Alternative energy sources consist in an innovative way of obtaining electric energy. The traditional way of obtaining energy is the one that implies the use of fossil fuels, also called non-renewable sources. According to Wikipedia, this class should be distinguished from other two big classes: renewable energy sources and energy sources used to guaranty a sustainable development. In this way alternative energy sources are represented as a big class, which includes any kind of method of production of energy without using fossil fuels. For example, an important difference between these three classes is the presence among alternative sources of nuclear energy, which is not included in the other two classes. As you can see from what follows, there are not too many differences between these classes. So it would be better if we thought about “alternative energy sources” as a huge class that includes both renewable energy resources and energy resources for sustainable development. 

 

The term emerged during the 1970s, because of the petrol crisis of 1973 and 1979. Everybody become aware of the excessive dependence from fossil fuels. In the last three decades, many human and economical resources have been invested in researches on alternative energy sources. But one big problem is the consequent conflict of interests between those who are supposed to invest in researches and those who are actually producing energy or who are selling petrol.

 

 

This page, at first, takes a look at the general meaning of the word ‘energy’ and at the traditional and alternative energy resources. After these first general impressions, it focuses on energy needs and resources in Italy. Furthermore, there are presented regional energy policies, as that in Veneto and Lombardy. This page concludes with the Greenpeace project, which consist in promoting alternative energy resources.

 

 

 

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Energy

 

Generally speaking, people use the word 'energy' meaning all those resources of the world which can be used to 'do useful activities'. Nowadays, these resources are essential to human beings because almost everything we do requires the use of energy. For example, energy is indispensable not only for heating or refreshing systems, but also for transportation and industrial activities. People usually consider energy as an inexhaustible resource whose use causes irrelevant implications on the environment. Unfortunately, this is wrong. Non-renewable sources of energy which represent nowadays the sources mostly exploited, are finishing.

Fossil fuel combustion, from which we obtain the 90% of the energy we need [ARPAV, 2006 ], produces carbon dioxide which is really harmful for the environment,e.i. it is the main cause of the greenhouse effect and of air pollution in general.

 

In these years there has been a lot of talking about the need to conserve energy. As a matter of fact,many important energy sources may run out and if this happened we would all be in trouble. Energy sources may be divided into two big groups: renewable energy resources and non-renewable energy resources.

 

• Renewable energy resources are the ones that will never run out, e.g. wind because it will never stop blowing.
• Non-renewable energy resources are the ones which may run out some day, e.g. oil is not endless.

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