List of Alternative Energy Options

If you ask people around the world what they think the next energy option should be once we run out of oil (which is going to happen, even if you are a Republican), you might get a number of stock answers. But what many people don’t realize is that there are a number of alternative energy sources, according to that definition. Just because the energy isn’t renewable or that it’s dangerous doesn’t mean that it can’t be an alternative energy option.

Powering Up for the Future

What you might not realize is that the Earth has a number of different options when it comes to energy it can produce for us to use. While we might think of oil as black gold, you can find a number of different energy possibilities already stewing in the earth, including:

• Wave power
• Tidal power
• Solar power
• Radiant energy
• Wind power
• Geothermal power
• Compressed natural gas
• Hydroelectricity
• Biomass
• Nuclear power

When you first look at this list, you might think some strung out hippie wrote it. After all, aren’t a lot of these repetitive? Let’s look at the list for a second. Tidal energy and wave power are not the same things. While the tide coming in might create waves, they can also create energy. Here’s the difference, using the tidal energy makes sense since the movement is consistent each. The energy used in the tides can then be harnessed to make sure that people have the energy they need for electricity and for other power. Wave power is a little less predictable, though there are areas of the world that might be wavier than others.

Solar power and radiant power are also different. Solar power is collected by taking solar cells, directing the energy into the cells, and storing the energy that comes from the sun. With radiant energy, this is the heat that is created by the sun, causing this energy to be used immediately. Whenever you go outside on a sunny day, you are experiencing radiant energy.

Solar power can be stored for those days that are not sunny, helping to keep the electricity levels consistent.

What is Nuclear Doing on the List?

Yes, that’s the question that’s really on your mind. Never bother what’s on the rest of this list, but when we run out of oil, is it going to be a good idea to switch to nuclear power? Well, it depends who you ask. Many environmentalists think that while this is a clean form of energy (and it is), the waste that is created is problematic, and if a nuclear reactor blows up, we’ll all be dead. On the other side of the argument are those who point out that a lot of energy can be made from just a small amount of radioactive material, in a safe way. So, it’s really something that can be argued either way – and it’s still reasonable under the alternative list. Hopefully also under the ‘never in a million years’ category.