The Sources of Our Current Energy and Why We Need Alternatives

Written by Beverly Clarke

Sunday, 26 April 2009 02:08

We flick a switch and the lights, television and microwave come on. But did you ever stop to think about where the energy to power these appliances comes from? Since you probably have never given it a thought, you are unaware that today's energy is being supplied by fossil fuels and coal, two sources of energy responsible for sending huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Scientists are becoming more and more alarmed with the impact these poisons are having on our environment and are beginning to make their growing concern known.

Because people do not realize how their normal electrical usage can affect the climate in such a strong way, they are not as concerned about trying to find alternatives. However, the importance for finding clean, renewable, sustainable forms of energy has never been more important. Apart from the fact that the energy sources we use now could harm the atmosphere, the fact is that they are not renewable and eventually at the rate at which we are consuming the energy, we will soon run out. This is probably the most pressing reason behind our need to find alternative sources of energy.

Today energy companies are looking into using solar and wind energy on a wider basis than they are currently being used. In areas where there are lakes and rivers that can be reigned in, dams are a good source of hydro power. Where there are consistently moderate winds blowing, wind energy can be harnessed and is a great alternative form of energy, but not many areas fall into this category and the ones that do might not have access to an amount of wind energy to meet their demands.

These days globally, researchers are actively engaged in finding alternative energy forms. Because it does not send carbon dioxide into the air, the most common, though controversial, is nuclear power. However, concerns over the dangers of melt downs and contamination are the main points keeping nuclear power from being developed on a larger scale. Although nuclear energy is a clean form of energy, it has other downsides than the ones already mentioned. It produces nuclear waste which is harmful and takes milleniums to break down. These wastes must be stored and we have just so much land on which to do that.

For now, since scientists have not come up with a way to reduce the current energy problems we are all facing, each one of us must lend a hand to the situation. Studies being done show that by consistently cutting back our energy usage like turning off lights that are not being used, we could cut down our overall consumption of energy by up to twenty five percent.

About the Author:

Beverly Clarke is a Green Living Advocate who resides in South Florida. In order to make a contribution to the greening of our world, she has put forth the websites GreenWindsofChange.com and Road2Sustainability.com where you can get your free guide to living green.

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