effect). Due to the adverse affects, the globe is heating up and the polar ice caps are melting faster.
Importance of Alternative Energy / The Other Concern
Oil prices touched record US $147 last year. People are trying harder than ever to make ends meet and get gas filled in their cars. Speculators have tied the skyrocketing prices to ‘greedy oil companies’ or ‘OPEC.’ But the reality is that due to our excessive dependence, the availability of oil is now no match to the demand. And with demand overpowering supply, prices will continue to rise dramatically.
Importance of Alternative Energy / The Solution
It is essential to understand the term ‘alternative energy’ for realizing the importance of alternative forms of energy. The term ‘alternative energy’ implies energy that is used as an alternative to using fossil fuels.
The dictionary defines ‘alternative energy’ as ‘solar, wind, or other renewable energy, that can replace or supplement traditional fossil-fuel sources, as coal, oil, and natural gas.’ Though nuclear energy is also a safe energy form, it is often not included in the ‘alternative energy’ category because of its feared radioactive waste.
Wind, water and sun are never ending source of energy. However, the biggest advantage of using them is that they don’t harm environment in any way. Importance of alternative energy thus becomes paramount. We have already enjoyed benefits of using water energy. Hydro-electricity is increasingly being used throughout the world.
These renewable energy sources can be easily used to turn turbines in a generation process and thus replace oil and natural gas. As for wind and solar energy, the technology related to reaping energy out of these is still in development phase. Money spent on the research and setup is huge. However, once the technology is perfected, these sources will prove to be the most cost effective.
Geothermal energy is also being considered a good renewable energy source; however its implications are still under research. Another energy source that looks promising is bio-diesel (diesel-like product extracted from plants).
In engine, bio-diesel burns like the ordinary diesel, and thus is an eco-friendly substitute. With the advent of electric cars, even electricity is being considered as an alternative fuel.
Importance of Alternative Energy / A Limitation
Alternative energy sources do have some disadvantages. Most of the alternative energy sources are location specific. For instance solar energy can be used only where there is good exposure to sunlight. Similarly, hydro-electricity can be generated where there is ample amount of flowing water, and so on.
Importance of Alternative Energy / What Can We Do?
People are becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of alternative energy. To solve the energy crisis that world faces today, it’s important that we give alternative energy a chance. And most of all, try lessening our dependency on energy sources.
This can be done by making little changes in the mundane everyday activities we do. Make recycling part of our daily routine. Use organic or eco-friendly products like home cleaner or waterless car wash.
Another thing that individuals can do is support alternative energy companies by using the products that they develop and manufacture.
And remember, the best alternative energy is human muscle power! Avoid using electric or other appliances for things that you can do with your hands. Start the drive by driving bicycle to work today!