Energy’s Future Today

There is a great deal of information and enthusiasm today about the development and increased production of our global energy needs from alternative energy sources.Fossil fuels and natural gases are non-renewable. They are limited in supply and will one day be depleted. There is no escaping this conclusion. Fossil fuels formed from plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago and became buried way underneath the Earth’s surface where their remains collectively transformed into the combustible materials we use for fuel.

Alternative energy or Renewable energy refers to power generated by a renewable source. When the energy is generated, the resource is not depleted or used up. They are naturally replenished, and can either be managed so that they last forever, or their supply is so enormous humans can never meaningfully deplete them. Unlike fossil fuels, most renewable energy sources do not release carbon dioxide and other air pollutants as by-products into the atmosphere. As the amount of fossil fuel resources on Earth decreases, it is becoming increasingly important to find and utilise alternative fuels.
Examples of renewable resources include:

• wind power;
• solar power;
• biofuels;
• hydro-electric power (HEP);
• geothermal energy;
• tidal power; and
• wave energy.

Advantages of renewable energy

• One major advantage with the use of renewable energy is that as it is renewable it is therefore sustainable and so will never run out.

• Renewable energy facilities generally require less maintenance than traditional generators. Their fuel being derived from natural and available resources reduces the costs of operation.

• Even more importantly, renewable energy produces little or no waste products such as carbon dioxide or other chemical pollutants, so has minimal impact on the environment.

• Renewable energy projects can also bring economic benefits to many regional areas, as most projects are located away from large urban centres and suburbs of the capital cities. These economic benefits may be from the increased use of local services as well as tourism. 

Nowadays scientist doing many researches to find solution to get better energy sources or producing biofuel by using waste products or natural sources(plants).
Example:

• Turning sugar cane into ethanol(biofuel & alternative transport fuel).

  • Waste Cooking Oil as an Alternate Feedstock for Biodiesel Production