Energy and Power Supplies

Different power generation methods, for industrial and domestic uses, have different impacts on the environment.

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There are many alternatives to burning fossil fuels:

Wind power
Can you see the windmills? (little white matchsticks)
The view is across a lake bed that has been dry since the prolonged drought hit the southern states of  Australia (where most of the food is grown)

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Solar photovoltaic power

This tends to be the most expensive method for generating electrical power. 'Solar Panels' are normally put on the roofs of buildings. The sun's radiant energy is converted directly into DC energy.

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Solar Thermal power

This method uses the heat of the sun to heat a liquid, usually water or some type of oil. Long arrays of concave mirrors concentrate the rays of the sun onto a long pipe full of liquid.

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Geothermal power

This method taps the energy under the surface of the Earth. The further you drill into the earth the hotter the temperatures become until, in theory, you would reach the molten nickel and iron core of the planet.  In practice, drilling tends to go no deeper than three kilometres. Several holes are drilled in a suitable area and water is pumped down to the 'hot rocks' through one hole and hot water returns through the other holes. Electricity can then be generated by steam turbines.

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Tidal power

Immense tidal forces can be harnessed for the generation of electrical power. With proper design, power can be generated both on the incoming and the outgoing tides. Prototype systems are in place. These take advantage of places where tides are especially strong and close to the shore.

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Wave power

This a source of energy that is available 24 hours per day. All forms of energy harvesting from the sea face large difficulties because of the corrosiveness of sea-water and the violence of storms. However these can be overcome by creative engineering. Several working systems exist worldwide.

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Hydroelectric power

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Hydrogen Power

The so-called "Hydrogen Economy" is one possible future in the longer term

Here is a good starting point to start learning about hydrogen as a fuel

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Nuclear power

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Power from Biomass

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Power from Methane Gas

Coal seam gas is a fossil fuel and therefore not an ideal source of energy. However, open cast coal mines allow this gas, methane, to vent straight into the atmosphere. Methane is at least 20 times worse than Carbon Dioxide as a Greenhouse Gas. 

Methane is also produced by bacterial action in rubbish dumps, that is, from the rotting of organic material such as food scraps and garden waste. In some places this gas is collected and burned to generate electrical power.

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