This blogging experience was an interesting one. There were many struggles, a lot of hard work, learning of different topics, and quite a bit of complaining. There were many advantages to utilizing this instrument, but like any other trial, it had its errors. There were topics that were interesting, while other topics were difficult. There are certain things that should stay the same and some that should be changed. There are different ways this could have been implemented and some topics that should have been covered, but were not.
Personally, my favorite topics were the topics covered in week 1, 6, and 7. I enjoyed comparing and contrasting science and pseudoscience. I also liked that we already had a foundation on the subject from class. I think posts were easier to write when I had a foundation to continue building upon. I think that the week 1 topic was very debatable and thought-provoking. I enjoyed writing about renewable resources during week 6. I think that was an important topic to discuss because of the situation our country is in right now. Nonrenewable resources are damaging to our environment and are also running out. This causes us to need other sources to use such as the renewable resources we discussed. Also, I really enjoyed posting about holography in week 7. Holography is such an interesting topic and since I'm such a fan of photography, it was even more intriguing to discover a new type of "photography". I think it was important for us to discover holography's future uses since it will affect us and our way of living. Besides favorite topics, there were some very difficult ones.
The most difficult topics were the final three weeks. That is expectable since things should get harder as time goes on, but the difference in level of difficulty was startling. Mostly, those topics were difficult because of the length requirements. Also, even though holography was a favorite topic of mine, it was very difficult to understand without a lot of time to comprehend it. I know a few others in the class will be able to relate when I say that I had to spend a lot of time working inside and outside of school on the more recent blogs and blog comments. I probably spent at least 5 hours a week working on this blog project outside of class. Overall, there were a few things I would keep the same about this experience.
The blogging experience was beneficial because it allowed us to write and have our classmates critique our work and everyone had different perspectives on the topics. The blogging experience should remain as independent as it was this year except with a little more monitoring of students who appear to not be working. The topics were overall pretty good topics. I think the topics really allowed us to learn a variety of information.
There were some things that should be changed about the experience. The rules should be unchanging from the beginning of the project to the end. Also, if the need arises for rule changes, the class should be informed. An example was when the date the original posting was due changed from Friday to Wednesday during the second week. This threw a lot of people off and I wouldn't have even noticed the change on that rule if a friend hadn't pointed it out to me. Also, plagiarism needs to be watched for a lot more. There was an excessive amount of this occurring during the project and it quite frankly was not fair to the students who actually wrote their own posts. Also, instead of increasing the work amount, it would have been fairer to just take points off of the people who weren't doing their work. The people who weren't doing their work or were plagiarizing weren't affected by the work increase; it just meant more things to copy and paste. For the people who worked, it was an extra worry and more time needing to be spent blogging. Also, the amount of game playing going on was very extreme and rather aggravating when trying to work. One thing that was also somewhat upsetting was to be told to check the "master blog" instead of getting an answer when a question was asked. A better way to have this blogging experience would be to have it be a supplement to teaching. It could be a weekly or monthly blog describing things that were learned in the classroom. That way for every post, the class would have a foundation to build upon. Also, it would have been useful to know how physics related to all of the topics. Besides changes, the blogging experience should also have new topics.
Some topics that could be added would include electromagnetism, classical mechanics, and thermodynamics. Other topics that would be great would be the different branches of physics. Famous physicists would also be interesting to learn about and what effect they had on physics. Also, discussing careers in physics would be a great chance for career exploration.
