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Alternative energy is everywhere around us and it's possible to use it in many different ways. Solar power which is driven by photovoltaic cells is just one of these alternative energy sources that are increasingly becoming more advanced and less expensive. Solar energy is non-polluting and can be used to produce electricity in addition to hot water. Making use of the sun's energy is not that easy to do and requires a lot of labour for us to efficiently utilize it in a reasonable manner. The biggest downfall to solar power is it requires clear days so methods of storing this energy need to be found to cater for this and when night falls.
Wind energy has become the most invested in (by private investors and governments together) alternative energy source lately. Huge double and triple bladed windmills can be seen around the world, working constantly, day and night to produce large amounts of electricity. Windmills have been used for a number of centuries but it is only recently that they have been converted to produce electricity on an industrial scale. The windmills used today are massive compared to those used in the past and much more 'high-tech' and often referred to as 'wind-turbines'. Just like any other methods, using the wind energy has its own hitch such as having to worry what to utilize if ever the days are calm and still. Of course, the power we need can come from other sources when this happens so currently we cannot rely completely on wind power even if we had sufficient farms to cater for our needs.

Hydroelectric energy is available as a source of alternative energy, and it can generate a substantial amount of power. The concept of hydroelectricity is simple - using vast amounts of water and gravity to turn electricity producing turbines. The use of water for driving hydroelectric turbines is not much of a worry because water is just about everywhere. The main problem with this process is the initial financial cost and the size of these dams means it is a lengthy project which does not come without its own issues. Dams are often built in order to be able to control the flow of the water sufficiently to generate the needed power. Building a dam to store and control water's potential and kinetic energy takes quite a lot of work, and operating one is complex as well, and conservationists grow concerned that it is creating environmental problems.
If you don't need to supply the electrical needs of a city or an area with a huge population, then building a dam is overkill. One good alternative to consider is using small run-of-river hydroelectric converters to provide electrical needs to neighbourhoods or even to an individual office or home.
Probably the most underrated and under appreciated form of alternative energy is geothermal energy, which is simply the naturally occurring energy produced by the heating of artesian waters that are just below the earth's crust. The earth's inner molten core is the one responsible for transferring the heat into the water. There are various different methods for drawing up water to harness geothermal energy and they can be from dry steam power plants, flash power plants, and binary power plants. Steam is essentially gathered and for this reason, hot water should be drawn up. Approximately one hundred miles north of San Francisco lies 'The Geysers', probably the most famous of geo-thermal power fields where they use what is known as 'dry steam' power plant technology.

by Scott Morgan