Energy Sources of the Future - Essay Example

With such discoveries and inventions like this on the horizon, it does feel like that our futures may have very little reliance on fossil fuels. Below is the list of the top three alternative power sources which can be used to replace fossil fuel (McLamb Eric). 1. SOLAR ENERGY: Solar energy, as we know, is linked with the sun and solar power is the conversion of sunlight. Solar seems to be one of the best replacements that we can have for current fossil fuel usage as it lasts for an indefinite time period and is one of the fastest growing energy sources.

As days pass by solar cells are becoming more effective, transportable and flexile which enables to allow easy installation. Replacing solar energy with fossil fuels has lots of benefits. If we consider, solar energy’s use in electricity, we would notice that solar power is economically very beneficial for the people, which means that intra-continental electricity is feasible economically and works well in most regions. (Englebert; McLamb Eric). In 2011, the International Energy Agency said, “The development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have huge longer-term benefits.

It will increase countries’ energy security through reliance on an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly import-independent resource, enhance sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of mitigating climate change, and keep fossil fuel prices lower than otherwise. These advantages are global” (Englebert Anne). Worldwide energy insecurity can be solved by solar energy which is one of the most rising sustainable resources. According to Ausra’s, executive vice president John O’Donnell, a storage system which is 93% efficient has made the utilization of solar thermal technology after the sunsets possible.

In solar thermal plants, in order to store energy we do not have to convert it into any other form as they don’t rely on battery technology hence they are highly efficient. The electric current is generated when flat moving reflectors or parabolic mirrors focus solar energy to generate heat which in turn generates steam, which turns turbines so even if we need electricity at night we can store the heat from the sun for generating electricity later (Lozanova). According to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, solar power could provide energy for more than one billion people by 2020 and 26 percent of global energy needs by 2040 (McLamb). 2. WIND ENERGY: Actually, wind energy is a form of solar energy because wind is basically formed when the atmosphere heats or cools down causing air and its layer to rise and fall and move over each other which results in wind currents.

Wind power can create electricity by the basic principle of it passing through turbine which in turn converts them into electricity. Wind “farms” consist of hundreds of wind turbines which are spread over huge areas of land for collecting commercial wind energy. Replacing wind power with fossil fuels is very beneficial too because wind power is renewable, widely distributed, clean and does not produce greenhouse gas emissions when its used and it also