This blogging experience was definitely a good way to learn, but wasn't implemented completely correct. However, nothing and nobody is perfect and science is always full of trial and error. It is very difficult to find a happy medium especially on the first try. As much as I might have disliked this project at times or complained about it as some of my classmates have, I really did learn a lot of different information on those topics. I'm not really sure it prepared me for college physics except for the size of work. I really enjoyed the different topics and am glad to have learned about them. I hope this does not offend or anger anyone, because I just wrote what I think is true. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and people should honor that entitlement. Overall, I might not have enjoyed every minute of this experience, but I learned about quite a few topics that interested me.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Coral Reefs: An Underwater Adventure
Have you ever been to the ocean? Have you ever looked out over the vast and compelling ocean? Have you ever wondered what lies beneath the waves and ripples? Have you ever thought about the possibility of underwater, productive communities? Well, it may not be the community you were thinking of, but coral reefs are considered "the most diverse and productive communities on Earth". Coral reefs are very complex and are "ecologically important ecosystems" that provide food, medicine, and protection of the coast. Coral reefs have a specific anatomy and structure. There are many types of coral reefs and many things threaten coral reefs. Coral reefs also have specific animals that associate with them. There are many important pieces to the coral reef puzzle.
Coral reefs are comprised of "many diverse species of corals". Tiny organisms named polyps are responsible for creating these corals. Polyps are made of two separate cell layers with a non-tissue layer between them. The cell layers are known as the epidermis and the gastrodermis. The non-tissue layer is known as the mesoglea. Polyps also contain mesentery filaments. These filaments contain nematocysts, a pharynx, endothecal dissepiments, and the columella. Nematocysts are commonly used to capture food and endothecal dissepiments are horizontal layers of skeletal material. The columella is "the central axis of the corallites found below the mouth". A skeletal wall surrounds each polyp and is called the theca. Another feature of coral anatomy is the "calcareous plate-like structure known as septa". There are two types of septa, which are called insert septa and exsert septa. Besides septa having more than one type, there is more than one type of coral .
The coral that coral reefs are made of comes in more than one type. One type of coral is known as perforate coral. This type of coral is known to have "porous skeletons with connections between the polyps through the skeleton". Another type of coral is imperforate coral. Imperforate corals have completely solid skeletons. Corals not only have two different types, they also have different "growth forms". Some of the different forms are plocoid, meandroid, cocoid, spherical shaped, and phalecoid. Another important part of coral reefs are the categories and structures of them.
In the Caribbean, there are three basic types of coral reefs. These types are fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Fringing reefs grow in shallow water and closely border the coast. Sometimes, fringing reefs are only separated from the coast by a narrow stretch of water. These reefs are characterized by depth, reef structure, and the plant and animal communities that inhabit them. The regions of a fringing reef entail a reef crest, the fore reef, and the "spur and groove" zone. The "spur and groove" zone is also called the buttress zone.
Barrier reefs exist when a lagoon separates a reef from land. Barrier reefs are parallel to the coast. These reefs include all the regions of a fringing reef and more. The extra elements in a barrier reef are patch reefs, back reefs, and bank reefs. Back reefs are the shoreward side of a reef. Bank reefs are reefs that "occur on deep bottom irregularities". Also, bank reefs are larger than patch reefs and either have a linear or semi-circular outline.
Atolls are the third important type of coral reefs. This type is an "annular reef that develops at or near the surface of the sea when islands are surrounded by reefs subside. Reefs of this type often separate a central lagoon. The most common shape for an atoll is circular or "sub-circular". There are two different kinds of atolls. One is known as the "deep sea atoll" and this kind rises from the deep sea. The other kind of atoll is found on the continental shelf.
There are many other types of coral reefs besides the three main ones. There are apron reefs, which resemble fringing reefs, but they have more of a slope to them. This type of reef extends from a "point" or the shore of a peninsula. Another type, as previously mentioned, is the patch reef. These are isolated and are usually circular reefs located within an "embayment". Patch reefs are also "dominated by large star and brain coral colonies". Ribbon reefs are long and narrow and are "usually associated with an atoll lagoon". Table reefs are another type of isolated reefs that do not have a lagoon. Another important aspect of coral reefs is there food source.
Coral reefs have to obtain food in order to provide food for other organisms. Zooxanthellae are responsible for providing coral reefs with food. These are often referred to as "unicellular yellow-brown algae". Their habitat is in the gastrodermis of "reef-building corals". This food source is responsible for allowing the growth and reproduction of corals in order for them to form a coral reef. The food source is provided in the form of "photosynthetic products". The zooxanthellae receive protection and access to light as a reward for providing the coral with food.
