There is a great push worldwide to move towards green energy technology. It is more of a natural progression, specially considering the fact that how much energy dependent we are not and how we have cut ourselves from most of the options that have been available to us.
So what is the big deal here? Why do not we make the transition to green energy and move on?
This is because there are several forms of green energy, and each one of it has its own strengths and weaknesses, their merits and demerits.
Wind
Wind is a source that has been harnessed for years. Simply take a look at the windmills. The power source is bountiful and most importantly, it is free. There are drawbacks, though. As a windmill perhaps effectively service one household, to provide power to a village or small city, you would require to build a wind farm, which needs considerable investment of space and money. Moreover, wind can be fickle. You will likely to have times of sustained winds that are accompanied by periods of no or little wind.
Solar Panels
This is another great technology source that faces several similar challenges as the wind farms. Even though its prime energy source is generally abundant, and totally free, there are some limitations. During the winters there is likely to be no or less energy. It needs too much of space and significant investment. And at this point of time, we have no means to save the created power or energy for night use or the times when there is no sun.
Ethanol
There is simply no question we require to find an alternative to oil if we are not going to make use of our own resources. Ethanol development has been on-going for decades now. As a matter off act, the very first ethanol plant was established back in the ’40s by the U.S. Army. It is organically based. For example, Brazil makes use of the sugar cane for its ethanol base, where as in the USA corn is used. Moreover, it does burn cleaner compared to gasoline.
However, ethanol tends to be a lot more expensive compared to gasoline, it is required in great quantities of and that perhaps eventually impact the production of food, and the gas pumps would also be converted all around the globe.
Keep pushing forward with these and various other green technologies, as we all need to become energy independent, even if we are not sure how to achieve that at this point of time. Meanwhile, new green technologies will keep emerging and our knack to capture and save energy will ultimately come to pass.