University-based Alternative Energy Research

University-based Alternative Energy Research 

The largest single "Energy Crop Plantation" in the entire United States has been planted as a consequence of decades of cooperative tree and biomass research by Florida State University and Shell Energy. About 130 acres of this plantation are covered in over 250,000 planted trees, including non-invasive eucalyptus and native cottonwoods, as well as a variety of row crops including soybeans. The University collaborated on research with Shell, the US Department of Energy, the Common Purpose Institute, and groups of different people who are working to create alternative energy sources (those not dependent on fossil fuels) for the future, and as a result, this organization of "super trees" came to be. The planting and processing of biomass energy sources derived from quickly expanding plants known as "closed loop biomass" or simply "energy crops" are the main topics of this research. The project aims to create "power plants" such plants that produce wood pulp or wood fiber, clean biogas for use by industry, plants like sugarcane that can be used to create ethanol, and crops like soybeans for the manufacture of biodiesel fuel. 

Penn State University is also actively engaged in academic research on alternate energy sources. Research is being done specifically at Penn State to create hydrogen power as a useful alternative energy source. Because we need to reduce air pollution and find alternatives to petroleum to power the United States, the scholars involved are certain that humanity is headed toward a hydrogen-fueled economy. Since hydrogen can be extracted from both water and crop plants, it can be continuously regenerated and burns cleanly. Thus, as the world's supply of (cheap) oil reaches its peak and starts to fall, hydrogen power would be a sustainable energy source found within the US's own infrastructure. In order to replace or work in conjunction with combustion engines in all of our motor vehicles, the university wants to assist in the commercial development of hydrogen-powered fuel cells.  

President Bush decided that the government will establish five "Sun Grant" centers for focused study when he recently launched his alternative energy strategy. The honor of being chosen as one of these centers belongs to Oregon State University, which will benefit from $20 million in government subsidies over the course of the next four years to carry out its objectives. OSU, which represents the interests of the Pacific Islands, the US Pacific Territories, and nine western states, will take the lead in alternative energy research. The study being carried out by OSU's Sun Grant center, according to OSU President Edward Ray, will immediately help us meet President Bush's goal for energy independence. A project to determine how to effectively transform materials like straw into a source of renewable biomass fuel and another project to investigate how to effectively transform wood fibers into liquid fuel are two examples of the specific alternative energy research being carried out by various scientific teams at OSU at the moment. 

Alternative Energy: What Is It? 

We can harness a lot of energy if we merely work to discover and create the technology required. By utilizing alternate energy sources, we may move off fossil fuels and the antiquated electrical infrastructures. 

Wind power is one of these alternative energy sources. Wind turbines are continually being improved to become less expensive and more energy efficient. "Wind farms" have been popping up in various countries, and over time, they have even been more carefully positioned to avoid endangering birds like previous wind turbines did.  

The most well-known alternative energy source is solar energy, which is another one. This entails the creation of solar cells that collect and concentrate the energy directly emitted by the sun and convert it into electricity or, in certain situations, hot water. Solar energy, like wind energy, produces zero pollutants. 

Governments and investors consider ocean wave energy to have huge potential for generating electricity. The Irish and Scots are operating experimental facilities, and a generator in France has been in use for many years and is regarded as a remarkable success.  

Since it has been around for a while, hydroelectric power is a potent source of electricity and is cleaner than a grid when it is installed. The right locations to build a big dam are available, however there are some restrictions. Due to this restriction, a lot of run-of-the-river, or small and localized, hydroelectric plants have been installed recently. 

Since geothermal energy is located just a few miles below the surface of the planet, beneath our feet, it is incredibly abundant. This energy is created when water is heated by the earth's extraordinarily hot molten core. As the water evaporates, steam is created. This steam can be collected and used to power turbine engines, which then produce energy. Geothermal energy tapping should receive a lot of research and development.  

By generating energy from garbage that is dumped in landfills and some air pollutants, waste gas energies, which are primarily methane, reverse the traditional link between energy and pollution. This gas can be used in conventional gasoline generators as well as in fuel cells.  

A fuel alternative known as ethanol is produced from a variety of sources, including wheat, sugarcane, grapes, strawberries, corn, and even wood chips and wood cellulose. Although there is debate over whether or not this fuel will ever be really inexpensive or practicable outside of very small geographic areas, technologies for its extraction and admixture are constantly being improved.  

Oils found in plants are used to make biodiesel energy. Soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower oils have been used to make biodiesel up to this point in commercial production. However, commercial interest from businesses is growing. At the time of this writing, biodiesel is typically generated by business-minded individuals or those who want to experiment with alternative energy. Compared to oil-based diesel, it burns significantly more cleanly.  

Nuclear fission is the technique used in atomic power plants to produce atomic energy. This energy is very effective and produces enormous amounts of power. Some people are concerned about how to handle the very modest quantity of waste that atomic energy produces because it is radioactive and takes hundreds of years to decompose into innocuous substances.