Like any other organism, coral reefs are prone to diseases. There are four main types of "coral diseases". The first main disease is known as white band disease. The second disease is black band disease which is commonly referred to as BBD. Both of the first two diseases "kill coral tissue while advancing in a band around the coral and leave the white coral skeleton behind". Coral reefs are also in danger of bacterial infections and shut down reaction.
Besides these four main diseases, there are other possible perils. Coral reefs are "susceptible" to tumors and parasitic worms. Most of these unfortunate infections or diseases are stress related. It is claimed that "anthropogenic stresses can increase a coral's susceptibility to these diseases". The temperature of the water a coral reef inhabits also affects the health of it. Warmer waters can raise the rate of infection.
Coral bleaching is another potential problem for coral reefs. This can occur when many “symbiotic” zooxanthellae are lost from the polyps’ tissue. This “loss exposes the white calcium carbonate skeletons of the coral colony”. Coral bleaching is known as the “whitening of coral colonies”. Coral bleaching can be caused by disease, excess shade, pollution, increased temperature, and many other things. Coral bleaching is mostly a result of “stresses or environmental changes”. However, coral reefs are threatened by more menacing things than just disease and coral bleaching.
Coral reefs are threatened by many natural and human-created problems. Sedimentation “smothers” coral reefs by blocking necessary sunlight from reaching the reef. Many people fish with explosives as a “desperate tactic” and they destroy the reefs. Another fishing method that is threatening to coral reefs is “cyanide fishing”. This is very destructive to fish and coral reefs. Water pollution causes chemicals to reach the reefs and these chemicals are very lethal to coral reefs. Even recreation can cause the destruction of these underwater communities because when people are careless they damage the coral. Other threats to coral reefs are over-fishing, coral mining, climate changes, and global warming.
These threats pose even more danger to the oceanic habitat because they harm the lives of animals associated with coral reefs. Many organisms rely on coral reefs. Coral reefs provide food and shelter for these needy organisms. Sponges are popular inhabitants of coral reefs. These sponges use “chips” of the calcium carbonate for food. Coral reefs are demonstrated as a habitat for many more organisms in the popular movie, Finding Nemo. Coral reefs are a very important part of the oceanic ecosystem and many people don’t even realize it.
Coral reefs are very complex and there is a vast amount of information about them. Without coral reefs, the underwater world would be a very different place. Many organisms would be homeless and starving if coral reefs didn’t exist. Coral reefs are susceptible to diseases and countless other threats. People need to be careful of their actions so that coral reefs continue to be part of our world. Everyone needs to realize that if they aren’t responsible for their actions then we might not have important parts of our ecosystem.
Coral reefs are comprised of "many diverse species of corals". Tiny organisms named polyps are responsible for creating these corals. Polyps are made of two separate cell layers with a non-tissue layer between them. The cell layers are known as the epidermis and the gastrodermis. The non-tissue layer is known as the mesoglea. Polyps also contain mesentery filaments. These filaments contain nematocysts, a pharynx, endothecal dissepiments, and the columella. Nematocysts are commonly used to capture food and endothecal dissepiments are horizontal layers of skeletal material. The columella is "the central axis of the corallites found below the mouth". A skeletal wall surrounds each polyp and is called the theca. Another feature of coral anatomy is the "calcareous plate-like structure known as septa". There are two types of septa, which are called insert septa and exsert septa. Besides septa having more than one type, there is more than one type of coral .
The coral that coral reefs are made of comes in more than one type. One type of coral is known as perforate coral. This type of coral is known to have "porous skeletons with connections between the polyps through the skeleton". Another type of coral is imperforate coral. Imperforate corals have completely solid skeletons. Corals not only have two different types, they also have different "growth forms". Some of the different forms are plocoid, meandroid, cocoid, spherical shaped, and phalecoid. Another important part of coral reefs are the categories and structures of them.
