The Future of Energy
Ontario is trying to used energy more efficiently - to make energy
supplies last longer and lessen the harm done to the environment by
the burning of fossil fuels. Here are a few renewable energy sources
that might play a bigger role in Ontario's energy future.
Water Power
A pail of water has no energy to make things happen. But if you
throw the water at a pile of sand, it has the energy to wash
away the sand. Today, the energy in moving water generates about
one-quarter of Ontario's electricity. Hydro power doesn't
pollute the air, but large hydroelectric generating stations can
damage the environment by changing the natural flow of water to
the sea, harming plant and animal communities along the way.
Small hydro plants, which are friendlier to the environment,
are being built in Ontario.
Solar Energy
It was fashionable about 2000 years
ago to heat homes with solar energy. House designers
rediscovered it recently and today many homes in Canada face
south, with big windows that let in all the winter sunshine. You
might even know someone whose house or swimming pool is heated
entirely by solar energy. A truly modern way of using the sun's
energy can be found inside a solar-powered pocket calculate - a
light-sensitive, photo-electric cell that converts sunlight
directly into electricity. They couldn't do that 2000 years ago!
Wind Power
Can you
imagine Holland without its familiar windmills? Wind power has
been operating Dutch machinery for centuries. There's a good
reason why you see plenty of windmills in Holland and
practically none in Ontario. Holland is on a coastline that
gets fairly constant winds. Ontario doesn't, and that's the main
drawback to wind power. It's not always there when you want it.
However, scientists are experimenting with new types of
windmills that they hope will operate in spite of Ontario's low
average wind speeds.
Sun-Fried
Egg
If you want to test the power of
the sun's energy, wait for a really hot day. Put an oiled
cast iron frying pan on the hot sidewalk in direct sunlight.
Break an egg into it and cover the pan with a sheet of glass
or plastic. Enjoy your lunch!
Biomass Power
If you live in the country, chances are you use biomass energy
to heat your home, although you're more likely to say, "Put
another log on the fire." Yes, wood is biomass. So too are many
agricultural crops. For instance, corn can be fermented to
produce ethanol which can be burned as a liquid fuel. Wood, of
course, is only a renewable energy source as long as cut trus
are replaced immediately. Ontario's future might contain "energy
plantations" full of trees that grow many times faster than
normal so they can be used for fuel.
