Alternative Energy Sources

Alternative energy is energy that does not come from fossil fuels,
and thus produces little to no greenhouse gases like carbon
dioxide (CO2). This means that energy produced from alternative
sources does not contribute to the greenhouse effect that
causes climate change. You can explore CO2 emissions using the
MapMaker Interactive here.

These energy sources are referred to as “alternative” because they

represent the alternative to coal, oil, and natural gas, which have
been the most common sources of energy since the Industrial
Revolution. These fossil fuels emit high levels of CO2 when burned
to produce energy and electricity. Alternative energy, however,
should not be confused with renewable energy, although
many renewable energy sources can also be considered
alternative. Solar power, for example, is both renewable and
alternative because it will always be abundant and
it emits no greenhouse gases. Nuclear power, however, is
alternative but not renewable, since it uses uranium,
a finite resource. Learn more about renewable energy using the
MapMaker Interactive here.

This map shows the average percentage of a country’s total energy

use that came from alternative sources between the years 2006-
2010. Alternative energy here includes hydroelectric energy, solar
energy, geothermal energy, wind energy, nuclear energy,
and biomass energy. The data come from the World Bank. It is
important to note that while the World Bank considers nuclear
energy an alternative energy source, not all energy policy experts
agree on how to categorize nuclear energy.
Facts:
• In 1980, only three countries—Iceland, Norway, and
Switzerland—got more than 30% of their energy from
alternative sources, including nuclear energy. In 2009, an
additional seven countries got more than 30% of their energy
from alternative sources. These were Paraguay, Tajikistan,
France, Sweden, Costa Rica, Lithuania, and Armenia.

• In 2010, Iceland used the equivalent of 16,842 kilograms of oil

per person, the highest per capita energy consumption of any
country in the world. However, most of that energy is not
coming from oil, because Iceland gets 85% of its energy from
alternative sources, including hydroelectric and geothermal.
• In 2009, Paraguay got 99.45% of its energy from
hydroelectricity. The source of this enormous hydroelectric
capacity is the Itaipu Dam, the largest hydroelectric facility in
the world. The dam is built on the Parana River on the Brazil-
Paraguay border.
• Saudi Arabia is the only country in the G-20 group of major
economies that gets less than 1% of its energy from
alternative sources. A major oil exporter, Saudi Arabia gets
100% of its energy from fossil fuels.

Some Of Questions ask in Various Exams and Interview:

1. Why do you think there is a debate over whether nuclear
energy is a true alternative energy source?
Many advocates of renewable and alternative energies do not
categorize nuclear energy as an alternative source because of
the hazardous waste byproducts it produces, which then have
to be stored. In this way, it is not a completely non-polluting
energy source. However, nuclear energy produces little to no
greenhouse gases, unlike fossil fuels. The debate continues:
organizations like the World Bank have categorized nuclear
 energy as an alternative energy, while the International
Renewable Energy Agency maintains that it is not.

2. Based on what you see in the MapMaker Interactive, which

region of the world gets the most of its energy from alternative
sources? Which region gets the least?
Europe gets the most of its energy from alternative sources.
European countries make up eight of the top ten and fourteen
of the top twenty countries that utilize the most alternative
energy sources. The most common alternative energy sources
in Europe are hydroelectric and nuclear. The Middle East gets
the least amount of its energy from alternative energy sources.
Nine countries in the Middle East get 0% of their energy from
alternative sources.
3. What factors enable a country to get a significant portion of its
energy from alternative energy sources?
A strong resource base and adequate technology are the most
important factors that allow a country to get its energy from
alternative sources. The mountainous country of Tajikistan, for
example, which got 59% of its energy from alternative sources
in 2009, has a dense network of alpine lakes and rivers. The
Sangtuda 1 Power Plant, located on the Vakhsh River,
produces about 12% of Tajikistan's total energy on its own.

