Since the Industrial Revolution, most homes and industries in developing countries have relied on fossil fuels for their electricity. There are alternatives, though, for families and businesses who want to get their power from sources that are more friendly to the environment.
Solar Energy
Solar panel installation New Jersey allows buildings to capture some of the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity. The panels are generally placed on the roof of a building and work best in sunny areas. Building owners should ensure that trees are not blocking the sunlight from their roofs before they consider placing solar panels there. Benefits of this form of renewable energy include that its source—the sun—will not run out and that it is widely available.
Wind Energy
Unlike solar energy, utilizing wind energy requires lots of open space and is therefore only a good option for people who live in the country. The turbines that harness the wind’s power do cause noise pollution and are a hazard to animals that fly near them. These detractors are matched by the facts that wind energy cannot be depleted and can produce enormous quantities of energy.
Nuclear Energy
By far the most controversial of all green energy sources, nuclear energy requires highly specialized equipment and cannot be attached to an individual house or business. Nuclear power plants split the atoms of uranium to produce energy, create steam, spin a turbine and generate electricity. The waste produced is toxic and can cause cancer, but if properly contained, this form of energy provides lots of electricity with no carbon emissions. Another type of nuclear energy involving the fusion of atoms has been explored but is not practical at the moment.
The energy market outside of fossil fuels is still expanding and being discovered. More and more people are finding that one of these types of energy work best for their situation.