Depleting Natural Energy resources with its huge environmental hazards has forced scientists to search for a perfect alternative energy that can substitute this conventional power sources like Coal and Petrol. Although alternative fuels have certain disadvantages, in the near future, they will emerge as a force to reckon with, in meeting the world's energy shortage and thus replacing oil and gas. This paper deals with different sources of energy like Bio ,Solar, Wind, Nuclear, Hydrogen, Algae, Silk and Human energy. The paper also examines the benefits, the setbacks and cost effectiveness of all these forms of energy, the countries involved in making and the effect of the alternated fuels which are reducing our carbon footprint and arresting climate change.
The climate in Chennai is nothing short of hot, and while it is bearable during the winter season and the monsoon season, the summer season makes everyone sweat buckets. Almost every urban household in Chennai is now the proud owner of air-conditioners and inverters, to keep the rooms cool and to at least keep the fans going should the power-cuts return. But take a look, Chennai uses up 20% of the State's Power Supply and Domestic consumers using Air Conditioners which proves to have a major role to play in the consumption pattern (The Hindu, 22 April 2014). The consumption peaks in the months from May to August, which is perfectly reasonable as everyone knows how hot it gets. But the earth is getting warmer day by day which leads to global warming, and many unfavourable characteristics like over population and demand for more goods have put strain on Earth, and so for the next years, as the population grows, and the heat due to global warming will head the Electricity consumption. It's not just the AC that uses up the Electricity. We live in a Technological and Gadget-savvy world, where's the Electricity charges our Gadgets?
Maybe in our lifetime, we will see enough Electricity to power everything we need to get powered. But will there be enough energy to get power for our future generations? We have enough coal to keep us going for a mere 145 years! There is more Coal underground that could possibly help us, but if we keep burning coal at the rate that we are doing presently, we'll be adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, that is more carbonheavy than the atmosphere present 15 million years ago. What can be done? Well, it's not too late to change, so what would the future be like if we are dependent for energy on something other than coal?
This study analyses the usage of Fossil Fuels, its stipulated run-out time and comes up with solutions to tackle the world's energy needs without wasting coal and compromising the future of our next generations.
Coal is stipulated to run out in 145 years, natural gas in 58 years and petroleum in another 50 years. As it is the excessive usage of the Fossil Fuels which is the reason for the copious amounts of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. If this goes on, there will be virtually nothing left for our grandchildren and beyond. But if there is one thing human beings are good at, it is evolution and their ability to change with the times, and now is the time to introduce something new on the scene, something that will ensure no wastage of Fossil Fuels and at the same time ensure that the environment does not get degraded in any way (Greenbang, 7 February 2012).
Renewable Energy is energy which can be obtained from natural resources that can be constantly replenished. Renewable Energy Technologies include technologies that use—or enable the use of—one or more renewable energy sources. (Australian Government Renewal Energy, 2014)
Some sources of energy we'll hopefully be seeing in the near future are Biofuels (Ethanol), Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Nuclear Energy, and hydrogen and algae fuels. Researchers have also come up with unique ways of using the human body itself to generate the energy and other alternate sources, which will be explained more in the coming sections.
The basic idea for using Biofuels to power our cars came long back from the inventor of the Model T Ford car, Henry Ford. However, in the hype created by Petrol and Diesel, Biofuel was forgotten. Now due to the recessive amounts of petrol and diesel, biofuels have made to comeback.
Biofuels, unlike diesel, are not produced from ancient Fossilized Plants. They are rather produced from the organic by-products from plants. The most popular Biofuels include Bioethanol, Biodiesel, Green Diesel and various others.
