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Fossil fuels are limited in quantity, and we are already running out of them, so we need to replace them with something else.

Also, burning fossil fuels in the large quantities we do changes the balance of nature. We are experiencing global warming, but also there have long been pollution problems with fossil fuels.

Fortunately, there are already alternatives. There are many of these, but one example might suffice to provide an example.

Fire wood can be gasified. The tars that are created, which often go into the atmosphere when wood is burned, can be trapped quite easily, and have commercial value or can be burned to fuel continued wood gasification. The wood gas produced can be catalyzed into alkanes, a class of chemicals that includes propane, butane, and octane. You can get just about any alkane you want, so you can decided to produce diesel oil, if that is what you want, and what you get is superior in nearly all respects to what is pumped from the ground. Five kilos of wood produces one liter of diesel oil - that is about 120 gallons from a cord of wood. If this is done using sustainable forestry techniques, the effect on the forest is probably beneficial, and the carbon footprint is quite possibly about a third of that of nuclear power.

A problem that we have with energy is that we are limited to very few sources for economic reasons. The model of centralized power generation and fuel production is easy to fund because it makes sense for big businesses to invest in. The tendency is for the few centralized sources to crowd out a larger number of smaller, distributed sources. But the distributed alternative can derive power from a larger variety of sources, producing a smaller environmental impact with each, and using less in the way of non-renewable resources.

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13y ago

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Why renewable energy sources are important?

Renewable energy sources are important because they are clean. They release no carbon dioxide, so they have no effect on global warming. Our continued reliance on fossil fuels for energy is harming the environment.


Are fossil fuels alternative energy?

No. Alternative energy means energy sources other than fossil fuels.


What sources of energy are most damaging to the environment?

Fossil fuels.


Energy sources other than fossil fuel are called what kind of resources?

They are called renewables. (though strictly, nuclear power is not a fossil fuel and is not renewable).They are called alternative energy sources.


Why are energy sources called fossil fuels?

Not all energy sources come from fossil fluels. Fossil fuel energy sources are coal, crude oil. None fossil fuels energy sources are wind power, solar power, tidal power. It is arguable for atomic power , using uranium .


Which of these energy sources is a fossil fuel?

natural gas


What is the less important sources of energy?

It really depends what is considered "important". Less important "economically" currently are the the renewable, sustainable sources like wind and solar power as they represent a small fraction of the energy produced compared to the non-renewable and depleting fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas. However for the health of our planet and possibly for our survival, fossil fuels are not only less important but they are a dangerous hazard as they are responsible very bad problems with our environment like global warming. And of course as they become severely depleted in the future fossil fuels will become less important economically too.


What are energy sources other than fossil fuels?

Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy, are alternative options to fossil fuels for generating power. Nuclear energy is another non-fossil fuel source that can provide substantial energy output.


What are other energy besides fossil fuels?

Fossil fuel is not energy its a energy source and yes there is more energy sources besides the fossil fuel like coal and others.


Why do we need to improve sources of energy that are not fossil fuels?

since fossil fuels can be found almost anywhere in the world we need to improve sources of energy so that they are around the world............


What nonrenewable energy source?

nonrenewable energy sources are sources that are depleted sources as fossil fuels (wood, coal, natural gas, and oil)


What is the two reasons why alternative energy sources may be important in the future?

Alternative energy sources may be important in the future because they can help mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and they can help diversify energy sources and increase energy security by decreasing reliance on finite fossil fuels.