Function

• A variety of problems have arisen regarding the creation of alternative energy. Governments and private industry have established programs and projects to build alternative energy technologies but have run into issues regarding their development. The biggest hurdle that needs to be passed is making the public understand the importance of developing alternative energy. Although most scientists are convinced that global warming exists and industry analysts point to the dwindling fossil fuels resources, debate still exists regarding the proper course of action the country should take.
  
  

Significance

• Fossil fuel consumption in the United States reached the equivalent of 2 billion tons of oil in 2007. This accounts for nearly half of the world's supply. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, at the present level of worldwide consumption known oil reserves will be tapped sometime in the middle of the 21st century.
  Global warming is also a pressing matter. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has determined that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached 387 parts per million in 2008. Rising by 2.14 parts per million each year, NOAA points to the fact that this level is higher than any point in 650,000 years. The impact may have detrimental effects on the quality of human life by the end of the century.
  
  

Considerations

• Although representing a $1 trillion industry, the alternative energy technology businesses face challenges with financing and establishing capital for their projects. Thus far, the U.S. government has had the policy of letting the free market decide how to best adapt to the changing marketplace and climate. It has not invested large amounts of money into retooling the infrastructure. The main programs it has supported are tax breaks for purchasing hybrid vehicles and offered subsidies for biofuels. However, these biofuels are made from food sources which has driven up food costs worldwide.
  
  

Types

• While a variety of alternative energy methods have been created over the years, very few of them are profitable or efficient.
  Solar energy was developed during World War II, however, very little progress has been made in the interim years. Although the sun is essentially an infinite source of power, the amount of solar radiation that falls on earth is limited to 1020 watts per square meter at the equator. In the U.S., this figure drops to 125 watts per square meter. The most efficient panels available can only convert 15% of that power into electricity. Plus, they are unreliable under cloud cover.
  Wind energy is efficient and pollution free, however, the larger models are responsible for the deaths of many birds and bats. According to a study by the Norwegian government, ninety percent of their birds of prey have been killed in less than a decade after running into the wind turbines.
  Hydroelectric power breaks down plant material which creates methane. In addition, the riverbeds near these power plants flood drastically, damaging the ecological system of the area.
  The main question about geothermal power is the fact that scientists are unsure if it is truly renewable. In theory, when the ground is tapped and heat is given off, there should only be a finite amount of heat. This means that the earth will cool down from the inside out.
  Wave power is an efficient method of gathering energy, however, the power plants that are built are susceptible to the damages caused by constant erosion from the sea. These installations have a short lifespan, making their overall efficiency a problem.
  
  

Features

• All alternative energy problems can be associated with one factor -- they are intermittent. None of these sources of energy can be used at all times. The sun does not always shine, the wind does not always blow and the waves do not always crash. The only way to utilize these technologies in an environmentally sound way is to combine all of them.
  The other challenge with these technologies is that NOAA and the U.N. Agency on Climate Change predict that even if all of these systems were implemented, it would only meet the demands for power that exist during the early 21st century. They give no options for expansion or growth in energy consumption.