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Chemical Equilibrium

The urgent need to explore renewable energy sources.

Non-renewable energy sources such as coal and oil are running out and cause global warming.   So the need to find reliable and renewable energy sources has never been more important than now.

The United States depends on fossil fuels, like oil and coal, for energy.   According to some experts these sources will exhaust by the year 2050. Fossil fuels also pollute the environment. So we need to search for alternative energy sources which are reliable and renewable.   Two common renewable energy sources are wind power and hydroelectric power.

Wind power is the force of the wind harnessed by windmills and wind turbines that convert it into electricity. Because wind is a clean and renewable source of energy, modern wind turbines are being installed in many countries to supplement more traditional sources of electric power, such as burning coal.   After the oil crisis of the 1970s, many countries launched programs to develop
modern wind turbines. While many of these programs failed, Denmark was successful in developing one. Countries such as the United States have adopted this technology to develop wind energy resources. Design improvements and better efficiency have seen a rapid popularity increase of 45% in 2007 for wind power as well as federal tax breaks for devolpers of such renewable energy.   The industry installed 5,244 megawatts in 2007, accounting for 30% of all new electricity-generating capacity enough energy to power 1.5 million homes alone.   Wind power now generates more than 1% of U.S. electricity, that far surpasses other renewable energies — such as solar and biomass — except for large hydroelectric projects.

Hydroelectric power is the energy produced by running or falling water that is used for driving machinery, especially for generating electricity. The development of hydroelectric power requires storage lakes, dams, bypass canals, and the installation of large turbines and electric...