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With the uncertainty surrounding the future of non renewable energy sources, governmental agencies and non-profit organizations are trying to let consumers and planners know that everyone has a choice in power sources.
The new availability of innovative technology and business models for renewable energy means the industry is rapidly expanding and constantly offering new options for leaner, greener energy use.
WIND
According to U.S. government reports, wind power has come down in cost 85% in the last twenty years. Now wind power competes with ‘traditional’ energy sources at less than 10c/kilowatt hour.
Large “wind farms” provide municipal power for parts of over a dozen states (California is in the lead). Most are western states, but wind power is also making inroads to the East, where engineers are recognizing the benefits of a free and natural power source. In other areas, smaller windmills provide natural power with mechanical hookups or turbines.
SOLAR
Solar power is another great renewable power source that’s on the rise. States like California have seen homeowner purchases of solar cells double in past years, and it’s estimated that commercial solar plants provide power for close to 100,000 homes across the southwest.
Solar is another energy source where there are various methods available to enable households to “cash in” on green energy. Households with solar panels can store power in batteries. Homes without solar panels can receive “passive solar” power through dispersion of light and heat using common skylights and bay windows. And, some homeowners are doing amazing things with passive solar to heat water.
On the market, it’s estimated that solar still usually cost between 10 and 15 cents per kilowatt hour, but the popularity of this energy source means the gap will likely continue to decrease, and lots of conscientious energy buyers are factoring in what solar power saves the world, as well as the dependability of this power source compared to finite sources like coal or oil.
BIOMASS
This renewable power source is an area lots of engineers are just beginning to explore, and it’s a diverse area of power production. There are many ways to use biomass (any collection of organic matter) to produce energy.
Biomass plants can burn products like switch grass for energy production, ferment them into other power sources, or generate methane through other chemical processes. Biomass is basically the study of how “waste” or otherwise useless matter can produce power.
States like Vermont are pioneering biomass, where a state plant is said to produce power for over 100,000 homes. And then, of course, there’s ethanol: this controversial process of converting corn to gasoline additives is hotly contested as either progress or a failed program, but the concept behind ethanol, when properly administrated, can be a great alternative to our previous limited choices for producing our nation’s power.
What’s needed in renewable energies is more research, more funding, and more implementation, and as we see this trend continue, investments in greener technologies will keep paying off.
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