Monday, June 15th, 2009 | Author:

As the planet’s non-renewable energy sources start to run dry, everyone needs to do their part in making more use of abundant renewable energy instead.

So far we are able to produce 4 types of renewable energy: hydro energy, wind energy, solar energy, and geothermal energy.

Wind Power:

Power of the wind has been used to move boats, for irrigation and to grind flour. But nowadays, wind turbines have evolved into electricity generating machines.

In Holland or the small wind-pumps on farms, they have been developed tremendously in the past decade. Now wind turbines are able to generate thousands of megawatts of power, and when used on a small scale at home, wind power can substitute conventional energy sources, helping households to get off the grid.

Click to learn more about home wind generators

The Sun:

Sunlight is the most abundant form of energy we have available, so there is no excuse for us not using more of it. But thanks to extensive research and development, we can make use of the sun in various ways - solar heating and passive solar design, solar electric power, and solar cooking and solar drying.

With solar electric and heating systems, they are both cost-effective, good for the environment, they require little maintenance and help you save on your utility bills. Solar cookers are very healthy way of cooking food, since they cook the food at a lower temperature-helping to retain its vitamins and minerals. They are also very portable, making them ideal for travelers and campers.

Water Power:

Like windmills, hydro energy used to be used in ancient machines to grind flour or transport water in aqueducts for irrigation.

But nowadays, hydro energy is mainly harnessed in hydro-electric dams to power nearby cities. How it works is the dam channels water through large turbines, that cause them to spin and generate power. The most popular hydro-electric dam is the Hoover Dam, that produces power for Las Vegas. Hydro power is very widely used, and produces over 90% of all renewable energy.

Many environmentalists and socialists are against hydro-electric dams, since they affect the natural forna and flora and can cause the forced removal of entire cities.

Geothermal (Volcanic) Power:

It is normally in volcanic areas where you will find geothermal power being used. In places like Iceland, hot, molten lava is close to the surface, that heats large bodies of water and creates steam for geothermal electricity.

Where this lava comes into contact with water, it super heats it and causes large volumes of steam to burst to the surface through geysers. The pressure from this steam is diverted and passed through turbines to generate electricity. Once the steam has passed through it is sometimes cooled, turned back into water, which is then pumped back into the geyser to make more steam. This makes it everlasting cycle…

Click to learn more about home wind generators

 

 

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