Bioethanol is the most popular biofuel in the world. Alcohol fuels are produced by fermentation of sugars derived from wheat, Corn, Sugar Beets, Sugar Cane, Molasses and any sugar or Starch from which alcoholic beverages such as Whiskey, can be made (such as potato and fruit waste, etc.). The Ethanol production methods used are Enzyme Digestion (to release sugars from stored starches), Fermentation of the sugars, Distillation and Drying. The Distillation process requires significant energy input for heat (sometimes unsustainable natural gas Fossil fuel), but Cellulosic Biomass such as bagasse, the waste left after sugar cane is pressed to extract its juice and is used as the fuel. Ethanol can be used in Petrol Engines as a replacement for Gasoline; it can be mixed with gasoline to any percentage. Most existing car petrol engines can run on blends of up to 15% Bioethanol with Petroleum/Gasoline.
This model is widely followed in USA and Brazil. In the USA, Corn is always produced on an excess scale than necessary. The remaining corn is used to produce Bioethanol. Most cars on the road today in the U.S. can run on blends of up to 10% Ethanol, and Ethanol represented 10% of the U.S. gasoline fuel supply derived from domestic sources in 2011.
Brazil is considered to have the world's first sustainable biofuels economy and the biofuel industry leader, a policy model for other countries; and its Sugarcane Ethanol "The most successful alternative fuel to date." The Brazilian success story can be replicated in countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa.
The country first began using Ethanol in vehicles as early as the 1920s, and the trend gained urgency during the oil shock of the 1970’s. However, Sugarcane Ethanol's popularity really took off in 2003 with the introduction of flex fuel vehicles that ran on either Gasoline or Pure Ethanol. More than 90% of new cars sold today in Brazil are Flex Fuel due to consumer demand, and these vehicles now make up about half of the country's entire light vehicle fleet – a remarkable accomplishment in less than a decade. As a result, Brazilian consumers have a choice at the pump when they fuel their cars and most are choosing Sugarcane Ethanol for its price and environmental benefits, making gasoline the alternative fuel in the country.
Since 2003, the combination of Sugarcane Ethanol and flex fuel vehicles has reduced Brazil's emissions of Carbon Dioxide by 189 million tons. That's as good for the environment as planting and maintaining 1,355 million trees for 20 years!
But every silver cloud does indeed have a dark lining. The first, and biggest problem with Biofuels is inefficiency. It is a constant source of debate as to whether or not it takes more energy to create the fuel than it is worth. It is important to remember that the energy to create these fuels is spent in not only the process of turning Corn into Ethanol, but it is also the energy required to create the Fertilizer, Pesticide, and physically grow the corn.
However, there are ideas that could change that. Many scientists believe that, going forward, we should begin to make fuel from grasses and saplings. These contain more cellulose than corn. Cellulose is the tough material that makes up the plants' cell walls, and gives the plant most of its' weight. If scientists can figure out how to make a biofuel out of cellulose, it could be a much more efficient way of moving forward.
This story can only be replicated in certain countries, but it can at least be replicated in certain countries and when it includes big players like the US itself, then there is bound to be energy conservation on a large scale, which will in turn reduce the demand of coal and oil by the other countries.
Practically everyone has one term on their lips when it comes to alternate source of energy: 'Solar Energy'. Solar power is energy from the sun and without its presence all life on earth would end. Solar energy has been looked upon as a serious source of energy for many years because of the vast amounts of energy that are made freely available, if harnessed by Modern Technology.
The hope for a "solar revolution" has been floating around for decades -- the idea that one day we'll all use free electricity from the sun. This is a seductive promise, because on a bright, sunny day, the sun's rays give off approximately 1,000 watts of energy per square meter of the planet's surface. If we could collect all of that energy, we could easily power our homes and offices for free.Solar energy has been converted into electrical energy using an Eosin–Mannose system in a photogalvanic cell. The system uses solutions of sufficiently low concentration to be commercially viable. The photopotential and photocurrent generated by the system were 758.0 mV and 170.0 μA, respectively, while the maximum power and power point were 128.86 and 67.20 μW, respectively. (Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 2012)
The working of a PV cell is fairly simple. Photovoltaic cells are made up of special materials called Semiconductors such as silicon, which are currently used most commonly. Basically, when light strikes the cell, a certain portion of it is absorbed within the semiconductor material. This means that the energy of the absorbed light is transferred to the semiconductor. The energy knocks the electrons loose, allowing them to flow freely. (Sukhatme, 2008)
Solar energy is used today in a variety of ways, probably because today, more and more people understand the advantages of Solar Energy as our Solar Technology increases and the cost of Fossil Fuels rises. Solar energy systems today can be used to power Homes, Cars, appliances, Businesses, and Cities (Abbasi,S.A .&NaseemaAbbasi, 2010) .
