Other Fuels and Sources of Energy

Solar energy is used, mostly passively, in the world today to perform smaller residential jobs like using flat panel collectors for converting the Sun's energy into hot water, or photovoltaic cells, converting solar energy into electric energy.
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Tidal energy uses the weight of the water captured, usually by closing a bay with a dam. At high tide, the dam is closed to hold the water, then at low tide, the stored water is released through a turbine to generate electric power. This form of energy can only be utilized when tides fall, and few bays offer terrain to accommodate such dams.LEARN MORE

Wind power is used for turning windmills and moving the occasional ship, although the latter is usually for pleasure or show. Although very clean, wind power is not yet very practical since it requires strong and constant winds.
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Chemical energy is most commonly related to generating electrical power in batteries. Since some batteries are rechargeable they are more likely be used in conjunction with another form of alternate power, such as windmills or solar collection.

Geothermal power is generated below the Earth's surface wherever water comes in contact with heated rocks. When the heated rocks are located close enough to the surface, we can drill and pump the hot water and steam to the surface where it is used to generate power. Engineers will pump water into the ground if heated rocks are present, but no water. Bolivia, Iceland, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand, and the United States have developed and use geothermal power plants to produce energy.
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Fuel cells can be likened to batteries in which gas or liquid fuels are combined to chemically generate electric energy. Spacecraft use fuel cells to produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen. While the fuel cells are extremely efficient, the current technology is expensive.

Solid and liquid wastes can also provide energy. By burning trash we can produce heat energy and electric energy and reduce landfill mass at the same time. Many paper and lumber mills use the waste wood that is not useful to fuel boilers which in turn generate steam for running machinery in the plants. Liquids like sewage can be used to produce methane, and the use of a process called bioconversion converts organic animal and plant waste into liquid fuels such as methanol.

What's in the future?

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generators are used to convert fuel directly into electric energy. An MHD generator produces hot, ionized (electrified) gases by burning coal or other fuels at high temperatures. The ionized gases are then forced through a duct in a magnetic field, where they produce an electric current which is drawn off by electrodes. MHD generators are more efficient than typical steam powered devices, also once the gas passes through the collection ducts it can be used to run a turbine to produce still more electricity. Until the technology is refined, we will not see MHD generators in common use.

Hydrogen may very well replace both gas and oil as the fuel we use for all energy. Hydrogen burns easily and releases vast amounts of heat, best of all, there is but one by-product created by the process, useful water. The process to remove hydrogen from water is called hydrolysis where an electric current runs through the water. This technology, currently, is very costly in that it requires an enormous amount of electric power to perform the hydrolysis. We may one day see our energy needs for all aspects of life, including aircraft and automobiles met by using this nonpolluting, lightweight, and efficient fuel.
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