Alternative energy sources: unconventional types of food for the home

The amount of minerals extracted for the production of energy resources is steadily growing and the day is not far off when they run out. When they are converted into heat and electricity, environmental pollution is becoming more and more intense, despite the introduction of environmental measures. Against this background, the development of well-known and the search for new alternative energy sources can be a way out of this situation.

Non-renewable resources

For a long time, people have been using nonrenewable resources to heat and light their homes.

At first, these were different types of coal, and with the development of geology and the discovery of deposits, technologies appeared that made it possible to use oil and gas resources for this.

At first, no one thought about their quantity and stocks. But with the growth of industrial production and an increase in consumption in everyday life, these reserves have become severely depleted, and their exploration and production in hard-to-reach areas very often does not pay off. Already, the average household costs half of the costs of heating, lighting and fueling a car. In the future, this amount will only increase.

In modern conditions, humanity is trying to transform any natural phenomena into energy, be it the movement of water or wind, sunlight or the heat of the earth. Many states are developing appropriate laws regulating their use in order to prevent conflicts in border areas.

Sources of alternative energy

The number of the most significant types of alternative energy repeats the number of earthly elements - fire, water, earth and air. It is them that people are trying to use to replace traditional resources in the heat and power industry. Scientists and engineers from many countries are engaged in the search for new, more efficient and least costly methods.

Solar Activity

The transformation of the energy released by a luminary into heat and electricity for domestic and industrial needs is the very first energy resource that began to be investigated. Its use is related to the physical properties of sunlight and semiconductors to generate electrical energy.

To generate it, there are special power plants equipped with a large number of silicon solar panels. Heat production from solar energy based on the laws of thermodynamics of liquid and gaseous substances. For this, stations are installed, consisting of collectors that generate heat.

The work of the solar panel is based on the phenomenon of the photoelectric effect. There are a lot of modifications of such batteries now and work on their modernization does not stop.

There are craftsmen who use this method to supply energy at home. The source is solar panels, most often installed on the roof. To do this, you need to buy special elements consisting of single-chip and multi-chip photoparticles, since you cannot make them yourself.

The service life of the monoparticles is shorter, but the efficiency is higher - about thirteen percent. Polycrystalline have a long term of use with an efficiency of less than nine percent, but they can work even in cloudy weather, in contrast to monocrystalline ones.

To make a solar battery yourself, you need:

• Make a transparent body from organic or other material.
• Make a strong frame.
• Any metal or wood will do.
• Assemble the photocells into a circuit and place them in the housing.

Crystals must be handled very carefully due to their fragility. Completely mount the unit. Electricity obtained in this way is used for household needs.

Benefits of using solar energy:

• Solar energy is endless.
• The production of electricity in such an installation is silent.
• The equipment has a low price and can be partially manufactured by yourself.
• Does not require human intervention.

Of course, there are certain disadvantages, to which include the following:

• The crystals themselves and the works to connect the road.
• Insignificant toxic emissions during work.
• The high cost of energy storage devices.
• Low efficiency requires the use of a large number of batteries to fully power the facility.

Wind flows

This way of saving resources is based on converting the driving force of the air flow into electricity. For this, wind farms were invented. These installations can be installed at any point of support: on land, at sea, in the mountains. There would be a wind. Their main part is generators of various modifications (horizontal, vertical). Windmills with a horizontal axis occupy a larger area than vertical ones. They all have different power, are equipped with a different type and number of blades, but they are designed to fulfill the same function - to produce cheap electricity.

There is nothing complicated in the operation of a hydroelectric generator. The blades rotate due to gusts of wind and are fed to the alternator through the transmission unit. Both of these devices are placed in the swivel gondola at a certain height. Its movement along the plane depends on the direction of the wind. With the help of a step-up transformer and automation devices, electricity is poured into a single power system.

The advantages of wind power plants are as follows:

• They do not generate harmful emissions and waste.
• Completely autonomous.
• Wind energy is virtually endless.

The disadvantages include:

• Requires continuous airflow.
• Station equipment is expensive.
• Due to the high level of noise and electromagnetic field, they require placement in remote areas.
• Large occupied territory.

