How does alternative energy effect the environment?

Question

need some answers for a class pls

Answer 1

Here's a great site that gives you information on alternative energy sources:

http://www.greenstudentu.com/energy.aspx

Hope this help!

Answer 2

Depends on the type, actually. Geothermal, Wind, Solar, Biomass, Hydro, etc.

There will be environmental effects from how the power is generated, transmitted/distributed, and it's usage application.

Probably a more meaningful measure would be the 'delta' impact in terms of footprint, where the 'alternative' is compared to the 'conventional' - once again we get into types - nuclear, coal, diesel, etc.

Answer 3

Alternative energy is a term used for some energy source that is an alternative to using fossil fuels. Generally, it indicates energies that are non-traditional and have low environmental impact. The term alternative is used to contrast with fossil fuels according to some sources, and some sources may use it interchangeably with renewable energy.effectively uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydro, biomass and biofuels for transportation.

In 2006, about 18 percent of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from traditional biomass, like wood-burning. Hydropower was the next largest renewable source, providing 3%, followed by hot water/heating which contributed 1.3%. Modern technologies, such as geothermal, wind, solar, and ocean energy together provided some 0.8% of final energy consumption.[2] The technical potential for their use is very large, exceeding all other readily available sources.[3][4]

Renewable energy technologies are sometimes criticised for being unreliable or unsightly, yet the market is growing for many forms of renewable energy. Wind power has a worldwide installed capacity of 74,223 MW and is widely used in several European countries and the USA.[5] The manufacturing output of the photovoltaics industry reached more than 2,000 MW per year in 2006,[6] and PV power plants are particularly popular in Germany.[7] Solar thermal power stations operate in the USA and Spain, and the largest of these is the 354 MW SEGS power plant in the Mojave Desert.[8] The world's largest geothermal power installation is The Geysers in California, with a rated capacity of 750 MW.[9] Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs in the world, involving production of ethanol fuel from sugar cane, and ethanol now provides 18 percent of the country's automotive fuel.[10] Ethanol fuel is also widely available in the USA.

While there are many large-scale renewable energy projects, renewable technologies are also suited to small off-grid applications, sometimes in rural and remote areas, where energy is often crucial in human development.[11] Kenya has the world's highest household solar ownership rate with roughly 30,000 small (20–100 watt) solar power systems sold per year.

Answer 4

Some forms of energy do not affect the environment as much as others.

Solar energy and wind energy do not harm the environment at all.

Nuclear energy creates nuclear waste and can be harmful to the environment. Though it doesnt product green house gases and thus will not cause any significant global warming.

Hydro energy causes global warming in the back waters. Besides it displaces a lot of area with water effecting local ecosystem. It also can be a cause of earthquakes.

Thermal energy affects the environment more than any other. It releases CO, CO2, particle matter and other gases in the environment and causes polution and global warming.

Hope this helps! Hopefully this class will make your realise the importance of environment preservation.

Help the environment whenever you can. For simple measures to help the enviroment visit http://www.greenfanclub.com