Solar and Wind Power: Viable Alternative Energy Sources

It’s rare these days that mankind's innovations come without any negative consequences or “spin offs.” Some of these ramifications can even threaten the demise of all nature. For example, some versions of folklore around the discovery of fire suggest that, while prehistoric man had found a very invaluable source of energy, he had to learn the tough way how to use it safely. It is said in an attempt to harness fire to roast meat or keep warm, some found themselves having to scamper for dear life after the fire turned into wild infernos, refusing to be tamed, and leaving a few singed cave men behind. The rest, some say, is history about how mankind eventually managed to have fire obey his biddings.

The dawn of the industrial revolution saw nations' appetites for most forms of energy spiralling higher by the decade. Machinery evolved from being powered by flowing water (and wind for the Dutch), to steam, and eventually to electricity. Ever since then, the bulk of electricity has been generated by fossil fuel fired power stations across the globe. This has not been without any telling effect on man and his environment. In present times, overwhelming evidence suggests that global warming is being exacerbated mostly by the burning of fossil fuels in power stations, factories and our various modes of transport.  So now, alarmist as it might sound, all indications are that this other creation of mankind, is an ever present and worsening threat to the continuation of life on planet earth.

Then there is nuclear energy, which was arguably a much cleaner source of energy than that of burning fossil fuels. However, was not until the Chernobyl disaster (1986) and more recently, the near calamity events of Fukushima, Japan (2011). Now many western countries, led by Germany, are considering shutting down their nuclear power plants altogether. It’s not only nuclear mishaps that are a real menace, but the disposal of the resultant nuclear waste has never been done in the most sustainable or safest manner. Again, one could say that this is another of mankind’s inventions ready to go gruesomely awry.

Ever the most innovative primate on earth, man has been toying with substitute sources of energy for decades. Mounting and conclusive evidence of global warming due to carbon dioxide pollution and other greenhouse gases has spurred man to earnestly look at using safer and more sustainable sources of energy. Thankfully, two of these sources of energy will always be available for the whole lifespan of our solar system. The sun and the wind can provide man with the energy he may require with little or no collateral damage.