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 depleted over time, which, undoubtedly, in the near future can lead to an energy crisis. Electrical energy is the future of mankind. Versatility, diversity in application is the main quality of electrical energy. But modern, well-mastered methods of obtaining it either completely depend on the above-mentioned resources, or cause irreparable harm to the environment.
Thermal power plants consume a huge amount of fuel oil or coal, and carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere have a detrimental effect on the overall ecology of the region. Hydroelectric power plants do not cause much harm during operation, but for their construction the riverbed is changed, which adversely affects the ecosystem.
Nuclear power plants are also harmless, they do not emit emissions into the atmosphere, but each of them is a powerful time bombactions. A vivid example of this is the two terrible man-made disasters 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 electrical energy using alternative technology has already been fully mastered and studied. Even applied, though not on such a large scale.
With today's technology, electricity can be virtually free. You can get it using the power of the wind, the heat of the Earth, converting solar energy and biofuels. Each type of electricity generation will be discussed in more detail below.
Mankind has been using the power of the wind since ancient times. With the help of the wind, ships moved, the millstones turned, and now the wind helps to generate electricity by rotating the blades of wind farms. They differ in size and output power, wind farms are able to serve as both 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 a thermal power plant, but the heat of thermal waters is used as fuel. In Russia, similar power plants are located in Kamchatka. Significant disadvantages of such stations were the high cost and limited construction. Such stations can only be located in areas of active hot springs.
Installation that, with the help of sensitive photocells, converts solar energy intoelectric, called a solar battery. It is these batteries that are currently used in space, supplying the ISS with electricity, ensuring its uninterrupted operation. The amount of electricity received directly depends on the area of photocells. Such power plants can be used both at the level of one house and at the scale of the city.
Waste is one of the main problems of modern civilization. The ever-increasing landfills of household waste are increasingly polluting the environment. But any household waste can be processed into biofuel, which is likely to become a mainstream fuel in the near future. The waste is subjected to pyrolysis and gasification, and the output is alcohol and biogas. It is they who are able to rotate the turbines of even outdated thermal power plants. Biofuel can be used in diesel vehicles.
Despite the seemingly obvious benefits of using alternative sources for generating electricity, the government is extremely reluctant to build them. The 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 plants. But the coming energy crisis and the deteriorating environmental situation will still lead to the creation of new, cheap and environmentally friendly power plants.