Thermal solar, or Concentrated Solar Power Energy systems are frequently used for heating water for households, especially Indoor Water Tanks and Swimming Pools. Photosynthesis is the known process which can photochemically convert and store solar energy with a reasonable efficiency. Any attempts to develop artificial systems will probably be most successful when modelled on the natural process. (Contemporary Issues in Science and Society, 1979)
Passive solar energy systems are also frequently used today when designing and constructing new homes. These homes are built with specially designed windows, roofing, and overall architectural alignment to be facing the sun at distinct orientation. These designs will hopefully reduce heating costs during colder winter months by exploiting the low angle of the sun above the horizon by constructing low windows to absorb the sun's heat. The opposite happens during the summer months, a strategically allocated roof will deflect the sun's heat to keep a home cooler.
Almost everything can be fitted with solar panels. Scientists and inventors are always coming up with a lot of ideas. There are working prototypes for solar powered cars, laptops, roads, appliances and so on.
In our daily lives, we can see many solar-powered products. Street lights now have solar panels, as do calculators, lights and fans and so on. Solar panels are also fitted on the roofs of houses and other buildings to gain more Electricity. 4 solar panels of 30 KW can be installed to conserve the energy we use.
India is among the top ten countries (at the tenth place) for the highest usage of Solar Energy. Germany and Spain are on the top of this list of the countries which are using the highest amount of solar energy.
Germany is clearly the world leader in Solar Energy, producing 9785 MW. In 2009 alone, Germany installed 3,806 Mega Watts (MW) of PV solar energy capacity, which is more than Spain's total capacity and almost eight times more than the U.S. has installed last year. “The combination of a proven Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) scheme, good financing opportunities, a large availability of skilled PV companies, and a good public awareness of the PV technology, largely contributed to this success,” European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) reported.
India produces almost 1500 MW a year, which is stipulated to grow because of the demand for electricity and the feasibility of solar energy.
Similar to China, India has fast-increasing electricity demand and it has very high sun irradiation levels. Its government has also been moving forward strongly on clean energy. It has a goal to reach 20 GW by 2020 as well. “Besides the National Solar Mission of 2009, the market expects much of the possible decision this year to define a long term power purchase agreement that could definitively trigger PV deployment in India,” EPIA states. India could quickly rise higher on this list with proper government strategies.
It may be very costly to implement solar-energy but once the deed is done, it is very efficient and can be useful in the long run. All the money could be saved instead of paying for electricity! Solar power remains as one of the world's most popular sources of alternate energy which has a tremendous scope for growth.
The moving air (wind) has huge amounts of kinetic energy, and this can be transferred into electrical energy using wind turbines. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, connected to a generator and makes electricity. The electricity is sent through transmission and distribution lines to a substation, then onto homes, business and schools.
Denmark is the world leader in Wind Energy. While Denmark only produces 4.2 GW of wind power, it has only 5.5 million inhabitants. Denmark gets 30% of its total energy from wind mills (Zachary Shahan, 2013).
The development of wind power in India began in the 1990s, and has significantly increased in the last few years. Although a relative newcomer to the wind industry compared with Denmark or the United States, India has the fifth largest installed wind power capacity in the world. In 2009-10, India's growth rate was highest among the other top four countries.
