Pros & Cons Of Alternative Energy

Pros

Renewable: As suggested by the world itself, alternative or renewable sources of energy can be easily replenished. They will not run out; therefore there would never be a panic to find alternative energy sources to the existing alternative energy sources. They are quite a reliable source of energy, unlike the fossil fuels that may get exhausted. Like solar energy or wind energy; these sources are more likely to stay with us forever, and to harness the energy from these sources would mean ensuring for ourselves a secure future, energy-wise. Since we are on the verge of running out of our oil and gas sources, our economy is always fluctuating. With alternative sources of energy coming into play, this factor can be controlled.

Environment Friendly: The alternative energy sources do not give off any harmful toxins or gases in the environment. They are also carbon emission-free, which means they do not have any harmful effect on the earth’s environment or the ozone layer. There are not any toxic substances disposed of into the water, from alternative sources of energy, unlike non-renewable sources of energy.

Easy To Maintain:  These sources of energy call for an easy way to maintain it. Take, for example, solar energy; there is absolutely nothing that needs to be done to maintain this alternative energy source. Whatever bit of maintenance is required, it is required for maintaining the equipment with which the alternative energy is to be harnessed.

Cons

Inconsistency: Consistency is not a big forte for alternative energy sources. Since the whole concept of harnessing unlimited energy from an alternative energy source means that the source will be vast and never-ending, there is no start and end to the source; therefore, there is no way to control the source. This non-authority over the source leads to inconsistency. For example, there might be times when the winds will not blow in their full force, which would mean that they will not move the turbines on the wind farms with proper force. Since most of the alternative energy sources are natural, a lot of natural factors impact the energy that is harnessed from the alternative energy sources.

Set Up Cost: The initial setup cost for the alternative energy plant is usually very high and requires considerable investment. Since harnessing energy from natural sources is not an easy task, the tools and equipment designed to do it are usually technologically advanced and quite costly. Also, the research on finding new sources for alternative energy is also an extensive process; it requires a big investment of time and resources.

Global Acceptance: Due to the easy availability of fossil fuels or non-renewable energy, people are not much bothered about alternative energy. Also, because there is no definite continuous availability of alternate energy, the general criteria is to keep using the existing energy sources. This disadvantage can be solved if people are educated on the issue of the harmful effects of using fossil fuels.

Producing hydroelectricity is only possible where there is good supply of water or proper water source is available.

There is abundant water available on the surface of the earth. By harnessing energy from this abundant source, we will secure for ourselves a constant supply of energy.

Hydroelectricity can be easily produced. All we have to do is construct a reservoir, store water in it and manipulate its movement and flow. Once it is achieved, then the supply of energy is guaranteed.

Generally, these reservoirs are beautiful scenic sights. They offer a recreational haven and promote boating and fishing.

It is a sustainable source of energy and the cost to set up equipment that can harness energy from the sun, is low.

It is available in abundance and can be designed perfectly to provide energy even to small households.

Producing solar thermal energy is a well tried and tested technology now. There are no loop holes in the process.

It produces no pollution at all and the cost to maintain it is negligible.

To promote the use of solar thermal energy, government is providing tax incentives in many countries around the world.

There would be less amount of energy produced on higher latitudes due to the irregularity sun in those areas.

There can not be any energy produced during the night time, due to the absence of the sun.

It is a complicated process where a lot of storage and back-up is needed.

It is a sustainable source of energy, producing no water or air pollution.

Energy can be produced perpetually, especially in the areas where strong wind blows constantly.

The technology to produce wind energy is in its working stage and the cost to maintain it is considerably low.

It is dependent on many geographical and environmental factors like local weather conditions, patterns, temperature, and location.

The initial setup expense is very high.

It is a reliable source of alternative energy for fossil fuels.

It produces less amount of carbon dioxide as compared to coal or petroleum.

Since food crops are needed to produce ethanol, the prices of food and livestock feed goes higher.

There is a high energy consumption involved in the process of producing ethanol but does not produce as much energy.

Ethanol is highly corrosive on some metals.

It is a non-polluting source of energy with a lot of potential for sustainability.

Harnessing energy from tides is a reliable source of energy, since there would always be a momentum in the tides that can be used to work in the favour of producing ample energy.

The technology is still in its initial stages and not fully formed. It is supposedly going to be a costly affair to finally be able to device a method to produce energy from tides.

There could be environmental and marine disruptions due to the construction of equipments to produce energy from tides.

There is a geographical restriction in producing tidal energy as seas or oceans with ample amount of tides are not situated in every part of the world.

It is a sustainable source of energy, where energy can be produced continuously day and night.

It does not produce any pollution and is considerably free, after spending money on the initial set up.

The reservoirs for geothermal energy are limited and not available everywhere and they needs to be continually recharged with water, as it keeps steaming.

The ground water is potentially contaminated in the process of producing geothermal energy.

Environmental pollution can be caused as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide can be released by geothermal plants.