Alternate Energy Resources Essay, Research Paper
As most people know our energy supply is slowly running out. We are using energy sources that either pollute the air, take up natural resources or cause damage to other forms of life. Today, we are working on other forms of energy that do not pollute or cause harm to the environment. Here are some:Magnetohydrobynamic PowerMagnetohydrobynamic power is where created by plasma. One way is for gases are heated to really high temperature to where the form plasma. They are held together by strong magnets. This creates the energy. The energy is then cooled to a gas and used to turn a turbine (The hot plasma would melt the turbine if it tired to turn it.) This is already done is coal combustion research facilities. The second way is for the plasma molecules to be heated up around temperatures of 5,000,000 C%. The kinetic energy is then extracted by passing through a magnetic field. This produces a strong voltage. The only disadvantages to this power source is the lack of knowledge we have for it. Hopefully, within time, we will learn about this new energy source so we can use it to power the future.Fusion PowerFusion Power is probably the biggest known Alternate Energy Resource. Fusion is the joining of the nuclei of two atoms to form the nucleus of a heavier element. It occurs mostly with hydrogen and other light elements. Fusion reactions, also called thermonuclear reactions, release a great deal of energy. Scientists are still conducting experiments on ways of harnessing Fusion so we can use it as an energy source.Microwave Power25% of the energy we use today is used to for indoor lighting. Microwave power is the art of taking light from the sun and using it to light out indoor areas. It can only be used to light up lights though. This currently be done at Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and is used by several industrial companies. The Berkeley Lab researchers say that a single kiosk could be used to replace 30 conventional ceiling fixtures in an open spaced room and still light the room at the same brightness. If this becomes an energy source that we can depend on, you may see it light all of the lights in the world. The downside to this is that scientists due say that if we used this energy source for 1 billion years, to light up the entire world, we would take off 1 year of the sun?s life.Radial Frequency PowerRadial Frequency power is where you use sound waves to produce heat. If a sound wave is placed at a certain frequency is will produce some heat. The exact heat is unknown but scientists due say it is very little. There is scientific evidence that this can be a power source but the reason it is not is because it produces so little power. Some industrial factories do use this to produce power for small objects. Another problem with this source is the fact that the frequency is so high that it can be damaging to the enter ear so it must be done in an enclosed area.Sourceshttp://www.nosweat.com
1994 World Book Encyclopedia