As of 31 March 2014, the installed capacity of wind power in India was 21136.3 MW, mainly spread across Tamil Nadu (7154 MW), Gujarat (3,093 MW), Maharashtra (2976 MW), Karnataka (2113 MW), Rajasthan (2355 MW), Madhya Pradesh (386 MW), Andhra Pradesh (435 MW), Kerala (35.1 MW), Orissa (2MW), West Bengal (1.1 MW) and other states (3.20 MW). It is estimated that 6,000 MW of additional wind power capacity will be installed in India by 2014. Wind power accounts for 8.5% of India's total installed power capacity, and it generates 1.6% of the country's power.
One Megawatt of Wind Energy = 2,600 Fewer Tons of Carbon Dioxide
Consider that every year 1MW of wind energy can offset approximately 2,600 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and the interest comes into focus. The simple math is less fossil fuel consumption equals less CO2 and measuring carbon reduction has become a key benchmark for monitoring the progress of alternative energy adoption.
Just like solar energy, wind energy takes a lot to set up but the results are worth it. It is estimated that the current wind farms in the US can account for ten times the power needs of the country! Wind power is just as effective as solar power, not to mention one of the oldest energy sources the world has ever known.
Nuclear Power, or Nuclear Energy, is the use of exothermic nuclear processes to generate useful heat and electricity. The term includes Nuclear Fission, Nuclear Decay and Nuclear Fusion. Presently the nuclear Fission of elements in the actinide series of the periodic table produce the vast majority of nuclear energy in the direct service of humankind, with nuclear decay processes, primarily in the form of Geothermal Energy, and Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators in niche uses making up the rest.
According to Wikipedia, nuclear (fission) power stations, excluding the contribution from naval nuclear fission reactors, provided about 5.7% of the world's energy and 13% of the world's electricity in 2012.
There is an ongoing debate about nuclear power. Proponents, such as the World Nuclear Association, the IAEA and Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy contend that nuclear power is a safe, sustainable energy source that reduces Carbon Emissions. Opponents, such as Greenpeace International and NIRS, contend that nuclear power poses many threats to people and the environment.
Nuclear Power Plant accidents include the Chernobyl Disaster (1986), Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster (2011), and the Three Mile Island accident (1979). There have also been some nuclear submarine accidents. In terms of lives lost per unit of energy generated, analysis has determined that nuclear power has caused less fatalities per unit of energy generated than the other major sources of energy generation.
Along with other sustainable energy sources, nuclear power is a low carbon power generation method of producing electricity, with an analysis of the literature on its total life cycle emission intensity finding that it is similar to other renewable sources in a comparison of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions per unit of energy generated. With this translation from the beginning of nuclear power station commercialization in the 1970’s, having prevented the emission of approximately 64 Gigatonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent greenhouse gases, gases would have otherwise resulted from the burning of fossil fuels in thermal power stations.
Latest statistics show that US and France are the top nuclear generating countries as of April 2014. But why is nuclear energy so popular, despite the growing concerns on its safety hazards???
It generates Clean Electricity and it is the largest source of electricity that doesn't emit Air Pollution. The Carbon Emissions from a nuclear plant are equivalent to wind and geothermal plants and moreover, all mainstream analyses show that Nuclear Energy is essential to reduce carbon emissions.
Nuclear energy is the most reliable source of electricity, generating on-demand electricity around the clock. It reduces the demand for fuels like oil, petroleum and so on. It is the lowest-cost source that can produce large amounts of electricity round the clock.
A typical nuclear energy facility employs 400 to 700 workers in jobs. This could very well generate a lot of money in economic output and can improve the financial stability and power needs of a country.
Rebecca L. Busby (2005) states that hydrogen fuel is a zero-emission fuel which uses electrochemical cells or combustion in internal engines, to power vehicles and electric devices. It is also used in the propulsion of spacecraft and can potentially be mass-produced and commercialized for passenger vehicles and Aircraft.
