Solar and wind seem to be all everyone can talk about when it comes to renewable energy. Little do people know that these two energy sources have only made a small dent in the energy mix so far. However, as costs continue to come down and more people understand the benefit of adopting green energy technology, solar and wind will rise to greater heights.
However, if we really want to make fossil fuels a thing of the past we are going to need to be more innovative. This means thinking outside of the box and looking at other ways we can generate energy. Luckily, we do not need to pin all our hopes on solar and wind. There are several other ways to generate energy and a group of scientists have come up with some potentially excellent alternative energy sources. Some of them might seem like a long shot, but anything is worth a try, right?
Space Solar
Not all of the solar energy emitted by the sun actually makes it into the Earth’s atmosphere. In fact, most of it stays out in space. So, space-based solar power generation makes a lot of sense. The main challenge for this energy source is the cost of getting a generator out into space and then bringing the energy back to earth.
Human Power
There are billions of people on this planet and they move around all the time. Scientists have long thought about harnessing the energy that could be generated simply by people going about their daily lives. This would be the ultimate renewable energy source.
Tidal Power
Tidal Power is growing in popularity in a number of countries. While some are making it a viable energy source, there is still a long way to go in most nations. However, the full potential of tidal power is enormous. The US alone has the capacity to generate over 250 billion KWh per year.
Hydrogen Power
Hydrogen counts for 74% of the mass of the entire universe so if this can be turned into energy it is good news for the planet. Unfortunately, hydrogen is usually found fused with other atoms, such as oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. To separate these atoms you require energy, so the process could end up being counter-productive. This one needs more research and development.
Magma Power
We all know that the centre of the Earth is extremely hot, so why not try and turn this into energy, If magma could be tapped for geothermal heat we would have another viable alternative energy source. Scientists in Iceland are currently looking in to the possibility of this.
Nuclear Waste
When nuclear fission takes place in a nuclear reactor only around 5% of the uranium atoms are actually used, the rest simply becomes nuclear waste. This then sits in storage for thousands of year as it breaks down. There is a lot of talk right now in the energy community about using these leftovers to generate energy.
Algae Power
Who would have thought that this little pond plant would be capable of generating energy? Algae grows all over the place and could produce serious amount of energy if we were capable of harnessing its full potential.
