Alternatives to Petroleum-Based Energy
June 19th, 2008 by admin
Traditional renewable alternatives to petroleum-based energy sources include wind, solar, biomass (e.g., wood), water, and nuclear power. As nonrenewable energy sources such as oil and coal seem to be running out and rising in price, new alternative energy sources are being explored and created. These new sources are expansions of some of the traditional alternatives. For example, nuclear power, which became less desirable with the accidents Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, is being reinvented in safer forms. Another example of reinvented alternatives would be hydropower. Typically we think of hydropower as water running over a waterfall, as in the case of Niagara Falls, the power of which lights up Buffalo, New York. New forms of hydropower involve the energy of waves. This technology is promising because it doesn’t involve the possibility of erosion that occurs when gallons of water rush over a rock formation. As with solar, wind, and nuclear power, wave-based hydropower needs some tweaking to be able to handle the gargantuan power needs of a large city, since wave power requires large bodies of water. Nevertheless, with some creativity and know-how, this new alternative energy source can be explored and developed into non-polluting, renewable energy.