Hydrogen is high in energy, yet an engine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost no pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the 1970’s to propel the space shuttle and other Rockets into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells power the shuttle's electrical systems, producing a clean by product - pure water, which the crew drinks.
Fuel cells are a promising technology to use as a source of heat and electricity for buildings, and as an electrical power source for electric motors propelling vehicles. Fuel cells operate best on pure hydrogen. But fuels like Natural Gas, Methanol, or even Gasoline can be reformed to produce the hydrogen required for fuel cells. Some fuel cells even can be fuelled directly with methanol, without using a reformer.
In future, hydrogen could also join electricity as an important energy carrier. An energy carrier moves and delivers energy in a usable form to consumers. Renewable energy sources, like the sun and wind, can't produce energy all the time. But they could, for example, produce electric energy and hydrogen, which can be stored until it's needed. Hydrogen can also be transported (like electricity) to locations where it is needed.
Hydrogen fuel cells have a lot of practical applications in today's world. Unlike other alternate energy sources, it is already put in practice today and is being developed for better practicality and sustainability tomorrow.
Fuel cells are ideal for residential zones. They are virtually silent with no moving parts and provide reliable power 24/7. In addition, a fuel cell, big enough to power an entire home is about the size of a traditional AC Unit. Fuel cells already power thousands of homes in Japan and are beginning to do so in the United States.
Fuel cells can be produced in stacks large enough to power the biggest of office buildings, and only occupy the area of a couple of parking spaces. Again, fuel cells are a great fit in this situation as they are noiseless, environmentally friendly, and efficient. Distributed power from fuel cells does not rely on transmission lines and thus eliminates the need for backup power generators.
Fuel cells can power Cars, Buses, Airplanes, Cell phones, Laptops, and more. With nearly ten times the lifespan of batteries on a single charge, fuel cells can be powered no matter where the road takes people.
No one would expect that green thing to actually give us energy? Is it even possible to extract energy from algae?
Algae fuel or Algal Biofuel is an alternative to fossil fuel that uses algae as its source of natural deposits. Several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce capital and operating costs and make algae fuel production commercially viable. Like Fossil Fuel, Algae Fuel releases CO2 when burnt, but unlike fossil fuel, algae fuel and other biofuels only release CO2 recently removed from the atmosphere via photosynthesis as the Algae or Plant Grew.
Among Algal Fuels' attractive characteristics are that, they can be grown with minimal impact on fresh water resources, can be produced using saline and wastewater, have a high flash point, and are biodegradable and relatively harmless to the environment if spilled. Algae costs more per unit, mass than other Second-Generation Biofuel crops due to high capital and operating costs, but are claimed to yield between 10 and 100 times more fuel per unit area.
Because the concept of Algae Fuel is very recent, there are little uses. But living in the world that we are in today, any form of energy source that does not put strain on our current fossil fuels is necessary. Nevertheless, there are some potential areas where one can use Algae Fuel.
Algae is not a fuel yet -it's still too expensive- but the potential is there.
In September 2009, a modified Toyota Prius completed a cross-country trip from San Francisco to New York with the help of an algae-based gasoline. The "Algaeus," a plug-in electric hybrid vehicle, made the 3,750-mile (6,035- kilometer) trek in just 10 days (allowing time for publicity stops). Sapphire Energy, one of the major companies working to develop algae as a cost-effective fuel, provided the proprietary mixture of algae-based gasoline for the trip. The concoction ran in the Algaeus without having to modify its engine and according to the drivers, "performed flawlessly".
Besides making a great headline, the journey of the Algaeus suggests that, algae-based gasoline could one day become widely available as a "drop-in" fuel that runs in existing vehicles.
In July 2012, the Navy demonstrated its Great Green Fleet carrier strike group composed of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and four support ships. With the exception of the Nimitz, all of the ships in the strike group and all of the attachment's Jet planes, support planes and Helicopters ran on a blend of renewable (Algae and Vegetable oil) and petroleum-based fuels.
