Alternative Power Sources
With
electricity so scarce, it is really imperative that we find other ways to
generate power to run our electric appliances.
Solar energy is the most common alternative power source. There are two main kinds of solar
energy – direct and indirect.
Direct
solar energy is the what we think of
when we hear about solar energy. It is the
use of sunlight for heating or generating electricity.
Indirect solar energy was
actually formed a long time ago; fossil
fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas developed from ancient biological
material that got its energy from the sun through photosynthesis.
There are a few other
alternative energy sources that use the sun to create their power – the wind
(which causes waves), evaporation of water to make rain that then flows into
rivers and lakes. So hydroelectric, wind,
and wave power all get their energy from the sun.
Another way that the sun
is used is by trapping the energy in photovoltaic cells (or solar cells). These cells are made of thin layers of two
slightly different types of silicon.
The
first has a tiny bit of boron inserted in it, and it is called P-type
(P=positive) because it has holes in it that don’t contain electrons.
The
second type of silicon has phosphorus put into it, and it is called N-type
(N=negative) because it contains extra electrons. When these to compounds are put together and
exposed to light, it produces a movement of electrons that form an electrical
current. This is how photovoltaic cells turn light energy into electrical energy.
Current Power
Crisis Update ☼
History of the California
Power Crisis ☼
Ways to Save
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