Group items tagged

Runge estimated that in the United States alone, some 1.3 billion tons of cellulose material could be harvested for biofuel use. Cellulose is basically fiber, and can be found in things ranging from switchgrass to trees such as hybrid poplar and willow.

1. Cellulose

2. Algal Oil

Because algae are grown in water, they overcome one of the major problems faced by other biofuels -- competition for land with agricultural crops.

3. Corn

Another benefit to using this energy is its nearness to places that can use it. Lots of big cities and harbors are next to the ocean and can harness the power of the waves for their use. Coastal cities tend to be well-populated, so lots of people can get use from wave energy plants.

A final benefit is that there are a variety of ways to gather it. Current gathering methods range from installed power plant with hydro turbines to seafaring vessels equipped with massive structures that are laid into the sea to gather the wave energy.

The biggest advantages of wave power as against most of the other alternative energy sources is that it is easily predictable and can be used to calculate the amount that it can produce. The wave energy is consistent and proves much better than other sources which are dependent on wind or sun exposure.

The biggest disadvantage to getting your energy from the waves is location. Only power plants and towns near the ocean will benefit directly from it. Because of its source, wave energy is not a viable power source for everyone. Landlocked nations and cities far from the sea have to find alternate sources of power, so wave energy is not the clean energy solution for everyone.

As clean as wave energy is, it still creates hazards for some of the creatures near it. Large machines have to be put near and in the water to gather energy from the waves. These machines disturb the seafloor, change the habitat of near-shore creatures (like crabs and starfish) and create noise that disturbs the sea life around them. There is also a danger of toxic chemicals that are used on wave energy platforms spilling and polluting the water near them.

Another downside is that it disturbs commercial and private vessels. Power plants that gather wave energy have to be placed by the coastline to do their job, and they have to be near cities and other populated areas to be of much use to anybody. But these are places that are major thoroughfares for cargo ships, cruise ships, recreational vehicles and beach goers. All of these people and vessels will be disrupted by the installation of a wave energy gathering source. This means that government officials and private companies that want to invest in wave energy sources have to take into account and consider the needs of those they may be disturbing.

Wind power is highly dependent on wavelength i.e. wave speed, wave length, wavelength and water density. They require a consistent flow of powerful waves to generate significant amount of wave power. Some areas experience unreliable wave behavior and it becomes unpredictable to forecast accurate wave power and therefore cannot be trusted as reliable energy source.