The effort wasn't cheap to taxpayers. The cost of 450,000 gallons (1,703,435 litres) of fuel paid by the Navy was about $27 a gallon in 2012. That's close to 9 times more than the cost of normal, petroleum-based fuel, says Carin Hall (2012).
Those eye-watering early costs are beside the point, according to Navy brass. The key point is developing an alternative fuel source -- any source -- that the military can use when its enemies possess the ability to choke off supplies of oil.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said, "Simply put, we as a military rely too much on fossil fuels. That dependence creates strategic, operational and tactical vulnerabilities for our forces and makes them susceptible to price and supply shocks caused by either man-made or natural disasters in the volatile areas of the world where most fossil fuels are produced."
For heavier-than-air flying vehicles like airplanes, it takes a lot of concentrated energy to get airborne and stay up there for any decent length of time. For most of the powered-flight era, petroleum-based products such as avgas or jet fuel have served as the propellants of choice because of their high energy density. In other words, they pack a lot of punch in a relatively small package.
Yes, algae can be converted to fuel for airplanes, too.
In November 2011, a United Airlines Boeing 737 flew passengers from Houston to Chicago while burning a blend of jet fuel and algae-based biofuel. The mixture, developed by Solazyme and Honeywell, enabled a record: The first U.S. domestic commercial flight to use the algae-based biofuel.
High-performance aircraft can run on biofuels, too. The F/A-18 Hornets -- supersonic fighter-bomber jets -- of the Navy's Great Green Fleet mentioned previously, use a 50- 50 blend of hydroprocessed renewable fuel (algae and cooking oil) and conventional JP-5 jet fuel.
Algae fuel is yet to hit the markets because of the financial strain it could cause, but countries are trying to figure out a way to bring this fuel into the market. It is stipulated to enter the markets in twenty five years.
How can someone possibly extract energy from silk? Then again, if it can be done from algae, it most certainly can be done with silk. Indian researchers say, they have successfully generated electricity by using Silk Worm Cocoons, which can be used to run low power electronic devices. The research titled 'Electricity from Silk Cocoon membranes' was recently published in Nature journal.( Energy Harvesting Journal, 2014)
According to the Hindu (2014), experts at IIT-Kanpur have fabricated simple devices from Silk Cocoon Membranes (SCM) which in the presence of water vapour, can generate enough electricity to run low-power electronic systems. In addition, they observed that the electricity produced increases with temperature. Three Bombyx cocoon pieces, they found, can light one red LED of 1.6 volts!
This is a unique finding, one done by our own Indian scientists, the first in the world to come up with such an idea. Hopefully, the full potential of silk cocoons can be realised and be put to good use. This also means that the silk or protein produced by thousands of other species of insects can be explored for such attributes and production of these bio-materials scaled up through different bio-technological interventions that are in use today.
This process can be tapped to tackle waste heat management, especially the heat (humidified waste heat) given out by thermal and nuclear power plants.
All in all, the silk energy route shows great potential and will hopefully be one of those alternate energy sources in the future.
The work that we do can be translated into energy. Following are some of the technologies scientists have come up with to generate energy from just normal human activities.
Imagine if you could harness all the energy from footsteps on a busy street and use it to power nearby lights, tickets machines, signs or computers?
Every time one of the Pavegen rubber footpath slabs is stepped on, it compresses by about 5mm, absorbing the kinetic energy from that tiny compressions and converts it into electricity. The slabs also emit a bright glow to attract the attention of passers-by and let them know they are contributing to a sustainable energy scheme. Developers say just five slabs, for example, in a busy area and generate enough electricity to illuminate a bus-stop sign throughout the night.
