The sunshine warmth we feel on our skin during a sunny day is solar energy. Basically, solar energy is emitted from the sun as either light or heat. Alternatively, you can also use tidal, wind, wave and hydroelectricity as alternative methods in creating energy. Countries have also used hydroelectric dams and sources of biofuel to power their energy supply for years.

Tidal Energy

Tidal energy may make you think it’s similar to wave energy, but in fact, the process to generate tidal energy is much more akin to using a wind turbine. Tidal stream generators using the gravitational pull of the moon to harness the kinetic energy of the ocean. Currently, close to 20% of the UK’s energy supply comes from tidal energy.

Wind Energy

People have been harnessing the wind for energy for centuries. It has become more and more popular over the past ten years. It’s a renewable source of energy that comes with no waste. Wind energy is being used to energize almost 20 million homes in the U.S. alone. This number is only continuing to grow.

The issues with utilizing wind turbines are that it just plain takes up space, and can be a danger to the biodiversity in the area.

Wave Energy

There are many ways that people can utilize the power of water. Wave energy converters work similarly to tidal energy converters but have the advantage of being placed in the ocean in strategic locations. Wave energy produces minimal waste and when used correctly, it has the ability to produce mass amounts of energy.

Hydroelectric Energy

Hydroelectricity was one of the earliest methods that scientists were able to create energy with. It is a clean source of energy that’s free of pollutants, and the dams used to create hydroelectricity can also help with flood control.

Unfortunately, these dams also have the ability to damage the environment around them. Many dams were constructed in a time where we did not fully understand the effects we had on our earth’s biodiversity.

Biofuel

Plants can be used to create renewable biofuel. Around 7% of fuels in the United States were coming from biofuel sources in 2012, and this number has only increased. The issue with biofuels is the extraction process. The machinery utilized can contribute to pollution, even if the biofuel itself won’t.

Solar Energy

There are three main types of solar energy that can be utilized. There are photovoltaic cells, solar thermal technology, and passive solar heating.

Photovoltaic Cells

Photovoltaic cells can transform sunlight into electricity. A calculator is a good example of photovoltaic cell energy. A group of photovoltaic cells is what makes up a solar panel. Solar panels can be installed on houses, street lights, almost any source of electricity. Solar panels are a natural and renewable manner of expending energy.

Small scale solar panel projects can be used to heat water for homes, hotels, and pools!

If you've ever wondered how does solar energy work? We’ll quickly break it down for you. The way this works is that mirrors are used to concentrate the sun’s light in order to heat a specific liquid. Then, the liquid is boiled to create steam. The steam then is pushed through a turbine that manufactures electricity through a generator.

Finally, the steam cools itself down and will return to liquid form. This process is then started again in a cyclical manner.

These are all forms of alternative energy that are being harnessed around the world. Researchers are at work trying to figure out the best way to extract the Earth’s potential energy use with minimal impact on the environment. As concerns with fossil fuels continue to grow, alternative sources of energy are further explored. The benefit of looking at alternative sources of energy will slow down emissions, and hopefully, mitigate the negative effects of pollution and climate change.