Clean, renewable energy sources are the biggest concentrations in the race to shake free of total dependency on fossil fuels. With fossil fuels, we could eventually deplete the world’s supply and cause further destruction of the environment and air pollution. However, with clean, renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, the world could slowly release those reigns of fossil fuel slavery.

Solar and wind power is rather self-explanatory, as far as where the energy is coming from but the ways that these natural power sources are harnessed are quite different. Solar power relies on arrays of these special reflectors to capture the sun’s rays to transfer it to a generator, which will turn them into energy. With wind power, special turbines are turned by the force of the wind, causing the blades to turn. When these blades are turning, they are producing an energy that is transferred and stored as energy.

Advantages of Solar and Wind Power

There are quite a few advantages to solar and wind power and the fact that they are free, renewable original sources of power. Of course, all the technology needed to harness solar and wind power is not free, but eventually it all pays for itself because the sources are renewable. Both methods are pollution-free with no greenhouse gases, cancer causing agents or other pollutants mucking up the works.

In terms of solar and wind power, little maintenance is needed for solar panels and reflectors once they are installed while with the wind, they are tall enough that the land below it can still be used for a variety of things like farming. In other words, the land is not totally wasted with the wind power turbines. Solar power is silent and because there are few moving parts in the arrays of reflectors, little maintenance is needed. Wind turbines are an excellent way of harnessing power for third world countries and areas so remote that electricity cannot be provided.

Disadvantages of Solar and Wind Power

With all things good, there are also some drawbacks, and this is especially the case with solar and wind power. For instance, with wind power, the turbines are rather loud and some people feel that they are a blight to a countryside. With solar power, solar heat and electricity cannot be produced at night or when no sun is shining, so complementary power sources must be attained to supplement solar power.

With both solar and wind power, a lot of turbines and reflectors are needed to make a significant energy impact for an area. And with solar power, the cells that capture the energy produce DC power which must then be converted to AC power.
Overall, both solar and wind power has more advantages than disadvantages simply because within the next fifty years, the world is going to depend more on these forms. The disadvantages will be dealt with and chances are that new developing technologies for solar and wind power could effectively reduce the list.

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