The Advantages and Disadvantages of Alternative Energy Sources
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Alternative Energy Sources
Finding an alternative energy source will greatly reduce the need for using your local power company as the primary source. This would mean greater reduction in monthly utility bills for consumers. However, any new alternative energy source has advantages and disadvantages. Here are some possible pros and cons.
A good thing about renewable energy is that it can be easily sustained and it will never run out. Even more significant, a renewable alternative energy source makes little or no waste matter that harms the environment. A few nations using renewable energy as their main power source are finding some economic benefits in several areas. A good deal of their projects are found away from urban centers and capital cities. This enabled them to increase the use of local services and increased tourism to the cities.
A primary disadvantage of applying a renewable power source is the difficulty of producing adequate amounts of electricity which are equivalent to fossil fuels. Another usual problem is dependability of the energy supply. Since the source is made by nature, it relies on weather conditions. It is also more expensive to set up the needed equipment.
There are several pros and cons of the various energy sources. Solar energy comes from the sun which means it is free and efficient. The possibility of maximizing energy given by the sun to take the place of standard electricity is a possibility but there are restrictions like rainy areas and latitudes that aren't conducive to regular solar power.
Wind energy is an effective alternate source of energy. There is a likelihood it can replace around 20% of total electrical consumption in the future and wind energy is eco-friendly. It does not release harmful gases when converting energy. An important element for wind energy is location. Windmills can be efficiently set up on coastlines and high latitudes. A large land area is needed for multiple windmills.
Two energy sources from water are hydroelectric and tidal energy. Dams are the chief source of hydroelectricity and tidal energy relies on the natural ocean tides. Some major drawbacks are that setting up dams can be costly and tidal power is dependent on the ocean. Since oceans are not predictable, this kind of source could only work in a few places around the world.
The search for a cost-effective, reliable alternate energy source is taking place daily. Studies are conducted to find ways of improving each of them. People must gradually break themselves from using non-renewable sources of power. It is only a matter of time before these sources are standard. In the meantime, we should do all we can not to pollute the environment with the sources we are currently using.