Three other viable forms of energy are available on our planet: wind, geothermal, and tidal power.
Truth is, wind power is solar energy. Air is set in motion by the pressure gradient force, a flow from high pressure to low pressure, a direct result of the warming and cooling of air by the sun. Simply put, when cold, dense air is placed next to warm, less dense air, wind results as nature tries to balance the pressure differences at each level in the atmosphere between the two air masses. Wind is affordable but not accessible everywhere. A modern wind turbine requires a constant speed of about 33 mph, and although sustained wind speed is available in many areas, wind energy is not always as easily available as solar energy.
The benefits of tidal power are numerous. Tidal turbines are similar to wind turbines and are a completely clean source of energy. Tidal power is reliable, predictable, and constant, unlike wind. There is more energy potential in tidal power than in all of the oil in the world. If the offshore tidal power in the eastern United States were harnessed, it could power the entire world. The main detriment to tidal power is that it is currently one of the most expensive forms of energy to produce.
1. Wind Power
Wind, an all-but-forgotten form of energy, is neither new nor revolutionary. Wind has powered sailing vessels for at least 5,500 years. Windmills have a history of at least 2,500 years, and have been used to grind grain, pump water, and create mechanical assistance in manufacturing. In 1927, Joe and Marcellus Jacobs produced and sold wind turbines with genera-tors for use on farms to pump water from wells to be used in the farmhouse as well as in the fields and barns.
Truth is, wind power is solar energy. Air is set in motion by the pressure gradient force, a flow from high pressure to low pressure, a direct result of the warming and cooling of air by the sun. Simply put, when cold, dense air is placed next to warm, less dense air, wind results as nature tries to balance the pressure differences at each level in the atmosphere between the two air masses. Wind is affordable but not accessible everywhere. A modern wind turbine requires a constant speed of about 33 mph, and although sustained wind speed is available in many areas, wind energy is not always as easily available as solar energy.
2. Geothermal Energy
Geothermal power has been used for at least 2.5 million years. Geothermal energy originates from the Earth’s core. Because it is available only where tectonic plates converge, geothermal can supplement green energy but, like wind energy, it is not available everywhere.3. Tidal Energy
Another clean energy option available today, tidal power is not well known because it is invisible to most of us and quite expensive. As with most renewable technologies, tidal power is not new; in fact, it is one of the largest and oldest forms of energy used by man. Tidal mills were used in all western nations since 700 A.D. The British, French, Spanish, and Americans used tide mills as food storage ponds that were filled by the incoming tide: water was captured and then released through a water wheel, and the water wheel produced mechanical energy that provided power to mill the grain. One such mill in New York worked well into the 20th century.
The benefits of tidal power are numerous. Tidal turbines are similar to wind turbines and are a completely clean source of energy. Tidal power is reliable, predictable, and constant, unlike wind. There is more energy potential in tidal power than in all of the oil in the world. If the offshore tidal power in the eastern United States were harnessed, it could power the entire world. The main detriment to tidal power is that it is currently one of the most expensive forms of energy to produce.