subject: The Hot Topic Of This Century Has To Be Green Energy [print this page] One of the most talked about topics of this Century has to be where to find different forms of Energy.
Green Energy - also called Sustainable Energy, Environmentally Friendly Energy,Non-Polluting Energy etc., refers to energy which is naturally renewable and less harmful to the planet.
Energy sources more familiar to us such as Coal(used as early as the 17th Century), Oil(used as far back as the 13th Century) and Gas (reported to have been used by the Chinese as far back as 500BC for boiling sea water to remove the salt) must be conserved as it is thought that if we go on using them at the current rate they will run out in 100 years.
Green Energy substances that are the focus of much attention are Geothermal (under the Earth), Bio Mass (Plants), Hydro (Water), Wind (Wind) and Solar (Sun). These are of interest because they are all naturally renewable and therefore the planet will not be stripped of these assets no matter how much we use.
So if we have all these sources in abundance why aren't we using them now?
The answer is because although they are in essence 'Free', ie the Sun shines free of charge, the Wind blows free of charge, to harness their power and turn it into something useable requires infrastructure and it is this which is costly.
Let's look at a couple of the renewable - Green Energy - sources.
Bio Mass as an alternative fuel source is produced from Plants which have to be grown from seed (in huge quantities) harvested, transported to a facility to turn them into energy, creation of the facility itself and the operating process.
Wind Power as an alternative form of electricity is created via huge tower system, with each system having rotor blades attached to a long neck. Inside the neck is a shaft which turns as the wind blows the rotor blades. The shaft is connected to a generator and this generates electricity. The tall tower turbines require siting and many of the chosen 'Wind Farm' sites are out at Sea and so the cost of constructing these is obviously expensive.
So it is clear that whilst there are alternatives to the ever depleting fossil fuels on which we have come so dependent upon, it is going to take a considerable amount of work to be able to bring the alternatives 'to market' in ways that are both cost effective and 'planet saving'.