In the Caribbean, there are three basic types of coral reefs. These types are fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Fringing reefs grow in shallow water and closely border the coast. Sometimes, fringing reefs are only separated from the coast by a narrow stretch of water. These reefs are characterized by depth, reef structure, and the plant and animal communities that inhabit them. The regions of a fringing reef entail a reef crest, the fore reef, and the "spur and groove" zone. The "spur and groove" zone is also called the buttress zone.
Barrier reefs exist when a lagoon separates a reef from land. Barrier reefs are parallel to the coast. These reefs include all the regions of a fringing reef and more. The extra elements in a barrier reef are patch reefs, back reefs, and bank reefs. Back reefs are the shoreward side of a reef. Bank reefs are reefs that "occur on deep bottom irregularities". Also, bank reefs are larger than patch reefs and either have a linear or semi-circular outline.
Atolls are the third important type of coral reefs. This type is an "annular reef that develops at or near the surface of the sea when islands are surrounded by reefs subside. Reefs of this type often separate a central lagoon. The most common shape for an atoll is circular or "sub-circular". There are two different kinds of atolls. One is known as the "deep sea atoll" and this kind rises from the deep sea. The other kind of atoll is found on the continental shelf.
There are many other types of coral reefs besides the three main ones. There are apron reefs, which resemble fringing reefs, but they have more of a slope to them. This type of reef extends from a "point" or the shore of a peninsula. Another type, as previously mentioned, is the patch reef. These are isolated and are usually circular reefs located within an "embayment". Patch reefs are also "dominated by large star and brain coral colonies". Ribbon reefs are long and narrow and are "usually associated with an atoll lagoon". Table reefs are another type of isolated reefs that do not have a lagoon. Another important aspect of coral reefs is there food source.
Coral reefs have to obtain food in order to provide food for other organisms. Zooxanthellae are responsible for providing coral reefs with food. These are often referred to as "unicellular yellow-brown algae". Their habitat is in the gastrodermis of "reef-building corals". This food source is responsible for allowing the growth and reproduction of corals in order for them to form a coral reef. The food source is provided in the form of "photosynthetic products". The zooxanthellae receive protection and access to light as a reward for providing the coral with food.
Like any other organism, coral reefs are prone to diseases. There are four main types of "coral diseases". The first main disease is known as white band disease. The second disease is black band disease which is commonly referred to as BBD. Both of the first two diseases "kill coral tissue while advancing in a band around the coral and leave the white coral skeleton behind". Coral reefs are also in danger of bacterial infections and shut down reaction.
Besides these four main diseases, there are other possible perils. Coral reefs are "susceptible" to tumors and parasitic worms. Most of these unfortunate infections or diseases are stress related. It is claimed that "anthropogenic stresses can increase a coral's susceptibility to these diseases". The temperature of the water a coral reef inhabits also affects the health of it. Warmer waters can raise the rate of infection.
Coral bleaching is another potential problem for coral reefs. This can occur when many “symbiotic” zooxanthellae are lost from the polyps’ tissue. This “loss exposes the white calcium carbonate skeletons of the coral colony”. Coral bleaching is known as the “whitening of coral colonies”. Coral bleaching can be caused by disease, excess shade, pollution, increased temperature, and many other things. Coral bleaching is mostly a result of “stresses or environmental changes”. However, coral reefs are threatened by more menacing things than just disease and coral bleaching.
Coral reefs are threatened by many natural and human-created problems. Sedimentation “smothers” coral reefs by blocking necessary sunlight from reaching the reef. Many people fish with explosives as a “desperate tactic” and they destroy the reefs. Another fishing method that is threatening to coral reefs is “cyanide fishing”. This is very destructive to fish and coral reefs. Water pollution causes chemicals to reach the reefs and these chemicals are very lethal to coral reefs. Even recreation can cause the destruction of these underwater communities because when people are careless they damage the coral. Other threats to coral reefs are over-fishing, coral mining, climate changes, and global warming.
