A new kind of light is shining in Lime Village, Alaska. Last month, for the first time ever, all 50 residents of the tiny village got electricity. Until then, the light shining in Lime Village came mainly from candles, lanterns, the sun, the moon and the stars.
Why did it take so long for Lime Village to get plugged in? The reason is that most electricity comes from power plants that burn oil, gas, coal or other fuel. But Lime Village is too isolated to receive regular deliveries of fuel. So the Alaskan government came up with a bright idea: build a power plant that turns sunlight into electricity. If the experiment continues to work, light bulbs, radios and TV sets in other remote Alaskan communities may soon be powered by the sun.
The Energy Revolution
Slowly but surely, natural sources of energy like sunlight and wind are beginning to light up towns around the globe. They are replacing coal, gas and oil. These fossil fuels were formed deep
in the Earth over millions of years from the decay of plants and animals.
Fossil fuels have provided mankind with power for generations, but they have also made our world dirty. Burning coal and oil releases pollution into the air. That's why clean energy sources like the wind and the sun "are incredibly important for the future of the planet," says Nancy Hazard of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. "The more that communities use them, the better," she says.
Fossil fuels transformed the world in the late 1800s, when cars and electric lights began to replace horse-drawn carriages and candles. Almost 100 years later, fossil fuel is still the world's main source of energy. But the use of alternative fuels, which now provide only about 1% of the world's energy, is growing. Will the year 2000 mark the next energy revolution?
Sun, Wind And Power
Tapping into the sun's power is a tricky business. Because scientists are still trying to figure out the best way to do it, solar power can be expensive. But new, cheaper ways to use the sun are on the horizon.
In Japan, companies have introduced a type of house that has special roof tiles that absorb sunshine. These tiles can produce enough electricity for an entire family and do it at a lower cost than the less efficient solar panels found on some American homes. Because the houses are environmentally friendly, the Japanese government wants more of them built. About 70,000 of these homes are expected to go up over the next several years.
Use of solar power is hotter than ever in the U.S. The Million Solar Roofs Initiative, sponsored by the Department of Energy, aims to install solar-energy systems in more than a million buildings by 2010.
Unlike solar power, wind energy often costs no more than traditional fossil fuels. Windmills have been used as a power source in the Netherlands for hundreds of years. But today's windmills are sleeker and more powerful than the old-fashioned wooden mills. "They have new, high-tech blades that catch the wind more efficiently and special computers to transform the wind in ways we can use it," says Jim Marston of the Environmental Defense Fund.
This year the country of Denmark is getting 6% of its electricity from wind power. Plans to add more windmills in Europe and Asia are under way. Giant windmill "farms" are sprouting up in windy states like California and Texas.
Energy's New Dawn
Although many experts say it will be difficult and expensive to replace oil and coal with cleaner energy sources, others say the benefits to the environment will be worth it. In the long run, there may be no choice. Someday the world will run out of oil
and coal. But energy from the sun and the wind has no limit.
This month California became the first state to let its residents choose the company that supplies their home with power. Customers can now pick companies that use cleaner energy sources like the sun and the wind. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are also giving their residents the right to choose, and other states are likely to follow.
Choosing wind or solar power is the key to making sure that Earth's future is bright, says environmentalist Nancy Hazard. "We have to be working toward a world where our energy needs are met by renewable sources," she says. "Creating that vision and really going for it--that's how we'll get energized!"
Did You Know?
Sources: Solar Energy Research and Education Foundation; The Wind at Work by Gretchen Woelfle