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ALTERNATIVES TO FOSSIL FUELS AND NUCLEAR POWER
ALTERNATIVES TO
FOSSIL FUELS AND NUCLEAR POWER
In the Philippines,
100-hectare (247-acre) wood plantations are being managed for present
and future wood-fired power plants. Denmark has built large clusters of
windmills to generate electricity, and Brazil has significantly reduced
its reliance on imported oil by converting sugarcane crops into alcohol
fuels. Photovoltaic solar cells are being manufactured in India,
Algeria, and Yugoslavia. Hungary and Mexico use increasingly large
amounts of geothermal energy. In the United States, a power plant in
California generates electricity solely from the combustion of old
tires. As these examples show, most countries are trying new approaches
in the endless quest for energy.
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Alternative to fossil fuels and
nuclear power are receiving a great deal of attention these days,
and for good reason. Although alternative energy sources are not
pollution-free, they have fewer environmental problems than fossil
fuels or nuclear power. We have seen that there are a number of
concerns about using fossil fuels for energy. Reserves of oil, gas,
and even coal are limited and will eventually be depleted, and
burning these fossil fuels for energy has negative environmental
consequences such as global warming, air pollution, acid rain, and
oil spills. Some people have suggested that nuclear energy can be
used when we run out of fossil fuels; a number of extremely serious
problems are associated with the use of nuclear fission. In
addition, uranium, the fuel for nuclear fission, is a nonrenewable
resource. |
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Given the rapidly expanding world
population, future energy needs will probably demand the exploitation
of most energy sources. The recognized need for a long-term solution has
prompted worldwide interest in renewable energy sources, those sources
that are replenished by natural processes so that they can be used
indefinitely. Among the most attractive renewable energy sources is
solar energy, in part because its use has little negative impact on the
environment. Solar energy can be used directly to heat water and
buildings and generate electricity. In addition, the energy of the sun
may be harnessed indirectly as wind, biomass (wood, agricultural wastes,
and fast-growing plants), and hydropower (the energy of flowing water).
Other renewable energy sources include geothermal energy and ocean
tides. Renewable energy is currently more expensive than energy produced
by fossil fuels and nuclear power, hut as technological advances are
made, costs will probably decrease.
Renewable forms of energy arc not the
complete and final solution to our energy problem, however. All energy
resources must be used with conservation in mind, and we must continue
to find ways to enhance energy efficiency and decrease waste. Energy
conservation is our single must important long-term energy
solution.
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