Types of Alternative Sources of Energy

The types of alternative sources of energy are explained below:

Wind Energy
The kinetic energy of high-speed winds is used to generate electricity by wind-
powered generators. Windmills harness wind energy. A windmill consists of a tall
pole on the top of which a fan-like structure is attached. This fan-like structure is
called a wind turbine.

The force of high-speed winds makes the blades of the fan attached to the windmill
rotate. The blades of the windmill are connected to the shaft of a generator, which
also rotates with the movement of blades. This makes the generator produce
electricity. A windmill is also used to lift water from a well. Wind energy is a
renewable source of energy.

Alternative Sources of Energy

– Wind Energy
Wind Energy

Hydroelectric Energy
In a hydroelectric power plant, the potential of stored water in a reservoir is
converted into the kinetic energy of water. This kinetic energy of water is used to
rotate the blades of the turbine connected to a generator. The rotating turbine
drives the generator’s shaft, thereby converting the mechanical energy of the
rotating shaft into electrical energy. It is also a renewable source of energy.
Alternative Sources of Energy – Hydroelectric Energy

Solar Energy
Sun is the primary source of heat and light on the earth. The energy received by the
earth from the sun is about 1.41.4 kilojoules per second per square meter, also
known as the solar constant. Solar energy can be harnessed with the help of a solar
cooker and solar cell. A solar cell is usually made of silicon that directly converts
sunlight into electricity.
A typical solar cell produces a voltage of 0.50.5 to 1V1V and can produce
about 0.7W0.7W of electricity. A solar panel consists of many solar cells. The
electricity requirements of many households in remote areas are fulfilled by using
solar panels. Street lights and traffic lights are also powered by solar energy. Solar
cells are used in calculators.
A solar cooker is a device used to cook food. It consists of a box-like structure
whose outer surface is painted black to absorb more heat, a thick sheet of glass to
cover the food kept inside it, and a plane mirror reflector. The food to be heated is
kept inside the box, and this box is kept in sunlight so that its reflector faces the
sun. The mirror reflector reflects the sun rays to the glass sheet cover. The food
absorbs the heat from the sun. Also, the thick glass sheet does not allow the loss of
heat from the solar cooker to the surroundings.

Geothermal Energy
The heat energy of the earth’s interiors is known as geothermal energy. This energy
is used to generate electricity. The trapped molten rocks in the region under the
earth’s surface called hot spots heats the underground water. The steam produced
by the hot water is allowed to rotate the blades of the turbines, which rotate the
shafts of the generators connected to them.
Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is the most reliable source of energy. The fission of one uranium
atom produces million times the energy produced by burning one atom of carbon
from coal. Nuclear energy is produced by splitting the nucleus of a heavy atom into
lighter nuclei. This process is called nuclear fission. It generates a large amount of
energy that can be used to rotate generator turbines to produce electrical energy. In
nuclear fission, the nucleus of uranium or plutonium is bombarded with low-energy
neutrons.

Benefits of Using Alternative Sources of Energy

1. Alternative sources of energy do not use fossil fuels, so they do not produce
greenhouse gas.
2. They are renewable. Therefore, they do not get exhausted by increasing their
consumption.
3. The construction of dams for hydroelectricity helps in controlling floods.
4. The use of solar cookers and solar water heaters helps in saving fossil fuels.
5. They save money because once their power plants are set up, they only require
maintenance.

Limitations of Renewable Sources of Energy

• 1. The initial installation of power plants is expensive. A large area of land is
needed to set up wind energy farms (about 22 hectares area is required to
set a wind energy farm for producing 1MW1MW power). It can only be set up
in areas where the minimum wind speed is about 15km/h.15km/h.
• 2. Many lands are submerged underwater while setting up a hydroelectric
power plant and building a dam. It drastically affects aquatic life and wildlife.
Methane gas is released when this submerged vegetation rots under
anaerobic condition.
• 3. There are limited sites for setting up geothermal energy and tidal energy
power plants.
• 4. Nuclear power plants produce radioactive wastes and radiation that can be
a dangerous hazard if leaked accidentally.
• 5. The efficiency of renewable sources of energy like solar energy is low on a
cloudy day.
 Case Studies

