As society becomes more aware of the need to protect and preserve our planet, many people are looking at the benefits of renewable energy resources. These energy sources are the key to a cleaner and greener future. Traditional energy sources, like oil, cause damage to our environment through air pollution and waste, which is one of the main reasons why scientists and researchers are looking at renewable energy sources. Renewable energy refers to a source of power harvested from a sustainable and long-lasting source, such as the sun or wind.
Currently, there are several types of renewable energy available as alternative energy sources.
Solar Power
Solar power refers to energy harvested from the sun. Photovoltaic cells draw in heat from the sun, as a form of kinetic energy. This energy is then transferred to a generator, which converts it into electricity. These panels can be paired together on large solar farms to harvest enough energy to power small towns and neighborhoods, or smaller units of cells placed on houses to power the lights and electronic devices for that home.
Wind Energy
Wind generates a lot of clean energy. In a wind farm, large windmills capture the power of the wind and send the energy to a turbine that converts it into electricity. Wind power is an easy renewable source of energy to create and is already in place in many states.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy uses the heat from the ground. The ground below you collects a lot of heat during the day, which creates steam. That steam can be captured by a generator and used to produce power.
Bioenergy
Bioenergy, or Biomass, occurs when natural products such as wood is burned. The burning lets off heat. Humans have used bioenergy for thousands of years in the form of burning wood to make fire. Today's biomass is comprised of plants, crops and even solid waste. Ethanol fuel is also a form of bioenergy created by breaking down plants into starches and sugars, fermenting and creating a wood alcohol.
When earth came into being some 4.5 billion years ago there were no signs of life. Then the symptoms of life came into being and the development in organism led to the creation of human being, from the scientific point of view. From the time when apes transformed into human beings, till now the human intervention has changed the world so much. The growth of humans involves a number of mediums, the most vital of which (after air, water and food) is fuel - fuel to heat their homes, to cook their food, to run their vehicles, to manufacture goods, to light up their homes, to run their appliances and what not.
There are two kinds of energy: renewable energy and non renewable energy. Almost 85 per cent of world consumption of energy is from non-renewable resources. Renewable energy is collected from those resources that remain unaffected even after sacrificing their energy such as solar, wind, water, etc. These green energy sources are more common in developing world due to their one time investment. However, developed nations mainly depend on fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas and coal) and nuclear power (fission and fusion). Non-renewable resources are those resources that once exhausted can never be returned to their original form.
Industrialized states are more prompt in utilizing fossil fuels to meet the needs of their industries. These fossil fuels are a result of those plants and animals that were partially decomposed and buried in the crest of earth millions of years ago due to environmental changes. These fuels have high content of carbon dioxide and can be feasibly used. Natural gas, coal and oil are the mostly consumed fossil fuels where oil shells and tar sands are not used so frequently.
No doubt our planet is full of energy resources but it is our duty to exploit only those reserves that cannot cause harm to the environment. The constant consumption of fossil fuels has evolved threats of fuel extinction but we are provided with many alternates. Need of the hour is to invent not only cost effective but also environment friendly methods (to limit the hazardous residues) to fulfill the increasing demand of power.
These information is provided by Wikipedia...