Power of water

From the study of this natural structure, a whole industry began to develop - hydropower. It also converts the flow of water into electrical energy in hydroelectric power plants. For example, in Russia, most of the large rivers are blocked by several hydroelectric power plants.

They are also based on a generator with blades, which is driven by the flow of the river. Then electricity is removed from it with the help of converters. This is one of the cheapest types of energy, but it also has its drawbacks:

• Coastal areas are flooded.
• The population of river inhabitants is decreasing.
• There is a constant hum around such structures.

In recent years, scientists have been able to obtain energy from the movement of seawater during high and low tides. Tidal power plants are being built in the areas of the coastal strip where this phenomenon is most pronounced. The principle of operation of such a station is as follows: at the beginning of the tide, the inlets open and rotate the generator shaft. After six hours, they close, opening the weekend, and the process is reversed.

The advantages inherent in such objects, are as follows:

• Cheapness of operation.
• Such stations attract tourists, which is beneficial in terms of finance.

The disadvantages are usually attributed to:

• The construction of such structures is very costly.
• Adverse impact on marine life.
• Incorrect design can provoke flooding of the surrounding area.

There is another large-scale project to close large straits with hydroelectric power plants like wind turbines. However, due to the high cost, as well as difficulties from the technical and political sides, such plans do not extend beyond paper drawings.

Natural warmth of the earth

The use of this type of alternative electric power industry began relatively recently. Geothermal installations are used in places where such sources come to the surface and in areas with high thermal activity. An example of such an area in Russia is Kamchatka with its many geysers.

This energy is generated with the help of special pumps that make it possible to use the heat of the subsoil for heating and lighting infrastructure facilities. Thermal pumps have different capacities and designs. The primary source of heat energy is decisive in the method of building a pump, therefore there are the following types of installations: soil - water and water - water, air - water and soil - air, water - air and air - air, freon - water and freon - air.

Biological fuel

All biofuels are created from natural organic materials. Depending on the state of aggregation, it can be:

• Solid (fuel wood briquettes and pellets).
• Liquid (biodiesel, bioethanol and other types).
• Gaseous (biogas and biohydrogen).

Biological gas is obtained from the processing of organic raw materials or production by-products. It consists of a mixture of methane, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide.

The main details of such a setup are:

• Tank of sealed construction.
• A mixer or auger is needed to mix the contents.
• Supply manifold for raw materials and water.
• Waste biogas gas outlet.
• Waste debris removal pipeline.

Very often this equipment is located underground in a sealed silo. To prevent destruction, the internal pressure control must be constant, gas pumping out in a timely manner. Soil fertilizer is a by-product, the use of which has a beneficial effect on the yield.

The use of such installations is associated with increased explosiveness due to the resulting gaseous products. In addition, biogas is hazardous to humans if inhaled.

Biotechnology products are widely used for heating private and industrial premises, replace natural gas in the kitchen, and can be used as fuel in thermal power plants. It is a renewable and affordable natural resource.

The disadvantages of this method are:

• Combustion products toxicity.
• High cost of a biogas plant.

Innovative ideas

How many natural phenomena and living organisms exist in the world, so many unconventional sources of electricity can be invented. In a full sense, a living example is the use of algae such as chlorella. She found her main application as a source of protein for marine life.

Now astronauts take it with them into space for experiments on growing in zero gravity and as a source of oxygen.

The primary task for the near future is the invention of a method for storing and accumulating solar energy in algae cells on an industrial scale. A living cell in the process of photosynthesis by itself produces oxygen by absorbing carbon dioxide. It is the experiments to translate this process into the energy plane that are the number one task at the moment. In many areas suitable for growing such crops, similar experiments are underway.

Another storehouse for non-traditional energy is electrical phenomena in the atmosphere. Lightning rods are installed on all buildings to prevent the damaging effects of lightning. Difficulties in conquering this element consist in the enormous strength of the current and voltage at the moment of the outbreak. This requires the creation of powerful systems for the protection and energy storage of this atmospheric phenomenon. Attempts to use the static stress of the atmosphere are also known.

Despite all the difficulties that arise during research and practical application, the introduction of alternative technologies does not stand still. Ways to reduce the cost of installations and converters are being found, new methods of collecting and storing energy are tested. The share of electricity generated from renewable raw materials is increasing every year.