Alternative Energy

Alternative energy is often thought of as renewable energy such as solar or geothermal or recyclable energy such as nuclear energy that could replace fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions. However, did you know that alternative energy can also mean unconventional fossil fuels such as deepwater oil, tar sands, shale gas and oil shale? In the race to find alternative energy for the depleting fossil fuels, it is not only technicalities that need to be questioned but also the sustainability and social effects of creating energy.

Alternative energy definition

Unconventional fossil fuels as alternative energy sources

There are predictions of ‘peak oil’ by geologists that state that there will be a global peak of fossil fuels before a sharp decline. The finite reserves of fossil fuels might be reaching an end. However, there has been a rise in the use of unconventional fuels such as tar sands in Canada and shale gas in the USA.

Types of alternative energy sources

The UK government is looking toward low-carbon energy supplies to help with the looming energy generation gap. They are trying to decouple the economy from fossil fuels by increasing renewable energy, developing a new generation of nuclear power stations, reducing energy use through technology, and recycling energy. In December 2020, renewable production generated 40.2% of total electricity produced in the UK. Let's take a look at some of the different types of alternative energy sources.

Alternative Energy Sources: Biofuels

Biofuels are fuels produced from organic matter (biomass) such as plant material and animal waste. Biofuels are usually categorised as:

• bio-ethanol: produced from sugar cane, sugar beet, maize and wheat.
• bio-diesel: produced from vegetable oil and animal fats.
• bio-methane: produced from sewage, domestic and animal waste, and organic waste.

There have been concerns raised about how environmentally friendly bio-fuels are, as they still produce CO₂. There are also valid concerns as to whether production will interfere with food crops.

Alternative Energy Sources: Nuclear power

There have been problems with the safety of nuclear power, as experienced with Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant. In 2011, the nuclear plant was severely damaged by an earthquake and released dangerous amounts of radiation. Despite this, the development of nuclear power in the UK is still ongoing. Hinkley Point C is likely to cost between £22-23 billion and will provide energy for 60 years and 25,000 jobs.¹

Alternative Energy Sources: Solar power

The Hornsea Project 1 was completed in 2020 and aims to provide wind power to a million homes. Its construction is also likely to create more than 2000 jobs. However, they are much taller (190m) than onshore turbines and are being contested in Aylesbury for ruining the landscape and the potential harm to birds. People also question if the supply will be unpredictable as it is dependent on the wind.³

Offshore wind farms can often be seen from a great distance, the joy of all things/ Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA-4.0

Investment in renewable energy and recyclable energy

As energy companies prefer income to risk in the privatised energy market, new investments are only made when the government can guarantee a minimum price per megawatt-hour (MWh). This is known as the strike price. The strike price is a critical element of the UK energy policy as it creates incentives for businesses to invest in low-carbon power. We can see this in renewable and recyclable energy. Renewable energy refers to the energy that can be naturally replenished over a human time scale. Whereas recyclable energy refers to the energy that can be reprocessed and reused.

Renewable energy

• Biomass - Biomass is the energy created from wood, plants, animal and general waste. The strike price is £80/MWh.
• Solar power - Solar power is the energy from the sun through photovoltaic cells that generate electricity. The strike price is £50-80/MWh.
• Wind energy - Wind power is generated from moving air turning a propeller-driven generator. The strike price is £115-120/MwH.¹
• Hydroelectric power - Hydroelectric power uses the vertical release of water to turn a turbine that generates electricity. The strike price is £100/MWh.

Recyclable energy

• Nuclear energy - Nuclear power is created through heat from an atomic reaction, and the steam turns into a turbine to generate electricity. The strike price for Hinkley Point C is £92.50/MWh (Hinkley Point C is a nuclear power station in Somerset).5
• Heat recovery systems - Heat recovery systems use the heat from the air inside a building to warm air drawn from outside. They cost £2000-7000 per house to install.⁵

Radical technologies for sustainability of alternative energy

These are alternative approaches on how to produce more sustainable futures in terms of fuel and carbon emissions.

Sustainability of Alternative Energy: Hydrogen fuel cells

Hydrogen fuel cells can be used as an alternative to oil and are more energy-efficient for vehicles. When hydrogen is separated from other elements by electricity, it produces hydrogen which then can be burnt as fuel. Hydrogen fuel cells work by using a catalyst at the anode to separate hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons. The electrons flow through an external circuit, creating electricity. This powers the vehicle.

Sustainability of Alternative Energy: Carbon capture and storage

Carbon capture and storage is when carbon dioxide is captured from the emissions of coal and gas-fired power plants. Carbon capture is when mineral carbonation consists of making a fluid with CO2 and adding it to hot basalt so basalt minerals chemically react and turn into carbonate minerals. Geological storage consists of sending high-pressure CO2 deep underground in highly porous rocks so they will fill these pores. It is said that this process could reduce carbon emissions to 19%, but it is expensive.

Advantages of using alternative energy sources

There are many advantages to using alternative energy sources. As many alternative energy sources are renewable, they are far less harmful to the environment than traditional energy sources have been. The burning of fossil fuels is considered to be one of the main drivers of global warming, after all. Long-term, renewable alternative energy sources are likely to be cheaper as they require less maintenance.

Importance of using alternative energy sources

The importance of using alternative energy sources lies in the growing global energy demand. It is reported that by 2050 the global energy demand would have grown by 47% with oil remaining the top source of energy.⁶ The dependence on fossil fuels is not only unsustainable from the depleting resources but also causes environmental damage. This growing demand is influenced by the economic growth of large emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India and China where energy is needed for manufacturing which is the main growth. Social and technological factors also affect the growth of demand for energy. Energy is required for entertainment purposes and also to make time for leisure, devices such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners and heating systems. As these demands grow, the importance of the shift toward alternative energy sources grows, to stop the environmental damage and to find sustainable energy sources that can support the global energy demand.