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Energy comes in different forms: kinetic,
mechanical, electrical etc. Energy can be transformed from one form to the
other. However, overall energy within a system is conserved i.e. does not
change - net energy lost balances net energy gained within the system.
There are various forms of energy sources.
Most sources are traceable to the Sun. The traditional energy source,
fossil fuels, received the initial energy from the light used by plants
for photosynthesis and animal metabolic needs. Organic matters from the
plant and animal remains later turn into the fossil fuels (Coal, oil and
natural gas) which are currently widely in use for energy supply.
Some energy sources are renewable
while others are non-renewable. Renewable energy sources are
sources that are freely available and cannot be easily depleted while the
non-renewable sources can run out and are often not freely available.
Some energy sources are non-polluting or
have low pollution while others produce tremendous pollution as
by-products of the transformation process that takes them to useful forms.
Fossil fuels, for instance, has been noted for producing tremendous amount
of green house gases (GHGs) which is responsible for the global warming
with its attendant problems. For more details visit the
Climate Change section.
To mitigate the effects of mitigate the
climate change trends, there are increasing call and search for
alternative energy sources. Alternative energy sources
(alternative to fossil fuels) are sources producing little or no GHGs
emissions while still meeting the energy needs of the World.
Our traditional energy technologies source
energy from fossil fuels mainly Coal and Oil (petroleum). Natural Gas
(another fossil fuel) is also widely used particularly in the
industrialized economies. Natural produces lesser amount of GHGs than Coal
and Oil and besides, the abstraction, transportation and storage processes
for Natural Gas are being improved upon to further reduce the GHGs
emissions to the atmosphere.
Besides polluting the atmosphere, fossil
fuels are non-renewable and are gradually being depleted. There are
several alternative energy sources (some renewable, others non-renewable).
The alternative energy sources covered to some details in this website
are:
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Solar Energy
– energy from the Sun;
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Wind Energy
– energy due
to wind motion;
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Hydrogen Energy; and
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Natural Gas
– Also a fossil fuel (gaseous form) but low carbon emission.
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Information on
Hydropower and Geothermal energy sources will be added in the
near future
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