Hybrid Solutions

SOLAR can be collected and converted in a range of ways, from solar water heating to the direct conversion of sunlight to electrical energy using mirrors and boilers or photovoltaic cells.

WIND POWER can be used to pump water or generate electricity.

HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY uses the gravitational potential of elevated water that was lifted from the oceans by sunlight. Most of the available locations for hydroelectric dams are already used in the developed world.

BIOMASS is the term for energy from plants and other organic material. Energy in this form is very commonly used throughout the world. Some of the more modern forms of biomass energy are methane (biogas) generation.

HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELLS, while not strictly renewable, are abundant in availability and low in pollution. Hydrogen is burned as a fuel, typically in a vehicle, with only water as the combustion product. Or the hydrogen is used in fuel cells, which are similar to batteries, to power an electric motor. This clean burning fuel can mean a significant reduction of pollution in cities.

GEOTHERMAL Energy from radioactive decay and from the original accretion of the planet is found in the earth’s crust. In certain limited areas, the geothermal gradient (increase in temperature with depth) is high enough to exploit to generate electricity

Earth energy, a result of the heat storage in the Earth’s surface. Soil everywhere tends to stay at a relatively constant temperature, the yearly average, and can be used with heat pumps to heat a building in winter and cool a building in summer. This form of energy can lessen the need for other power to maintain comfortable temperatures in buildings, but cannot be used to produce electricity.

OTHER FORMS OF ENERGY – Energy from tides, the oceans (waves), ocean thermal and hot hydrogen fusion are other forms that can be used to generate electricity, but each suffers from one or another significant drawback and cannot be relied upon at this time to solve the upcoming energy crunch.