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Renewable Energy
Renewable
energy sources, such as solar, wind, and biomass
create less environmental damage and pollution
than fossil fuels and offer an alternative to
nonrenewable resources.
 Solar
power uses solar cells to convert
sunlight into electricity. In one
minute if harnessed, enough solar energy falls
on the earth to provide all humanity enough
energy needed for a year. The benefits of solar
power include no water or air pollution, it is
very efficient for heating, and helps to prevent
global warming. The negative side is that solar
power is not always predictable since it depends
on the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth
at any given time.
Wind
power uses wind to turn the
 blades
of a wind turbine. The turbines rotate magnets which
creates electricity. Wind power produces no water or
air pollution and is a renewable source of
energy -- it will never run out. The cost of wind farms is low since you can use
them on land with other uses such as farming and
grazing. A negative is that wind turbines can disrupt bird
migration patterns and pose a danger to the
birds themselves, although newer, larger wind
turbines have slower moving blades which are
visible to birds.
Biomass production uses garbage
or other vegetation such as corn to
generate electricity. When garbage decomposes
the methane produced is
captured in pipes and later burned to produce
electricity. Vegetation and wood can be burned
directly, like fossil fuels, to generate energy
or processed to form alcohols.
Biofuel is a
solid, liquid, or gas derived from biomass such
as corn, palm oil, or sugar cane and used as a
fuel in
transportation.
Biofuels are cleaner and cheaper than most
greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels. However,
large-scale use of them in the form of
monocropping can lead to significant
biodiversity loss, soil erosion and nutrient
leaching. Additionally, some researchers claim
biomass crops produced from intensive farming, such as ethanol,
can
result in a net loss of energy after one
accounts for the fuel costs of fertilizer
production, farm equipment, and the distillation
process.
Renewable Energy Resources in Florida
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