The Endless Possibilities of Alternative Powering | Teen Ink

The Endless Possibilities of Alternative Powering

May 25, 2012
By jigomez BRONZE, FAIRHOPE, Alabama
jigomez BRONZE, FAIRHOPE, Alabama
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Any kind of usable energies that can replace fuel sources, such as harmful fossil fuels, without the resulting consequences is considered an alternative energy. There are so many different available alternative energies, fossil fuels really cannot compare. Just as well, fossil fuels, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), are the main contributing factor to global warming. The world has began to realize this, and slowly but surely people are converting to use alternative energy supplies in their everyday life, such as heating their homes with solar generated heat, or electrically charged “smart” cars. Why not join them?

Though alternative energy is ever so much better for the planet, as well as our and animals living environment, it is also more costly. Today’s economy would make it hard on most to even attempt to convert to an alternative energy based lifestyle. However, this is seemingly the only con to this choice of life. If more people converted to this way of life, it would create millions of jobs for the billions that are in need at this point in the economy. Then, it would produce more money, which in the end would help everyone get back on their feet. Afterwards, nearly everyone would be made possible to use alternative energies in their everyday lives. This is something fossil fuels are no longer capable of doing; they merely have the potential of ruining our environment and helping speed along global warming.

One of the main kinds of alternative energies is solar energy. This is more commonly known because of its ease of conversion. It can be converted into two types of energy: thermal and electric. Thermal is used to heat homes and water, while electric simply generates electricity to power a home. The second most known is wind energy, aandyou’ve seen a windmill “farm”, then you’ve seen a simple windmill generating thousands of watts of non-harmful and usable power. Down the street from where I live, in the downtown area, there is a market powered solely by an enormous windmill they have in the front of the market, and is a place frequented by many. The third form of alternative energy, geothermal energy, is generated from the Earth’s interior hot water and steam sources to heat buildings and generate electricity. There is also a form of usable energy called biofuels. This is any plant derived substitute of gasoline used for the powering of vehicles. There are many different types of biofuels, such as ethanol, hydrogen and even algae derived energy.

As I’m sure you have realized, there are so many different ways to power our everyday needs in ways that don’t have to harm our environment, as well as our selves ultimately. Imagine a world fueled entirely by alternative energies and biofuels, a world where the majority of people truly did everything in their power to accomplish what they had to, but still put the environment in the forefront of their mind as well. This world now having millions of jobs working towards creating uses of different alternative energies, someone always coming up with something new. The economy, better than ever before, rising from the ashes of poverty and doing something great: truly cleaning up our world. This is a world I hope we all someday achieve and exist in.

Alternative energies, as I hope you have come to see, are the light in which our environment is attempting to drive us toward. The many different versions of power derivation all do different things, but ultimately all would be powering our everyday lives. A world powered by alternative energies is steadily breaking out of its shell, capturing more and more people as it widens its berth, so why not at least give it a try? You don’t have to go and buy an electrically charges “smart” car, just set up a few solar panels in your backyard as an “experiment” for your children, to power one of their school projects, or better yet, BE their school project! Alternative powering doesn’t have to be some drag, boring, scientifically revolved group of facts; it can be interesting while still holding on to its appeal and effect of helping our environment.



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