Are Green Power Options Best
Monday, July 20th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Everybody wants green energy. Our obvious goal is to find the best way to be able to get the power we need without damaging the environment? Should we be opting for wind farms, hydroelectricity, or solar energy as alternative power? This guide to green living will help us decide
Renewable energy comes from resources that cannot be depleted which is why they are renewable. Resources like these produce energy without emissions from fossil fuels and harmful pollutants and are safe for our environment.
Wind farms often receive a bad press, especially when they’re situated near homes or in popular hiking areas. They can make a lot of noise and because they have to be placed on skylines for maximum efficiency they often spoil views. Offshore wind farms are less problematic in this way and can take advantage of fierce sea winds, increasing their output, but they rely on a nation having a lot of suitable coastline.
While the Netherlands does very well with its wind farms, the US is, considering the comparative size of its population, at a distinct disadvantage. For the home-owner, small wind-powered generators are available, but they’re not very efficient and often result in complaints from neighbors.
A much more effective way of generating power is using hydroelectricity that uses tidal forces and the natural energy of rivers. However, there are a limited number of suitable locations for hydroelectric generators, and often these are in areas which already provide fertile farmland, so a lot of people have to be displaced and lose their land in order for them to be built. Local wildlife can also be damaged.
Of these three major options, only solar energy as alternative power passes the test of being truly non-polluting, practical and easy to access. Solar panels of today will still work effectively even in areas that are always cloudy. Once installed, they require little maintenance and don’t get in anyones way. The greenest way to generate the power we need, for these reasons, is to harness the power of the sun.
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