What Is Alternative Energy All About?

Alternative Energy also known as sustainable energy – this being the better description since sun, wind and water have been on the planet since the beginning, where as fossil fuels i.e. coal, oil and gas have started late and will finish fast. Water, wind and sun will most likely be around as long as we humans will be, for without it we cannot exist. Strange how the fuel for our bodies is the same as the fuel for our future. Renewable/sustainable fuel being that which continues to exist and produce without being manufactured by a limited source.

Right now we all enjoy the freedom and comfort of easily accessible and reasonably priced oil and gas. This will most likely peak around 2030 to 2050 meaning that production will not be able to meet demand. So we have choices both now and in the future; and that is why the fortune tellers say that by 2070 60% of the world’s energy will come from renewable/sustainable sources.

Can you imagine what it was like around the time of the invention of the gas engine – when your horse, mule or oxen were the mainstays of transportation and along comes this box of nuts and bolts and stuff that doesn’t need feeding, watering, and rest every 4 to 8 hours. And remember the old saying – ‘get a horse’, to those who ventured into the unknown. Those brave souls would not leave it alone. They kept improving and expanding and what do you know, in less that 100 years (the time for your grandparents to be born and your children to retire) we have come from the Wright Bros. and Kitty Hawk to the Apollo space ship and walking on the moon! How’s that for progress?

Just think, you are further into sustainable fuel sources then when Henry Ford made his first gasoline engine – when your children retire the world will be mostly powered by solar, wind and hydro fuel sources, and you can play a more active role in this process than when the pioneers were buying into automobiles.

So where is all this going? We are seeing more solar panels, both in photovoltaics and hot water heating, we are seeing and purchasing power from wind generators and if you are around streams, rivers and lakes you would see hydro power. How about the power from the Roberts tunnel on 285? That sub-station is energy produced from water – a sustainable resource! The wind farm near Fort Collins, producing electricity to help supply Denver! Solar panels for hot water are on many roofs in the front range and solar panels (photovoltaics) for producing electricity are on many homes in remote areas where grid power is too expensive to bring in; but you can take a drive to California and see many homes in cities that have grid-tied solar panels installed on roofs, gobbling up the suns rays, and producing electrical power to supply energy needs for homes with all their modern appliances. This means of producing electricity is very popular from an aesthetic and zero maintenance stand point then wind, even though cost per Kilowatt (KW=1,000 watts), wind is a more economical source. A few short years ago a large photovoltaic solar module was 80 watts – today the norm is more like 120 to 160 watts (less than 10 years). The cost has also dropped and the neatest thing is the zero maintenance and standard 25 year warranty. What car, gas engine generator, power plant, etc. comes with those specifications?

Now for some down to earth sense. Is solar power good for everyone? Absolutely. In the city you can use just panels, no batteries, no gas back up generator, rural you can use it all, including wind. Either way you will be part of the newest technology, reduce or eliminate your electrical bill. With a battery backup system say goodbye to all electrical outages and/or brownouts. What’s even better, with a battery back up system the inverter produces cleaner power (no buzz – no hum – no distortion for highly sensitive computer and audio requirements) than the grid! How’s that for progress? You don’t even have to give up your existing power supply – just reduce it to a fraction or even better reduce your monthly electrical bill while enjoying all the benefits of clean, sustainable electrical power.

We haven’t talked about the new technology for cars, but aside from already existing hybrid (gas/electric) and the development of hydrogen fuel cells, we as a generation are on the verge of providing one of the greatest inventions in all of history – the ability to power a means of everyday transportation from a clean renewable/sustainable resource. When this is done what will the future historians have to say about a society that conquered the largest world dilemma ever presented to it? As well as the future generations when they can enjoy all that we have and more, with little to no impact on the environment.

About the Author
Larry LeDue has been designing, installing, and servicing solar systems since 1990. He is an active/certified member/installer with COSEIA; and lives with his wife in an active and passive solar home they built in South Park, Colorado.

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