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A diameter of only about six feet is needed at the base, making the real estate cost for a wind turbine relatively cheap.Ī problem with using wind power is that it is not always a guaranteed energy source. The actual space taken up by a wind turbine is relatively small compared to other alternative energy sources. Wind generation is a renewable resource that will never run out, and it is a great energy source for people who live in remote areas where it may be difficult to supply them with power by use of wires connected to a power plant that is far away. No by-products are made, such as carbon dioxide, to cause air or water pollution. Wind power is consider a clean energy source because there are no chemical processes involved in wind power generation.
#Lightwrite alternative generator
When the generator is mechanically powered by the wind via a wind turbine, it can make electricity. This movement causes an electric current to flow through the copper coil. Inside the generator, a copper coil is moved through a magnetic field by the shaft that is connected to the moving blades.
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A generator is a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. The blades spin a shaft that is connected to a generator. This is the wind’s energy at work.Ī wind turbine works much like an old fashioned windmill in that it also uses the wind’s kinetic energy (energy caused by motion) to turn the blades. The basic concept is that when the windmill is held up in oncoming wind currents, the wind catches in the curve of the blades, causing the windmill to rotate. The power of the wind can most easily be seen by using a child’s windmill. For hundreds of years, human beings have used the power of the wind to send their ships across the oceans and used windmills to grind grain, pump water, and saw wood. Wind power is not a new source of energy. These barriers include location, storage, high cost to produce and use, and inconsistent energy supply. So if alternative energy sources are supposed to fix our environmental and supply problems, why have we not switched to using alternative energy sources solely? Well, the simple answer is that alternative energy sources also tend to have common barriers to their use as widespread energy sources. These fuels all have two things in common: their small environmental impact on the earth and their sustainability (never ending supply) as an energy source. Some popular alternative energy sources are wind power, hydroelectricity (water power), solar power, biofuels, and hydrogen. Because of these concerns with fossil fuels, more people are beginning to use alternative energy sources. Estimates on how long current reserves will last run anywhere from 20 years to 400 years. Another problem associated with fossil fuels is their supply: it is unclear how long oil and coal reserves will last with our current rate of consumption or if new reserves will be found before current reserves run out. To use these fuels as energy they must be burned, and burning of these fuels releases harmful gases into the atmosphere, causing pollution. Currently, fossil fuels are the most used energy source to heat our homes and power our cars.
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Fossil fuels consist of natural gas, coal, and oil. We’re going to focus on the benefits, possibilities, and barriers that come with the use of alternative energy.Īlternative energy is best defined as the use of energy sources other than traditional fossil fuels, which are considered environmentally harmful and are in short supply. These ideas range from recycling, to picking up trash, to using alternative energy sources.
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#Lightwrite alternative how to
Many ideas on how to protect the environment have been put into place, either by social consciousness or by law, to help clean up the earth and reduce future pollution. Different Types of Alternative Energy Sourcesįor several decades there has been quite a bit of discussion about the damage caused to the environment by littering and pumping harmful gases into the atmosphere.
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