Alternative Types Of Energy Sources

The need to find new types of renewable energy is urgent - oil reserves are running out, and quickly.
The lifestyles that we in the Western world have developed as a result of seemingly plentiful energy resources either have to dramatically change or we need alternative sources to produce the electricity we use in abundance to power our homes, or the fuel that powers our cars and aeroplanes.
There are several different types of energy being produced today. Solar and wind power are now well-known as alternative renewable energies. But what are the other potential energy sources, and how can we convert them to energy, and with what special technology as well as taking into account our energy efficiency?
Coal
Coal is relatively inexpensive, and easy to recover, from within coalfields in the US and Russia, but the process of extraction requires expensive air pollution controls, due to the high levels of mercury and sulphur dioxide involved. Coal and the processes involved in its extraction and processing are a significant contributor to acid rain and global warming. Also, coal requires an extensive transportation system in place (also contributing emissions to the atmosphere) which counts against it becoming the major energy resource.Nuclear Energy
The positive issues supporting the promotion of nuclear energy, and the reason why several European Governments, including the UK, and the US are investing in this technology, is that the fuel used is inexpensive, and the energy generated is the most concentrated. It is an energy type where, the waste produced is very compact, it is easy to transport in its form as a fuel, and it doesn't contribute greenhouse gases or acid rain effects. However, the reasons not to pursue this course seem to outweigh the positives: there is a potential nuclear proliferation issue, as the world is currently watching in Iran, amongst other places; It requires the resolution of the high-level, long-term waste issues; this technology needs a larger capital expenditure because of emergency, radioactive waste, containment, and storage solutions, and finally there is a large world-wide public lobby against nuclear development.Hydro-electric Energy
Once a dam is built, generating power from the build-up of water is inexpensive, but this is quite a limited source of power as it depends upon the continued elevation of the water. In the Western US, the Government has invested heavily in dams.Other well-known projects, in Scotland, and most recently the Yangtze River in China, are controversial because they potentially threaten human life if they collapse, and certainly affect fish stocks, and create environmental damage for areas that flood surrounding the dam. Unfortunately, all reservoirs eventually fill with sediment, and the rate of this is unknowable.
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