Community housing powers ahead

with solar energy
While Australia leads the world in the take-up of solar panels with more than a quarter of households
with rooftop solar systems, the application of solar for multi-dwelling community housing sites has been
slower.
The benefits of solar for this sector are obvious – lower power bills, reduced ‘bill shock’ in winter, and
lower carbon emissions. However, the barrier to many community housing residents being able to access
solar power is technological rather than attitudinal. Until now, there have been limited options for
residents in apartments to access the benefits of solar power and still retain independence through the
ability to choose their energy retailer.
Melbourne company Allume has made the benefits of solar power possible for the tenants of community
housing provider Housing Choices’ Altona apartments. Using their SolShare technology, Allume has
worked with Housing Choices’ tenants to install a solar system that delivers financial and environmental
benefits while retaining separate metering and choice of energy supplier.
This technology enables the solar power to be shared among apartments using resident’s existing
electricity meters. The units can be supplied to any solar installer, allowing tendering processes for
installation of solar systems to be open and competitive.
To date, the residents of Housing Choices’ Altona apartments are saving an average of $423 per year on
power bills, and 93 tonnes per year of CO2.
 Solar
panels on the roof of Housing Choices’ Altona apartments.Photo source: Photo courtesy of
Housing Choices Australia

Hepburn Wind Community Co-

operative

Hepburn Wind is Australia’s first community-owned wind farm and has now been successfully operating
for 10 years. Located at Leonard’s Hill, Victoria, 100 kms north-west of Melbourne, the 4.1 MW wind farm
generates enough clean energy for over 2000 homes in the region. It is owned and operated by the
Hepburn Community Wind Park Co-operative and is the first community-owned wind farm in Australia,
providing a model for further community-owned renewable energy projects.
Hepburn Wind consists of two turbines known by the local community as Gale and Gusto, each with a
capacity of 2.05 MW. The cooperative decided to cap the wind farm at two turbines, as that was the
maximum export achievable on the distribution network, which also ensured it met the energy needs of
the community and is financially viable.
The cooperative looked to a variety of sources for funding including $10 million raised in small
investments from over 2,000 local and non-local retail investors, and the balance from state government
grants and a bank loan from Bendigo Bank.
Prior to the commissioning of the wind farm, the region was largely dependent on electricity from the
coal-fired power stations in the Latrobe Valley. Since 2011 when the wind farm first began to produce
power, it has averaged around 11,000 MWh of electricity each year. This has resulted in carbon
abatement of around 12,200 tonnes of CO2 each year.

Hepburn Wind, Australia’s first community-owned wind farm.

