New sources of energy

Our planet faces serious energy crisis! We are desperately in need of a new form of energy which will be capable of generating enough power to see our homes, businesses and industries into the twenty-first century.

At the moment, the main part of world’s energy needs are met by burning fossil fuels or generated in nuclear power stations. Unfortunately, these are not renewable sources of energy, and once they have run out. Moreover they emit harmful greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming and climate change.

How the can we produce enough energy to power the entire world without damaging the environment? We can use alternative reliable forms of energy, which will generate as much power as fossil fuels and nuclear energy: solar power, wind power and hydropower.

Solar power is safe and clean. It does not pollute the environment and it is a very powerful, cheap renewable resource. Solar power has always given us light and heat but now, thanks to solar technology, we are finding ways to store this power and use it as an alternative source of energy. Solar energy can be turned into electricity and used to run small gadgets like calculators. It is also used to heat water and to heat and cool factories, warehouses and other large buildings. Solar power batteries are also available. They capture and store the sun’s energy so that it can be used when needed.

Wind mills have been used for hundreds of years to pump water so this form of energy is nothing new. However, today we are using wind turbines to turn this energy into electricity. The wind turbines have large blades which catch the wind. These blades are connected to a generator which produces electricity. Wind factories or farms are used to create enough electricity to run homes and communities. Unfortunately, areas which don’t get enough wind have to use other sources of power as well.

Hydropower is another natural source of energy. Fast moving streams or rivers have been used for hundreds of years to power grain and saw mills. Now they are used to create electricity. They can even create electricity for whole cities.By building dams across bodies of water we can redirect the flow through hydroelectric power plants and can even store the power to be used later. Hydropower is safe and natural way to produce electricity as long as care is taken not to flood the surrounding areas or interfere too much with the natural flow of the water.

So, these three kinds of power offer a solution to all our energy problems by being renewable, clean and safe sources of energy which are easy to live and work with.

4. Explain underlined words and give synonyms for the words in bald.