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Mathew Tully
Professor Erickson
Eng. 111
November 13, 2008
Alternative Fuels
There are many different trends that our society is constantly cycling through. One trend
that is a hot topic in recent years has been “going green.” Trends such as recycling, dumpster
diving, and green politics have been common as of late; I feel one of the most popular green
trends is alternative fuels. Alternative fuels are a trend that many Americans are excited about.
Alternative fuels will benefit our society in countless ways. There are a plethora of alternative
fuels available to America, the problem is figuring out which on would be most beneficial.
There are many of alternative fuels available to the public; some are being used while
others are still in the development process. Alternative fuels include solar energy, wind energy,
hydropower, biomass, hydrogen cells, and geothermal energy. Wind energy is a trend that is
catching hold all across America. Wind energy is the extraction of kinetic energy from the wind
and conversion of it into a useful type of energy. It can be transferred into thermal energy,
mechanical energy, or electrical energy. According to Mary Copper of the wind technology
institute, “wind power is a renewable energy source that has almost no environmental problems.
It has been estimated that the total wind power in the atmosphere averages about 3.6 × 1012
kilowatts” (Cooper). On the other hand, wind energy does have some disadvantages. Wind
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machines are expensive and can be located only where there is adequate wind; also these high-
wind areas may not be easily accessible (Cooper). Wind energy has been used for many through
the use of windmills. This old age technology might be the alternative fuel, to help America rise
above our fuel shortage crisis.
Solar Energy is another alternative fuel that has become popular in recent years. Solar
energy is energy transmitted from the sun. Rodman D. Griffin of the Solar Energy Initiatives,
Inc. Company states that “The upper atmosphere of Earth receives about 1.5 × 1021 watt-hours
(thermal) of solar radiation annually this vast amount of energy is more than 23,000 times that of
all fuels used by the world’s population” (Griffin). There have been many technological
advances in solar energy research recently. In particular, there have been four major
advancements. First, the heat content of solar radiation is used to provide moderate-temperature
heat for space comfort conditioning of buildings moderate- and high-temperature heat for
industrial processes, and high-temperature heat for generating electricity (Griffin). Second,
photovoltaicssolar (cells that have thin silicon disks) convert sunlight directly into electricity
(Griffin). Third, biomass technologies exploit the chemical energy produced through
photosynthesis the synthesis of carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water by plants in
sunlight, with the release of oxygen to produce energy-rich fuels and chemicals and to provide
direct heat for many uses (Griffin). Lastly, a number of ocean energy applications are being
pursued; the most advanced is ocean thermal energy conversion, which uses temperature
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differences between warm ocean surface water and cooler deep water to produce electricity
(Griffin).
Solar energy is an exciting alternative fuel that is making advancements every day. I feel
that the best alternative fuel to be used would be solar power. This would be a great alternative
fuel because the sun is an abundant and reusable resource. Solar panels are easily installed and
can be used on just about anything such as cars and buildings. Also, solar power is a low cost
alternative fuel which is a huge problem with other fuels sources. I think solar power would be
the best alternative fuel that society has available to them right now.
Biomass is another alternative fuel that has been getting a lot of attention lately. Biomass
is any organic materials made by plants, such as leaves, roots, limbs, and seeds. Biomass is a
complex mixture of organic materials, such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, along with
small amounts of minerals, such as sodium, phosphorus, calcium, and iron (Bettelheim). A
major advantage of using biomass as a alternative fuels is it is renewable. Biomass can be easily
found and created as a source of energy. An estimated 140 billion metric tons of biomass are
produced annually (Bettelheim). However, there are some limitations of biomass fuels. Biomass
is difficult to handle and scientists are not sure how to make it portable for mobile engines.
Hydropower is another alternative fuels that has been used for years now with new
technology it is becoming a more useful alternative fuel. With new developments it had been at
the forefront of alternative fuels research. Hydropower is the power that is made from the
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movement of water. Hydropower is made from flow of rivers, streams, or reservoirs over a
damn. Tom Price of the Department of Energy's Hydropower Program says that “Water flowing
from a higher level to a lower level such as from a dam or waterfall is used to activate a turbine
that drives an electric generator” (Price). Hydropower is being used throughout the world.
Hydroelectric power now supplies about 715,000 watts of power, hydropower accounts for 19%
of world’s electricity (Price). Hydroelectric power is much less expensive than energy from
fossil fuels or nuclear energy. There are some disadvantages to hydropower such as; damns can
be expensive to build. As well as they are hard to maintain once they are built.
Geothermal energy is relatively new alternative fuel idea that has been getting a lot of
publicity lately. Geothermal energy is defined as energy is generated in the earth's core.
Geothermal energy can be used by steam and hot water produced inside the earth to heat
buildings and to generate electricity. Also, geothermal energy is a renewable energy source
because the water is replenished by rainfall and the heat is continuously produced inside the
earth. Geothermal energy can be used in two ways direct use, geothermal heat pumps.
According to a Department of Energy researcher Jennifer Weeks “direct use is done by using hot
water near the earth's surface piped into buildings and industries for heat directed use helps with
growing crops, and drying lumber, fruits, and vegetables” (Weeks). Second, geothermal heat
pumps pump heat from the earth and convert into energy for an array of things. Temperatures in
the upper ten feet of the Earth's surface hold nearly constant between fifty and sixty degrees
Fahrenheit (Weeks). Geothermal pumps are becoming more popular to help heat and cool
homes. Geothermal energy is becoming more and more an alternative to fossil fuels as more
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ways are being found to use it. However there is a downside to geothermal energy. Geothermal
pump are awkward and heavy also only a handful of specialist can hook up the complicated
pumps. Geothermal energy can be a reasonable solution to our energy problem, if the wrinkles
can be worked out.
An alternative fuel that has been in the new lately is hydrogen fuel cells. According to
the authors of the journal article renewable energy; the hydrogen fuel cells are a converting
device that produces electricity from fuel and an oxidant which react in the presence of an
electrolyte” (Uzunoglu; Onar; Alam). Hydrogen fuel cells are being researched to be inserted
into cars to address the country gasoline issues. The fuel cell in an engine would cause an
internal combustion for energy and would give off water as exhaust witch would pollute the air.
However, there are some problems with hydrogen. First, the cost to make hydrogen vehicles
would be astronomical it would be very difficult to mass produce hydrogen engines. Second,
hydrogen is very unstable and can combust very easily such as the Hindenburg disaster. Lastly,
if hydrogen fuel was put into production for cars there would be the problem of refueling,
scientist and automakers are not sure how to make hydrogen available to consumers.
Alternative fuels are a green trend that is getting a lot of attention. Alternative fuels are
something that needs to be researched more to figure out some of the problems associated with
each of these alternative fuels. If the problems that have been discussed in this paper can be
solved, it would eliminate a multitude of problem that society faces. Alternative fuels are a new
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and exciting green trend that people need to get more involved in to help make our world a green
place to live.