These threats pose even more danger to the oceanic habitat because they harm the lives of animals associated with coral reefs. Many organisms rely on coral reefs. Coral reefs provide food and shelter for these needy organisms. Sponges are popular inhabitants of coral reefs. These sponges use “chips” of the calcium carbonate for food. Coral reefs are demonstrated as a habitat for many more organisms in the popular movie, Finding Nemo. Coral reefs are a very important part of the oceanic ecosystem and many people don’t even realize it.
Coral reefs are very complex and there is a vast amount of information about them. Without coral reefs, the underwater world would be a very different place. Many organisms would be homeless and starving if coral reefs didn’t exist. Coral reefs are susceptible to diseases and countless other threats. People need to be careful of their actions so that coral reefs continue to be part of our world. Everyone needs to realize that if they aren’t responsible for their actions then we might not have important parts of our ecosystem.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Holography
Do you have a license, credit card, or any official merchandise such as authentic sports memorabilia? Do you own a CD or DVD? Do you know what all of these everyday items have in common and why they are important? Well, a common factor in all of these items is holography. A license, credit card, and official merchandise include holograms to show authenticity and protect against fraud. However, these examples of holography are not superb in quality because they appear more shiny than in three dimension. What is holography? Well, pay attention and you'll find out!
Holography has been defined as "a method of creating a three-dimensional image of an object on film by encoding not just the intensity but also the phase information of the light striking the film" by the American Heritage Science Dictionary. The theory of holography was developed by Dennis Gabor. He developed this theory while he was trying to improve electron microscopes. The word hologram is derived from the Greek words holos and gramma, which means "whole message". In the time of Gabor, holography was much simpler. Holography involved film transparencies and a mercury arc lamp, which caused the holograms to be semi-distorted and an "extraneous twin image". The invention of the laser in 1960 was the ideal tool to create better holograms. How do holograms work?
Well, holograms can be made with very few tools. The essential tools include a laser, lenses, a beam splitter, mirrors, and holographic film. Commonly, helium-neon lasers or "red lasers" are used in making holograms. Some holography experiments have relied on laser pointers, but this results in less coherent and less stable holograms. Certain lasers require a shutter to control exposure. Holography is commonly mislabeled as the "lens less photography", but lenses are required. On the contrary to camera lenses, holography lenses cause the beam to spread out. A beam splitter and mirrors are rather self-explanatory tools. Holographic film is different than photographic film because it must be able to record extremely small changes of light taking place over microscopic distances. This film must have a very fine grain and some holographic film responds only to red light lasers. Below demonstrates a basic transmission hologram setup.
One form of holography as mentioned above is transmission holography. A typical transmission hologram is viewed with laser light. It often uses the same type of laser used in making recordings. The virtual image created in a transmission hologram is very sharp and deep. An example given is "through a small hologram, a full-size room with people in it can be seen as if the hologram were a window". When the hologram is broken, a person can still see the entire "scene" in each piece of the hologram. There is one other main type of hologram and one mixed hologram type.
The other main type of hologram is a reflection hologram. This is considered the most common type of hologram displayed in galleries. It is a "truly three-dimensional image which is seen near its surface". The hologram is "illuminated by a spot of white incandescent light". This light is placed at specific angles and distances and on the "viewer's side". Therefore, the image is formed with light reflected by the hologram. The next type of hologram is not considered a main type, but is also very important.
Hybrid holograms are very important to holography. These holograms are variations formed from reflection and transmission types of holograms. There are different forms of hybrid holograms. The most common types of hybrid holograms include embossed, integral, holographic interferometry, multichannel, and computer-generated holograms. Embossed holograms are mass produced, inexpensive holograms used for security reasons like credit cards. This is when a "two-dimensional interference pattern is pressed onto thin plastic foils". Integral holograms are important to medical holography. Computer-generated holograms will become very important in the future and use the mathematics of holography.
