Alternative Energy Sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alternative Energy Sources - Essay Example The liquefaction and gasification processes for coal may soon be as economical as obtaining liquid and gaseous fuels from conventional sources, and both processes seem likely to be used commercially within the 1970s. Reliance on coal for all fossil fuel needs would of course shorten the life expectancy of our coal reserves considerably. One possible alternative is the oil shelf, which constitute a potential energy resource much larger even than coal. Hydroelectric energy and the energy of the wind and tides will always be available (Manwell and Rogers 41). The rate at which these energy sources can be exploited, however, is limited by the global flow of energy in the form of falling water, wind, and tides at any given time. It is also limited by the number of sites where these processes can be exploited economically. Power is the rate at which energy flows or is used. Continuous energy sources, such as the water cycle, are usually characterized in terms of power -- say in kilowatts - - although they could easily be characterized by the amount of energy flowing per day or per yea (Beggs 76). The world's potential production of hydroelectric power is roughly half of the amount of power now being produced by fossil fuels.