Fossil Fuel Alternatives

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Fossil Fuel Alternatives

The demand for electricity is constantly increasing. Most fossil fuels are burned to generate steam, which is then utilized to create electricity. Nearly 87 percent of the energy used is produced burning coal. Meanwhile, our electricity that is being produced could be generated through various renewable energy resources, which are supplies of energy that can be replaced naturally by nature, so that they can be used again. Coal and oil take millions of years to become a usable source of energy, While very little of the American electricity comes from these renewable sources, there are many opportunities to take advantage of them. Each of these alternative power supplies are being used by homeowners who want to reduce their electric bills.
Examples of renewable energies as compared to fossil fuel resources include:
Hydroelectric - generated by water flow;
Solar - generated by the sun;
Wind - generated by the strength of wind;
Geothermal - generated by heat from the Earth;
Biomass - generated from agricultural materials.

Water is one of the most plentiful resources on the planet. There are many uses for water, and one of them, and quite possibly the most well known of in terms of renewable resources, is the generation of electricity. Hydroelectric dams produce power by using the force of the flowing water to spin a turbine attached to a large generator. The water on one side of a hydroelectric plant is held by a dam creating a reservoir, and opening near the bottom of the dam, allows water to flow into a tunnel. The water then passes through a turbine. The turbine turns a shaft attached to a generator creating the electricity.
Hydroelectric power is the most commonly used renewable energy source in America. The most famous example of a hydroelectric plant is Hoover Dam, and the amount of electricity generated is used to power all of Las Vegas, and all of its' lights. The flow of the river does all the work in hydroelectric plants, and they do not create...

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