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Our planet has been very abundant in offering us renewable sources of energy for our needs and providing alternative energy in many different forms. Many corners of the earth have used renewable power in one way or another but usually just where mechanical electricity, powered by petroleum, was not readily available.

The sun and wind are properties of the earth itself and they will forever feed us the energy that we need. Unfortunately, we have not all done what is needed to properly develop alternative energies in mass abundance. This is unfortunate because current fossil fuel reserves are being slowly depleted and will need an alternative source of energy to replace them.

The ability to generate energy from alternative fuel sources is not complicated. This is very true when you consider the improvements that have occurred over the past century to create crude oil from fossil fuels. This crude oil can be refined into many different forms such as gas, diesel and petroleum. Millions of dollars and a great deal of time has gone into such investments and now it is time to put such effort into newer methods.

While the transition of moving into a new form of energy is very foreign to most of us, it is a necessary step if we want to preserve our world, improve our atmosphere, control global warming and continue to maintain our lifestyle as we have grown accustomed to.

One example of a renewable fuel and the price tag involved is solar electricity. The cost of purchasing all of the solar equipment is still more expensive than our present mechanically generated power. This is one of the changes that we have to learn to bear in transitioning into alternative energy. It is impossible to just stop using petroleum-based energy and replace it with solar or wind power overnight. There are going to be many changes and expenses for everyone to bear.

Generating electricity is basically the same as it was when it was first discovered in the early 1800s by British scientist Michael Faraday. There are seven different methods of changing energy into electrical energy but the most common is electromagnetic induction, transforming kinetic energy into electricity. Putting even the basics of electricity to work for us in an entirely different mode, however, takes a bit of training, education and skill.

Photovoltaic technology has been moving at a quicker speed than in the past. The problem with photovoltaic solar panels is that the cost is much higher than mechanically generated power. Capacity is now growing, by a leaping 40%, being led by such areas as Germany, Japan, California and New Jersey. Hopefully, within the next few years, the market will expand to turn this situation around to where solar power is more feasible than petroleum.

There will always be better methods associated with creating new sources of power. These developments will come after looking over both our past mistakes and wise decisions. This will eventually lead to the proper development of alternative energy source that work properly and in a cost effective manner.