Modern society has become addicted to energy. As technology advances, we require more power for our complicated devices. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but we need to understand where our power comes from and what sources are harmful to the environment. Let's take a look at some of the most common energy sources and their impact on our planet.

 

Natural Gas

 

Natural gas comes from below the earth and is harvested in a gaseous form. Natural gas power plants account for about a quarter of the energy used in the United States. Natural gas is cleaner than coal and other fossil fuel products but is difficult to transport and store.

 

Coal

 

Coal is also taken from the ground and comes out as a black oily solid. Coal burns very easily, but is very dirty. It is cheap and easy to harvest, and is the main source of electric power in the US and China. This old technology is the largest contributor to global carbon emissions. Many countries are investing in cleaner power, but since coal is so cheap it is difficult to make the transition to cleaner more expensive power sources.

 

Nuclear

 

Nuclear power uses nuclear fission to split atoms and release energy. This energy is used to spin turbines and produce electric power. Nuclear energy is relatively clean to use, but it is difficult to dispose of its waste products. Nuclear power is only about 10% of the energy in North America. Many people also have safety concerns due to a couple catastrophic events that have occurred in history. As the technology advances, it is becoming more favored. Nuclear programs are expensive to start, and are only available in the elite countries of the world.

 

Hydroelectric

 

Hydroelectric power uses gravitational potential energy from water. Water falls from a height and turns turbines to make electricity. This is a sustainable green source of power, and is virtually unlimited. The problem is that it is only available in very specific locations. The province of Ontario powers nearly a third of its grid from a single hydroelectric power plant.

 

Wind Power

 

Wind power is becoming increasingly popular. Wind energy is completely free and will never stop. It is also available in most areas. The main problem with wind power is that it is expensive to set up. As technology advances it is becoming more financially feasible to erect a wind turbine. Another issue with wind power is that the wind does not blow consistently. The electric power grid requires a constant flow of power, it cannot depend on the inconsistencies of wind flow. Wind turbines must use costly storage devices to make their energy output more consistently.

 

Solar Energy

 

The sun emits a huge amount of energy, it is completely free. Unfortunately tapping into this energy isn’t that simple. Technology is allowing us to use this more and more. There's a tremendous push to increase solar production, and many governments are subsidizing solar equipment. Right now solar power accounts for a very small percentage of our energy usage. But that will be changing soon.

 

Conclusion

 

So you can see there are several ways in which we acquire energy. This is just a short list of the most popular methods, but there are several more new technologies emerging. In any case, it is important to know where your energy comes from, and what sources are considered clean. Hopefully in the near future we will be phasing out coal-fired plants and replacing them with cleaner sources.