There is not enough surface area on a car for panels to produce enough energy to run it. The windmill on a car would require more energy to move the car and create wind than would be received from it.
Geothermal energy is promising. Heat pumps on individual homes to reduce electricity needed. Power plants that pump water into hot spots underground and use the resulting steam to generate electricity.
Windmill power is being built globally at a rather fast pace, look at Texas, Wyoming, California, and off shore in Scandinavian countries. It just takes MANY of them, and they are big and not cheap.
A few solar power stations have been built where mirrors reflect concentrated sunlight onto a large boiler tank. This is a big expensive project and requires a very sunny location but it can replace a large coal power plant.
Of course hydroelectric power from dams is excellent, but there are a limited number of places you can put a dam.
Ethanol blended into gasoline is mandated by the government to reduce gasoline demand, but producing it from corn is a waste of a resource which is valuable for other things, and the amount of energy to produce ethanol from corn is almost as much as you get out. Ethanol produced from cellulose (the stalks and cobs of corn or switch-grass) at an industrial level is being worked on, but it isn't efficient enough yet.
All these combined only represent less than 10% of our energy needs. They all take land and lots of money to build. Our energy demand is increasing much faster than these are being added to the infrastructure.
The world is addressing the problem but it will take a generation or two. Just in time for the fossil fuels to run out!
Please stay involved and help make it possible.
Cost, efficiency and practicality are all factors. Solar panels only work when the sun shines. So you have power on the average for 12 hours a day. Wind only works when the wind speed is right. Sometimes wind produces more electricity than is needed, so the windmills get powered back. But we still have to pay for the power.
Oil has been used since 1857 when the first well was drilled. The country and much of the world has prospered since then due to the use of oil.
Natural gas is a cheaper source of power but it's use is only recently being ramped up.
If you want to add solar panels to your home, the initial cost would be at least $20,000. At current rates, it would take about 15 years to recover the expense. Solar panels have about a 15 year life span.
Besides killing birds, windmills have other drawbacks. Near Somerset, PA the brakes on a windmill failed during a windstorm. Officials were so worried that the blades were torn off, they evacuated an area one mile in radius.
want more?
Global warming is not real so if that's your concern you can rest easy.
Like the other guy said simple math says to push a small motor on a fan would be pointless for powering a car. Solar panels are too expensive not worth it.
Natural gas for cars could be very valuable but powers that be will lose money, taxes.
Volvo has a full size car that get 65 mpg why haven't you heard about it?
VW has a turbo desiel that gets 80 mpg why haven't you heard of it?
YouTube; climategate how the data is manipulated. When you say you want to bring an alternative energy source just be aware that there are already proven ways but you are going to be going against multiple, billion dollar industries who know how to make you go away one way or another.
YouTube: car engine of the future.
For some amazing real future technologies YouTube: How NIF Works. Or try LFTR. Or check out the reactor Bill Gates is working on. Or the Two stroke motor he has invested millions in for it's development.
Everything has to start somewhere. Right now, the technology has not been advanced enough. Solar and nuclear are really the only ones that can generate sufficient energy currently. Until it is cheaper or a better alternative to oil, people will not change.
Alternative energy only narrow refers to all can replace petroleum energy; Alternative energy and generalized refers to can replace the current use of fossil fuel energy (fossil fuels, including oil, gas and coal), most of the new energy alternative energy, including solar energy, nuclear energy, wind energy, ocean energy, etc
nowadays, shortage of the fossil fuels and rising prices of the energy fuels leads to find the alternate option for the energy resources. But due to increasing pollution and greenhouse gases by these energy resources, we need to find environment friendly alternative..
The http://answertoacne.blogspot.in/2013/09/...
For the past few months now I have been doing research on alternative energy and how I can play a part in making it take off and replace oil as a smarter and healthier way to power earth.
But I only have one question that I can't put my finger on that any of these websites or books have touched.
Why can't this field of alternative energy take off?
I'll elaborate a bit. Basically, why are there no new companies switching and making cars that are powered by solar panels and wind energy, almost like attaching a solar panel to the top and side of the car and a windmill in the front? Almost embedded in?
Why are there no new power companies that are springing up dedicating massive amounts of land to solar panels and windmills? Why are there none that are not establishing themselves on rivers to provide hydro power for major cities?
Honestly, what is the point of even using oil anymore? There are so many other options available other than that fossil fuel that needs to be put into a category that its name properly represents, "fossil".
Now, I know the answer to this question, many oil companies have tons of power over politics, but what does that have to do with anything? Like I said, from new companies focussed on smarter energy for cars and power plants springing up and starting a whole new industry that could revolutionize the energy field?
I know I sound like a treehugger that is just preaching "Stop Global Warming", but i'm really not, i'm a Junior in high school that is seriously worried for the future of this planet. And quite frankly, I see a lot of money in industries like this in the future and wish to look into it.
So again, I will refer back to my original question as an ending statement, Why can't the alternative energy field take off with a 'bang'?
