Wind Power

Wind energy is a form of non fossil-fuel energy that, if utilized more, could help us to get closer to a more sustainable future.  Wind energy uses wind turbines in order to produce electricity out of kinetic energy created by wind.  However, wind energy has a lot of aspects that can be seen as issues, which is why it isn’t used more broadly today.  To start, the cost of installation of wind turbines is always an issue, as the larger they are, the more energy they produce, but they are in turn, more expensive.  Commercial applications are difficult as well, as wind turbines usually need to be in rural areas for them to generate as much energy as possible (and are very large, so difficult to install in less rural areas,) but then have to send their energy off to more populated places.  Finally, wind energy is unreliable because the amount of wind produced in a day cannot be controlled, so the amount of power produced may not be consistent.  Although wind turbines are becoming less expensive as prices drop and they become more available (in 2016, wind energy was 16% of all energy produced by renewable sources), we have a long way to go before wind power replaces fossil fuels.

https://www.irena.org/wind

Hot Dam! (Hydroelectricity)

Hydroelectric power is an alternative method to fossil fuel-driven mechanisms. Take, for instance, the Hoover Dam, which generates ~4 billion kilowatt hours per year, and is one of the nation’s largest sources of hydroelectric power.

Hydroelectric power plants and dams usually draw the majority of their power from a reservoir of water, whose output is then controlled by a gate-like mechanism. Potential energy is gained as the water flows down hill, and in the case of the Hoover Dam, power is derived from two ‘wicket gates’ which then reach turbines that control the main power output for the Dam.

Hydroelectric power, be it through dams or other resources, is responsible for ~71 of renewable energy used worldwide, the biggest contributors being the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, and China.

Hydroelectricity is unique in its versatility and application, as well as its vast potentiality in power capacity and drive. It is a form of renewable energy that we should consider making more use of.

Resources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/hydroelectric-energy/

https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/faqs/powerfaq.html