How can electrical energy be obtained?

From the very beginning of the development of civilization, mankind receives energy using natural resources. Oil, gas, coal - these minerals are irreplaceable. Their reserves are dwindling with time, which, undoubtedly, in the near future can lead to an energy crisis. Electric energy is the future of mankind. Versatility, diversity in application - the main quality of electrical energy. But modern, well-mastered ways of obtaining it either completely depend on the above-mentioned resources, or cause irreparable harm to the environment.

Thermal power plants consume huge amounts of fuel oil or coal, and carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere are detrimental to the overall ecology of the region. Hydroelectric power plants do not cause special damage during operation, but the river bed changes for their construction, which adversely affects the ecosystem. Nuclear power plants are also harmless, they do not carry out emissions into the atmosphere, but each of them is a powerful time bomb. A striking example of this are the two terrible technogenic catastrophes at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the USSR and Fukushima in Japan. But electrical energy can be obtained not only by traditional methods. Moreover, the production of electricity by alternative technology has been fully mastered and studied. Even applied, though not on such a large scale.

With modern technologies, electrical energy can be practically free. You can get it by using the power of wind, the heat of the Earth, transforming solar energy and biofuel. Each type of electricity generation will be discussed in more detail below.

The strength of the wind mankind has been using since ancient times. With the help of the wind, ships moved, millstones of windmills turned, and now the wind helps to generate electricity by rotating the blades of wind power plants. They vary in size and power output, wind stations are able to serve as the main and additional source of energy.

Electric energy can be obtained from geothermal power plants. The principle of their operation is similar to the operation of the CHP, but the thermal water is used as fuel. In Russia, similar power plants are located in Kamchatka. Significant deficiencies of such stations became high cost and limited construction. Such stations can be located only in areas of active hot springs.

The installation, which uses sensitive photocells to convert solar energy into electrical energy, is called a solar battery. It is these batteries that are now used in space, supplying the ISS with electricity, ensuring its uninterrupted operation. The amount of electricity received directly depends on the area of the photocells. Such power stations can be used both at the level of one house, and at the city scale.

Waste is one of the main problems of modern civilization. Constantly increasing landfills of household waste increasingly pollute the environment. But any household garbage can be processed into biofuel, which in the near future, most likely, will become the main type of fuel. The waste is pyrolyzed and gasified, and alcohol and biogas are produced at the outlet. They are able to rotate turbines of even outdated thermal power plants. It is possible to refuel cars with a diesel engine.

Despite the seemingly obvious benefit in using alternative sources to generate electricity, the government is extremely reluctant to build them. Power plants of the future will pay for themselves, but for a long time, and the amount of energy that they give out is still lower than the output from nuclear power plants and hydroelectric power stations. But the coming energy crisis and the deteriorating environmental situation will still lead to the creation of new, cheap and environmentally friendly power plants.