Green power is experiencing a massive surge in popularity. For much of our history, the only way to economically generate electricity, with the occasional exception of a dam where possible, has been through fossil fuels. That is no longer the case. Solar power, wind energy, and hydroelectric dams are remaking our power grid sustainable and responsible.
Wind Power
Wind turbines are the oldest form of green power. Many historic granaries made use of the wind in order to grind grain, and there is evidence of wind power being used as long as 2,000 years ago. [1]
Wind energy has had a resurgence in popularity, as it is one of the cheapest sources of green energy. The time-tested design of the windmill means that cost per kilowatt is actually quite close to that of fossil fuel. [2] As a result, many countries are adopting wind farms for electricity generation, and it will probably stay a booming industry for the foreseeable future.
Of course, wind energy isn’t without its problems. The giant bladed contraptions are fairly complex, and have many moving parts that all need to be maintained. While this is great for creating jobs, it makes maintenance of a farm a nightmare. The blades also tend to make quite a racket, and many individuals have complained about noise pollution. [3]
However, as long as the wind farm is in an area with steady airflow and few people, they work quite well. Unfortunately, that means that they are also pretty far from those who actually need electricity.
Solar Power
Solar energy is simple yet inspiring: Unlike pretty much every other electricity producer we have, a solar panel has no moving parts, no complex machinery. All it needs is access to the sun.
A solar panel has more in common with plants than a nuclear plant. When the sun’s rays strike the panel, the photon interacts with a semiconductor. Every photon contains energy, and when it strikes the semiconductor, it parts with a little of it. The semiconductor then sends it on down a wire. With enough photons, and enough semiconducting cells, a fair amount of electricity can be created.
The idea of a solar power revolution has been floating around for years, but the technology for it isn’t here yet. The problem is that most mass-produced solar cells can only capture a fraction – usually between 6% and 20%. There are some higher solar panels that have broken the 50% efficiency barrier, but good luck finding them in stores, as they are incredibly difficult to create.
Solar cells are very difficult to produce. Low-efficiency cells have come down in price significantly, thanks to breakthroughs in manufacturing, but the current high-efficiency cells need such pristine conditions that they aren’t likely to ever be mass produced.
However, solar is closer to being a viable option than ever before. Many believe that solar power will become a great option in the next 20 years.
Hydroelectric Power
Dams were doing green energy before activists even coined the term. They also happen to be the most-used form of renewable energy, accounting for 88% of green energy production and 20% of the total energy production of the entire world.
Dams are immensely renewable. Once they are made, almost no additional resources need to be added. Plus, because you don’t want a wall of water demolishing a city, they are generally built to last for 50-plus years, during which time they can produce electricity at almost no cost.
Of course, they are not without their problems. Dams have broken, and in one instance cost the lives of 1,000 people. [4] Dams also alter the ecosystem of their surrounding land, frequently destroying the habitat of animals and disrupting the migration path of fish. Also, dams can lead to the depopulation of species, a markedly un-green thing.
Despite the downsides, hydroelectricity is believed to be one of the most useful forms of green electricity currently available. [4]
Sources:
1. http://wind.nrel.gov/public/library/shepherd.pdf
2. http://meic.org/energy/global_warming_pollution/renewable-energy-alternatives-1/wind_cost
3. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/03/listening-to-wind-farm-noise-concerns
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/buffalo_creek_flood
