Saving the World with Alternative Energy
Energy independence is a noble goal for many countries wishing to ensure that their security is never at the behest of foreign nations. Many people would also like to help the environment, and they want to prevent all of the air pollution that is a direct result from our massive oil and coal consumption to generate electricity and drive cars. Over the past few decades, scientists have been working on the solution, and in recent years, new types of clean, affordable, efficient power have become mainstream. Alternative energy is what the twenty-first century shall be remembered for.
Our Environment
Never before has our environment been so threatened. Carbon dioxide emissions in the air are fully expected to more than double in the next fifty years as we ramp up fossil fuel use, but scientists have recently unveiled a way to prevent this through the use of alternative fuels. Many people have heard of solar, hydroelectric, and wind power, but there are even more recent developments in alternative energy which promise a greener future.
Since the turn of the millennium, solar panels have vastly increased in terms of efficiency while decreasing drastically in price, making them a viable alternative to using the power grid. In fact, buying enough solar panels for one's home could pay itself off within a decade, and lifetime savings would be tens of thousands of dollars. Wind power does have some drawbacks, mainly the number of wind turbines needed to generate electricity, but it is also clean and cheap. Lastly, hydroelectric power is essentially at its capacity with the prime spots for dams already built on. Current alternative energy sources are exciting, but there are many others to consider as well.
Geothermal energy is estimated to be able of providing enough power for the world for several millennia, although many scientists would prefer that it be used at half capacity or less to ensure that the heat would last essentially forever. Fusion is a yet distant prospect for energy output, but when the technology is finished, it will provide a limitless amount of clean, extremely cheap energy for the entire world. In fact, fusion power plants would use the same process as occurs in our very own sun! Perhaps the most exciting development in alternative energy is the hydrogen fuel cell, which is expected to replace the use oil in cars and other automobiles. It's more fuel efficient, and the only waste product it generates is drinkable, clean water.
All of these alternative energies will help the world enter an age of prosperity and escape from the predictions of doom and gloom by scientists today. If we don't act, the world may be changed horribly forever, but human ingenuity and determination will prevent this from ever occurring. The twenty-first century will be known as the age of alternative energy.
