Wave, Wind, Solar and Hydro Power

Wave Power

Wave power is the energy of waves on the surface of the ocean and being able to take that energy to do useful work. There are many ways that wave energy is captured, ranging from using buoys to caputure energy to a lot more complicated ways. The type of energy captured though, depends on the wave. It depends on the height of the wave, the wave speed, thewavelength, and water density. Many different corporations use wave power in the U.S. and UK and all over the world. There are some problems, however. Devices used must be able to withstand the waves, or errosion or any other damage caused by power of wave or type of water.


Wind Power

Wind power is used to change the power of the wind into a useful resource, such as electricity. When it comes to windmills, wind energy is used to crush grain or to pump water, like many farmers use. Wind power is used a lot in Europe, nearly 19% of there energy is wind produced. There is so much wind energy and it is renewable. It is also safe and can be used nearly anywhere and helps eliminate greenhouse gas emissions when it replaces fossil-fuel-derived electricity. However, devices that are used to produce energy from wind power can be hazardous. They can catch fire, break, and malfunction. This has happened and has caused many fatalities.


Solar Power

Solar power, also known as solar energy, is energy taken from the sun. It is used mainly to convert the suns energy and light into electricity. Solar power technologies take the Sun's heat and light and produce energy for things such as heating, lighting and electricity. Many architects use solar power to plan their buildings' desings. Solar design in buildings can provide needed lighting, comfortable temperatures, and improved air quality. But when it comes to basic use of the sun's energy for electricity there are several ways of doing this. One is Photovoltaics, which has been mostly made for small to medium sized applications, such as calculators. For larger appliances, there is concentrating solar.


Hydropower

Hydropower, which is also known as hydraulic power, is simply the force or energy from moving water. It is one of the oldest sources of energy that has been used. Hydropower has been used for things such as irrigation and the operation of machines and mills. Today, the use of hydropower is focused mainly on the creation of hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity allows low cost energy to be used at long distances from the water source. Energy from hydropower is collected by directing, harnessing, or channeling moving water. The amount of energy depends on how fast the water is moving or falling.



After reading this I have found that obviously wave power is a type of hydropower, so in that way they are related. All of these are very basic forms of energy it seems like. They are very natural, things that have been around since the beginning of time. I always find windmills interesting because they are seem like such a simple maching, but somehow are producing electricity from the wind. Solar power seems so practical because and a lot cheaper if used for lighting and heat. All of these energy sources that I chose seem endless because the world keeps on producing wind and water and the sun keeps on shining.