The slabs are environment-friendly- they're made from 100% recycled car tyres. The Pavegen tiles are designed to withstand harsh outdoor locations with high footfall. The slabs are waterproof to allow them to operate efficiently in both internal and external environments. (David Hayes, 2011)
Students at Harvard University have come up with an idea to harness the energy from one of the world's most popular sports. With a battery and generator placed inside a soccer ball, the soccer stores energy during the game to later charge lights, mobile phones and batteries. Still at the prototype stage, socket has been tested successfully in South Africa. (Sciill Staff, 2009)
The Green Microgym and Plugout Technology were invented by Adam Boesel, a school teacher turned personal trainer who started up his first gym in Portland, Oregon in 2008. While writing a business plan for his gym, he thought, “Wouldn't it be great if the members could make electricity when they are exercising?” He found that although there was a lot of speculation and experimentation about the idea, no one had started up a gym with Eco Fitness as their central focus.
The Green Microgyms use about 85% less electricity and their carbon footprint is about one tenth that of a traditionally run gym, per square foot. A member of The Green Microgym saves about ¼ ton of carbon compared to if they belonged to a traditional gym.
Along with retrofitted ellipticals, recumbent bikes, and spin bikes, Adam's latest invention, the UpCycle Eco-Charger makes turning your own bicycle into a human power generator as easy as replacing your back wheel! You can plug it into a normal wall outlet and help power your building. And, maybe more importantly, when the power goes out, you can keep your phone and laptop computer going.
Energy harvesters in the size of a thread are being developed by Zhong Lin Wang and two colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology. These mini-generators can be woven into T-shirts or other clothing and will collect energy from the body's smallest movements, piping electricity to mobile devices.
Wang's generators use Piezoel Ectricity on a small scale. For the prototype, he grew zinc-oxide crystals on yarnlike Kevlar fibres. The crystals jut out on nanowires like thousands of small bristles and, when rubbed against each other, they bend and create electricity. In the prototype, two centimetre-long fibres produced 16 picowatts, or 16 trillionths of a watt. It's a minuscule amount of electricity, but the output grows as more fibres are added. The researchers predict that clothing with these fibres could generate up to 80 mili -watts of electricity per 11 square feet of fabric, which is almost enough to power a cell phone or other mobile electronic device.
Before we see garments that generate electricity—which could happen in about five years—Wang and his colleagues must overcome several challenges. The biggest problem is that these nanofibers can't get wet. A lining that zips out when laundering the garment could be the solution and Wang is also exploring the possibility of waterproof nanofibers.
His next goal is to make the fibres more efficient. To this end, he is experimenting with different kinds of polymers and seeking better methods of combining the materials and collecting the electric charge. But even if the nanofibers don't become much more efficient, they might still be able to power gadgets entirely by body movement. Electronic devices continue to get smaller, requiring less power, and higher-capacity batteries will store the energy that is accumulated over a longer period of time—bringing us that much closer to an era when our movements are no longer wasted.
Soon, we might not even have to consciously move to create power. Wang is working on a polymer film that would surround his power-generating fibres and allow them to be implanted into our bodies. There they would harvest kinetic energy from the steady dilation and contraction of blood vessels, providing a source of electricity for pacemakers, insulin pumps and other medical devices—making for a truly power ful breakthrough.
Various alternate sources of energy have been discovered by scientists and inventors alike, which could reduce the strain on our limited fossil fuels by a wide margin. The usage of such alternative energy sources is inevitable in the future because of the shortage of fossil fuels. It is our duty to leave behind a sustainable world for our future generations and what better way to do so than conserving?
The sources of energy discussed above are viable in the long run and have all the means (or) potential to ensure less usage of fossil fuels. This should help the world control its growing energy crisis as well help in controlling climate change.
"The future belongs to renewable energy," said Brad Colllins, the Executive Director of the American Solar Energy Society, a Boulder, Colorado-based non-profit organisation. “Scientists and industry experts may disagree over how long the world's supply of oil and natural gas will last, but it will end”, Collins said.
While renewable energy is generally more expensive than conventionally produced supplies, alternative power helps to reduce pollution and to conserve fossil fuels. It is therefore inevitable to switch to alternate sources of energy which will help the human race in the long run.