Holography is growing increasingly important and is rapidly changing due to technology. Holography is often used for security purposes or CD and DVD technology. Holography also has an important role in medicine today. Imaging through tissues, ophthalmology, dentistry, urology, ontology, pathology, and orthopedics all show "strong premises" for holography to become even more important to the medical community. The possibilities for medical holography seem almost endless and will most likely continue to grow in the next decade. Other holography that makes a medical difference is X-ray and multiplexed holography. Both allow doctors or scientists to examine samples without damaging the patient. How will holography continue to grow in the future?
In the future, holography will play an even more important role. There has been much speculation about having holograms affect the advertisement industry. This would occur by having animated billboards. One example of these animated billboards would be a woman with a can of Coca Cola, who takes a sip of it and offers it to you. This would create a whole new industry and countless jobs. Also, it is rumored that holography principles could be applied to video games. That would make the demand for video game programmers, designers, and many other jobs in that industry even higher. I wonder what else people will be able to use holography for in the future. Holography is a very unique and interesting form of photography that has highly valuable uses and will only continue to become more involved in our lives over the next couple of decades!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Renewable Energy
Did you know that it has been predicted that the United States will use 25 percent renewable energy by the year 2025? Renewable energy uses natural resources that are replenished naturally. There are many different types of renewable energy that will eventually replace fossil fuels, which are otherwise known as nonrenewable energies. Renewable energy provides a more environment friendly source of energy. There is also a much greater abundance of renewable energy than there is of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels will eventually run out or become so limited that the economic expense would be too great for the fuels to be cultivated or refined. Four major renewable energies are solar energy, wind energy, hydro power energy, and biomass energy.
Solar energy is energy harvested from sunlight. This is also known as photovoltaic technology. One example of where this energy is used is at Oberlin College. This energy has practical uses in both large-scale and small-scale areas. There are different variations of this energy, which include solar power systems, passive solar heating and day-lighting, photovoltaic systems, solar process heat and space heating, and cooling. Utilities and power plants are more commonly using this form of energy and in turn offering their clients the benefits. Power plants are able to produce electricity using the sun. Another form of renewable energy is wind energy.
Wind energy is collected by wind turbines today, but it has been harvested using windmills for hundreds of years. Windmill harvesting was extremely popular in Holland, but gained popularity in the United States. Wind turbines collect the energy from the wind and generate it into electricity. These turbines are mounted on towers in order to capture the maximum amount of energy. Wind turbines collect the wind's energy with their "propeller-like blades". Normally, two or three blades are mounted on one shaft to form a rotor. One example of where wind turbines are used is in Lamar, Colorado. At this particular "wind farm", each turbine produces 1.5 megawatts of electricity. Homeowners, farmers, and ranchers can utilize wind power in order to cut their electric bills. Besides wind power, hydro power is a popular form of renewable energy.
Hydro power energy is the most often used renewable energy. In 2005, hydro power energy accounted for 7% of the total electricity generation in the United States. During that year, it also accounted for 73% of renewable energy used. Hydro power energy is considered one of the oldest forms of energy. The birth of hydro power energy is estimated to date back thousands of years. The first industrial use of hydro power energy happened in 1880 and was at the Wolverine Chair Factory located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On the Fox River, the "first U.S. hydroelectric power plant" opened in 1882. Hydro power plants must be located at a water source to provide the key necessity, water. The top five hydro power energy producing states are Washington, California, Oregon, New York, and Alabama in that order. Hydro power energy is considered one of the cleanest and most environment-friendly energy sources. One problem with hydro power is the destruction it has on wildlife. Salmon used to have major problems with the equipment used to create hydro power energy, but the invention of "fish ladders" has provided fish with the resource to navigate past obstructions. Another form of renewable energy is biomass energy.
