It can be about the money. People are looking for alternative energy sources or alternative fuel for their cars nowadays. A few months ago, increasing prices of petroleum products were experienced almost throughout the world. With the increasing money spent on the pump, we are trying to look for alternative fuels for vehicles that can eventually lead us to bigger savings.

Cars or vehicles running on alternative fuel are generally running on fuel other than gasoline or diesel. Over the years, we have become witnesses on car running on electricity, a hybrid of gasoline and electric car, or even solar powered. There are even cars using water to supplement their gas through the water-to-gas technology.

There are several factors contributing to the rise and initiative of governments and manufacturers to produce alternative fuel vehicles. Heavy taxes on fuel, particularly in Europe and tightening environmental laws are several of the contributing factors. There is a possibility of further restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions.

Since cars are mostly running on fossil fuels which produce carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas, the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is increasing. It leads to temperature rise which results to global warming and climate change.

There are cars that are capable in running on LPG, solar power, ethanol, fuel cells, hydrogen, and compressed cars. There are also what we call hybrid cars. Cars running on liquefied petroleum gas or LPG runs on a mix of propane and butane. Its hydrocarbon gases turn to liquid when compressed. Cars running on LPG can cut the fuel expense into half compared to petrol and diesel. It is also said to reduce the carbon monoxide emission.

Cars using solar power convert sunlight into electricity. It can be used to power electric motors or produce fuels such as hydrogen. Solar panels are put on the surface, more often on the roof, of the vehicle. These solar panels then convert the sun’s energy into electrical energy.

Ethanol is an alcohol produced by the fermentation of plant juice with high levels of sugar or from crops with high levels of carbohydrates such as wheat. Brazil began converting sugar cane into ethanol in 1975. Since then, Brazil has saved $1.8 billion by replacing their 200,000 barrels of oil daily consumption.

Brazil has already created 5.4 million ethanol- powered cars that are being exported to Sweden and Japan. Because of this industry they were able to provide 900,000 jobs to their people. Using ethanol as fuel were also able to reduce the toxic emissions by 30 % compared with other fuel charged vehicles.

Fuel cell cars covert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat. The electricity can be used to power and electric motor and the only emissions are heat and water. Cars running on hydrogen are considered to be the ultimate clean cars. Since hydrogen vehicles only produce heat and water vapour as its by-product, its emissions are considered environmental friendly.

Hybrid cars use two different energy source or motors. An example of a hybrid car is the Toyota Prius. It uses advanced technology to combine a small gas engine with an electric motor. At slow speed, the car runs on electric motor while on the freeway, both the gasoline and electric motor is being used. The battery is also being recharged during the process.

Exploring alternative energy sources for cars is a way of adapting to the increasing fuel costs and taking active steps in resolving environmental concerns.

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I was first introduced to solar energy in the movie, Race the Sun with James Belushi and Halley Berry in the lead. It was a story about low- income and under achieving Hawaiian students encouraged by their teacher to join the Solar Car race. In the movie, a car shaped like a cockroach and covered with solar panels used the sun’s rays as an alternative energy source to run the car.

Solar energy is the light and the heat from the sun. Solar energy is free and its supplies are unlimited. There are n air and water pollution caused about by using solar energy. But there is still some impacts on the environment although indirect.

Photovoltaic cells used to convert sunlight into electricity uses silicon and also produce some waste materials. There are also large solar thermal farms and these farms can also be harmful to the environment and desert ecosystems if not properly managed.

Solar energy can be used on different aspects. Solar energy can be used in agriculture. Greenhouses (which is entirely different from greenhouse gas) convert solar light to heat to be maximized in enhancing the growth of plants and crops. Greenhouses has been around since the Roman times and modern greenhouses were built in Europe in 16th century. Greenhouses are still an important part of horticulture nowadays,

Daylight systems are also being used to maximize the energy released by the sun. It is used to provide interior illumination replacing the artificial lighting. Daylight systems include sawtooth roofs, light shelf, skylights, and light tube. Daylight systems when they are properly implemented can reduce lighting-related energy consumption by 25 percent.

Solar energy can also be developed into solar thermal technologies which can be used for water heating, space heating, space cooling and process heat generation. Solar energy can also be used to distil water and make saline or brackish water potable or drinkable.

The solar water disinfection or SODIS involves exposing water-filled plastic polyethylene terephthalate or PET bottles. This process takes a long time, since the exposure time varies on the weather conditions. It requires a minimum of six hours to two days during days with overcast conditions. Currently, there are two million people in developing centuries use SODIS for their daily drinking water needs.

Also sunlight can be converted into electricity using photovoltaics or PV. PV has been mainly used to power small and medium-sized things like a calculator powered by a single solar cell. There are homes powered by photovoltaics. Using solar energy for water and space heating is the most widely use application of solar energy. While ventilation and solar air heating is also growing in popularity.

There are three main ways in using solar energy. The main way of using and converting solar energy is by using the solar cells. Solar cells convert light directly into electricity. Solar cells are also called photovoltaic or photoelectric cells.

Meanwhile, solar furnaces use a huge array of mirrors to concentrate on the Sun’s energy into a small space and produced very high temperatures. Solar furnaces are also called “solar cookers”. A solar cooker can be used in hot countries to cook food.

