Alternative Power Sources Showing The Way Forward
Within concern about anthropogenic (man made) global warming mounting and evidence of changes in the Earth’s weather patterns, increased drying of formerly marginal farmland it is only natural that people the world over are beginning to take an active interest in alternative power sources. Wind power generators and solar farms are springing up in places that were formerly completely unproductive and coasts across the globe are seeing towers offshore that are signs of renewed interest in hydro power, the power of the tides. Hydro power in the form of dams is also increasingly popular as a form of relatively green energy. However, it is not only these large scale projects that are interesting to those who are trying to harness both the Earth’s power and the Sun’s in order to produce power but the average homeowner and small business owner is also beginning to realize the possibilities offered by clean, abundant energy.
Prior to today the main obstacle in the establishment of a viable electricity generation sector based on alternative power sources has been quite simply cost. Even when subsidized by government the cost of generating a Kilowatt of power from an alternative source, like solar, hydro or wind power has been prohibitive when compared to the generation cost from sources such as coal or nuclear power. However, advances in technology, and savings brought about by economies of scale as the alternative energy sources become more popular, has brought down costs enormously. Many governments are now offering private citizens cash or tax incentives to install ecologically friendly power generation equipment in private homes. Aside from the undoubted decrease in environmental impact these alternative power sources, be they wind power generators, hydro power generators or solar power generators reduce the load on established electricity supply grids, many of which are suffering failures due to excessive loading.
The latest reports from the independent EU Energy Institute has forecast that the cost of solar panels will be cost competitive with grid sourced electricity by 2020, without subsidies and that the average life expectancy of solar panels is around 30 years, as opposed to the predicted 20 years, making a solar power generator an attractive long term investment. Similar savings are expected for the installation of wind powered generators and hydro powered generators as technology improves, good news for the Earth’s fragile environment.
Alternative power sources are not only good news for the environment, they’re good news for households which may not have access to the national grid. They can be installed relatively cheaply and in many cases are available in kit form for the do it yourself enthusiast. So whether you’re installing an alternative power source for altruistic reasons or because you want to decrease your reliance on the national power grid because of reliability concerns or even where your electricity may be interrupted because of natural disasters alternative power sources may make sense both in terms of your pocketbook and in terms of the cost to the Earth’s ecosystems. The choice is yours.