Biomass energy is a renewable energy, which is otherwise known as "bioenergy". This is energy derived from plants and "plant-derived" materials. This energy has been used since people started burning wood in order to cook meals or maintain body temperature. Wood is considered the most used source for biomass energy today as it has been for many centuries. Another source of biomass energy comes from landfill fumes. Biomass replaces fossil fuels by producing fuels, power production, and other products that would need fossil fuels to be created. By using biomass energy, greenhouse gas emissions have the possibility to be reduced by a vast amount. Another advantage of using biomass energy is that it may decrease the dependence on foreign oil. This is due to the fact that biomass creates biofuel and biofuels are "the only renewable liquid transportation fuels available". Biomass is a very important renewable energy form.
Renewable energy sources will replace fossil fuels throughout the next few centuries. This will be advantageous for the environment and also to reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil. Renewable energies are the key to being environment-friendly. Renewable energy has different variations. The most popular renewable energy sources are solar power, wind power, hydro power, and biomass energy.
Solar energy is energy harvested from sunlight. This is also known as photovoltaic technology. One example of where this energy is used is at Oberlin College. This energy has practical uses in both large-scale and small-scale areas. There are different variations of this energy, which include solar power systems, passive solar heating and day-lighting, photovoltaic systems, solar process heat and space heating, and cooling. Utilities and power plants are more commonly using this form of energy and in turn offering their clients the benefits. Power plants are able to produce electricity using the sun. Another form of renewable energy is wind energy.
Wind energy is collected by wind turbines today, but it has been harvested using windmills for hundreds of years. Windmill harvesting was extremely popular in Holland, but gained popularity in the United States. Wind turbines collect the energy from the wind and generate it into electricity. These turbines are mounted on towers in order to capture the maximum amount of energy. Wind turbines collect the wind's energy with their "propeller-like blades". Normally, two or three blades are mounted on one shaft to form a rotor. One example of where wind turbines are used is in Lamar, Colorado. At this particular "wind farm", each turbine produces 1.5 megawatts of electricity. Homeowners, farmers, and ranchers can utilize wind power in order to cut their electric bills. Besides wind power, hydro power is a popular form of renewable energy.
Hydro power energy is the most often used renewable energy. In 2005, hydro power energy accounted for 7% of the total electricity generation in the United States. During that year, it also accounted for 73% of renewable energy used. Hydro power energy is considered one of the oldest forms of energy. The birth of hydro power energy is estimated to date back thousands of years. The first industrial use of hydro power energy happened in 1880 and was at the Wolverine Chair Factory located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On the Fox River, the "first U.S. hydroelectric power plant" opened in 1882. Hydro power plants must be located at a water source to provide the key necessity, water. The top five hydro power energy producing states are Washington, California, Oregon, New York, and Alabama in that order. Hydro power energy is considered one of the cleanest and most environment-friendly energy sources. One problem with hydro power is the destruction it has on wildlife. Salmon used to have major problems with the equipment used to create hydro power energy, but the invention of "fish ladders" has provided fish with the resource to navigate past obstructions. Another form of renewable energy is biomass energy.
Biomass energy is a renewable energy, which is otherwise known as "bioenergy". This is energy derived from plants and "plant-derived" materials. This energy has been used since people started burning wood in order to cook meals or maintain body temperature. Wood is considered the most used source for biomass energy today as it has been for many centuries. Another source of biomass energy comes from landfill fumes. Biomass replaces fossil fuels by producing fuels, power production, and other products that would need fossil fuels to be created. By using biomass energy, greenhouse gas emissions have the possibility to be reduced by a vast amount. Another advantage of using biomass energy is that it may decrease the dependence on foreign oil. This is due to the fact that biomass creates biofuel and biofuels are "the only renewable liquid transportation fuels available". Biomass is a very important renewable energy form.
Renewable energy sources will replace fossil fuels throughout the next few centuries. This will be advantageous for the environment and also to reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil. Renewable energies are the key to being environment-friendly. Renewable energy has different variations. The most popular renewable energy sources are solar power, wind power, hydro power, and biomass energy.
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