With all the benefits if using solar energy, there is still a downside for this alternative energy source. It does not work during night time. The cost of setting up solar stations is expensive, but the benefit of using solar energy when accumulated is so much more.

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Due to increasing global energy consumption and the probable depletion of the world’s non-renewable energy source, ways of exploring and using alternative energy sources are being undertaken. Using alternative energy source can be both beneficial and difficult. Let us explore the different pros and cons of alternative energy source.

A major advantage of renewable energy is that it is renewable therefore it is sustainable and will never run out. More importantly renewable energy produces little or no waste products that may pollute or has harmful effects on the environment.

Some countries using renewable energy as another source of energy are also showing some economic benefits especially in many regional areas. Most of their projects are located away from the urban centers and capital cities. They were able to increase the use of local services as well as tourism.

General disadvantage of using renewable energy is that it is difficult to generate large quantities of electricity similar to that of conventional fossil fuels. Another common problem among alternative energy sources is the reliability of the energy supply. Since it is naturally generated, renewable energy supply relies on the weather condition.

Another drawback or disadvantage of alternative energy source is that it is relatively more expensive to set up the equipment necessary for generating the energy.

Here are the several advantages and disadvantages of alternative energy source.

• Solar energy- the sun is a great source of energy since it is free and is efficient. It is possible to maximize the energy given by the sun to replace traditional electricity. But there are limitations, like areas at high latitude and places with frequent rains are places not capable of producing efficient solar energy.

• Wind energy- wind is also an efficient electricity source. It is possible that wind energy can replace up to 20 percent of the total electric consumption in the future. It is also a very environment friendly source of energy since there are no harmful gases produced in the process of converting the energy. Location is a very important factor in using wind energy, high latitudes and coast lines are good places to set up windmills. A relatively big land area is also needed to put up sufficient number of windmills.

• Hydroelectric and tidal energy- both of these energy come from water. With hydroelectric energy it is mainly sourced from dams. Tidal energy, on the other hand, uses the natural tides of the ocean. Production of energy from water is another clean way of producing energy. However there are several disadvantages. Putting up river dams as sources of hydroelectric energy is very expensive, while tidal energy source depends much on the ocean. Since oceans tends to unpredictable there are only 9 places worldwide that are suitable for this kind of energy source. And tidal energy power plants are also said to provide negative effects on the migratory birds and the fishes.

• Biomass- biomass consists of fermented animal waste, agricultural crops, grains and other natural products. It can be used to produce an alcohol and also replace gasoline needs. It maximizes waste materials as an alternative energy source. A drawback, it that it still produces greenhouse gas.

Alternative energy sources although it is renewable also pose some disadvantages. But its unfavourable effects are relatively smaller than the harmful effects of conventional fossil fuels. The hunt for a cost-efficient and environmental friendly alternative energy source does not stop on the latest discovery.

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How important are the alternative energy sources? People most commonly get the energy to power many types of equipments and things through the kinds which can be acquired on natural resources. And what are these? What will first come to mind when subjected to such question will be the likes of petroleum, electricity and coal.

But with the increase of the industries that rely a lot in the consummation of energy resources, the negative effects in nature is also on the rise. There is also the truth that many factories emit harmful chemicals that can be bad to nature. There are also many facilities and gadgets that require a lot of energy resource to be consumed. Plus the fact remains that there is a continuing rise of people’s population all over the globe. With these situations, there are pros and cons that happen in the process. And here are some of the harmful effects that such can be caused by the advent.

1. High technologies are on the rise. But these cause negative outcome to nature. Not everything that is new and advance can cause positive effects to the surroundings. And these add to the factors that utilize available energy causing the latter to diminish faster.

2. People find new ways to use old resources in new and innovative ways. But sometimes, people overlook the harmful effects that such activities can cause the environment. If this is the case, there will come a time that even the alternative sources of energy will not be able to provide what is expected from them.

3. There are environmental agencies that have done surveys with regards to energy consumption. It found out that with the current trend in the consumption of petroleum products, four decades from now, all the reserves for such products will run out if the trend will not change.

4. People have become too dependent in using natural energy resources. If time will come that there will be little or no more left of these resources, a lot of people’s activities and businesses will cease to exist. Transportation will stop. Trade will be affected. Communications will be stopped. Factories and other kinds of manufacturing businesses will stop from operating. Growth will be hindered as well as success.

To stop such negative outcome or slow down the timeline so that it won’t come about in the near future, people must do their part to be able to conserve the available resources. They must use their geniuses to find new ways and techniques to turn alternative resources into the kind of energy that can substitute the diminishing ones.

1. People must be serious about energy conservation. They must do everything in their capacity to save their use of the available energy resources. For example, if they can do without cars or riding on public transportation, or if you can just walk, then you better do that. Even if this is only a small step, this can be a big leap towards better results in conserving energy.

2. People must be responsible on whatever they do when it concerns the environment. You must remember that nature gives you a lot that you owe it as well.

Overall, it is people’s duty to look for alternative energy source to help us on our daily lives. We must also aim to alleviate the negative effects that these may cause to humanity and the environment.

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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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