Related industries: critical

minerals

Our clean energy transition is well underway, with Australian mining playing a major role.
Commercial mining in Australia has provided commodities essential to our everyday lives from the early
days of European settlement. While the list of extracted minerals and the products made from them has
gradually changed over the years, imagine our existence today without copper for electronics, tin for
soldering, steel for building construction or aluminium for power lines.
Mining will continue to be important in our tech-driven future, in part because of ‘critical minerals’ and
their clean energy role.
Critical minerals are those considered vital to the economic well-being of the world's major and emerging
economies, yet whose supply may be at risk due to geological scarcity, geopolitical issues, trade policy or
other factors.
Many people have heard of some of the more common ones, like cobalt, platinum and magnesium, but
most people would recognise very few of Australia’s official critical minerals.
This list includes minerals such as gallium, neodymium, indium and antimony. They are used to make
electronic devices, such as mobile phones and flat screen products, fibreoptic cabling, wind turbines,
electric cars, rechargeable batteries, solar panels and other high-tech applications.
Critical minerals are powering our renewable energy generation and communication systems, and their
role in creating and using clean energy is expanding.
Lithium is an interesting example. Lithium-ion is the most common chemical method used to store energy
in batteries. Australia is home to globally significant lithium deposits and is the world’s largest producer,
supplying over a third of the global market.
In addition, with our large land mass and sunny skies, Australia has become a world leader in renewable
electricity generation. Over 1 in 4 houses has a rooftop solar system (the world’s highest per capita), and
we have created some of the largest wind and solar farms in the world. However, the biggest challenge
we, and other countries face, is storing excess renewable energy, and making it available when there is a
shortfall.
Small lithium-ion batteries support home solar panel systems, providing backup power after dark – an
inexpensive and efficient solution. However, batteries large enough to support the national electricity grid
are expensive and have limited capacity.
Big batteries usually consist of rows of household or vehicle-sized lithium-ion batteries installed together
in connected pods. At 300-megawatts and costing $160 million, one of the world’s largest big batteries
sits in a paddock near Geelong, Victoria. The battery improves grid security by providing extra capacity
during peak demand, and can supply 650,000 homes for an hour if required.
In addition to battery manufacture, lithium has many industrial uses and worldwide demand keeps
growing. The Minerals Council of Australia recently forecast world demand for lithium will grow by more
than 350% by 2030, and, not surprisingly, investment in its extraction and refinement has recently
surged.
Demand for other critical minerals is similarly expected to rise. Australia's domestic demand for most
major and minor minerals, including critical minerals, is relatively small; we export far more than we use
each year. We hold large resources of many critical minerals and our efficient extraction methods,
combined with strict environmental regulations, make us a major and favoured supplier to world
markets.
In 2013, Geoscience Australia, analysed the potential for Australia to supply critical minerals to the world.
The report titled ‘ Critical commodities for a high-tech world’ identified 22 out of 34 minerals assessed as
having at least moderate potential, including 7 ranked as having large or very large potential.
Geoscience Australia is helping to turn this resource potential into actual discovery through its eight-year
$225 million Exploring for the Future program. This program is providing Australians with improved
understanding of the nation’s minerals, energy and groundwater resource potential, including critical
minerals.
With critical minerals being so valuable to us, both in terms of export dollars and the clean energy
products we need, the Australian Government created the Critical Minerals Facilitation Office to help
Australia meet the challenge of developing our mineral resources. Australia is embracing the opportunity
to be a global leader in supplying the world with the critical minerals needed for a successful transition to
clean energy.
Lithium mining in Western Australia.

IMP Questions

Q.1. What are the reliable alternative sources of energy?

Ans: Nuclear power, hydroelectric power, solar energy and wind energy are the
most reliable sources of energy.
Q.2. What do you mean by alternative sources of energy?
Ans: Alternative sources of energy are also known as non-conventional or
renewable sources of energy. These sources of energy can never get exhausted and
can be used endlessly. Alternative sources of energy reduce the undesirable effects
of pollution caused by using fossil fuels.
Q.3. What are the disadvantages of alternative sources of energy?
Ans: Some of the disadvantages of alternative sources of energy are as follows:
1. There are only limited sites for setting up power plants of alternative sources of
energy.
2. The initial cost of establishing the power plants of alternative sources of energ y
are expensive.
Q.4. What are renewable sources of energy?
Ans: Sources of energy that are replenished faster than that at which they are
consumed are called renewable sources of energy. They are inexhaustible energy
sources—for example, wind, tide, hydropower and energy from the sun.
Q.5. What are the limitations of alternative sources of energy?
Ans: The initial installation of power plants of alternative sources of energy is
expensive. There are limited sites for setting up their power plants.
Q.6. What are the benefits of using alternative sources of energy?
Ans: Alternative energy sources do not use fossil fuels, so they do not produce
greenhouse gas. Alternative sources of energy are renewable. Therefore, they do not
get exhausted by increasing their consumption.
Q.7. What are some examples of alternative sources of energy?
Ans: Tidal energy, wave energy, geothermal energy, solar energy, hydroelectric
energy, nuclear energy, wind energy are some examples of alternative sources of
energy.
Q.8. Are renewable and alternative sources of energy all the same?
Ans: Yes, alternative energy sources and renewable energy sources are the same
because these energy sources do not include fossil fuels and can be replenished
faster on demand.