Describe all of the renewable energy alternatives: wind power, solar energy, and biomass fermentation?

Okay, I don't think anyone's taken this seriously yet, so...

How about, hydro-electric, geothermal steam, wind turbines, augmentative passive solar, such as water heating and daylighting (somwhat different then solar lighting, or skylighting, although skylights count.) Also let's not forget rain harvesting, and gray-water usage.these save water, and energy from a treatment, billing, delivery standpoint.

Now that I asnwered the name other part: challenges, what happens when there is no sun/wind/water-flowing, if you have all of these, it won't happen that often, but when it does, are batteries a practical solution? Won't they eventually wind up in land-fill off-gasing? If you only use one or two of the 3 majors, what about when any of those aren't available? Availability is still a big concern, hopefully that will be the next stock-market bubble and drive a massive influx of green-products.

The common challenges with non-renewables, rather than starting from an environmental standpoint, how about we start with what they're called. NON-RENEWABLE, eventually we will run out. It's theorized that we've found all oil on earth, and will start a downward turn on production by somtime in 2008 or 2009. Aside from that, there's the obvious global warming issues.

O hope this helps some.

I think government "privatizing" of the US military, and huge Pentagon cost over-runs and losses on contracts to companies like Kellogg Brown & Root and the mercenary company formerly known as Blackwater, are much more AMUSING as forms of government corruption. So I do support real "green energy" development as an environmentalist, and and I am frankly proud to see renewable energy become a source of traditional American pork barrel politics and government cost overruns. I think that this shows that the environmental movement is growing up, learning the way the world really works. But I believe that unnecessary highway construction -- and STRIP MINING OF ENTIRE MOUNTAINS, and the huge military cost overruns that Republicans prefer are still much better in terms of entertainment value. And IMO, almost NOTHING compares to the wonderful political sleaze that's traditionally been associated with the oil & gas industry, especially in the American South. "Solyndra" is OK, as scandals go. But when will the Green groups be able to boast of their own Teapot Dome Scandal? When will some solar energy developer be able to brag that he's monopolized almost an entire American energy sector, the way that John D. Rockefeller did for several years running with Standard Oil? When will we see really great international scams involving solar energy, like the CIA's toppling of a democratically elected government in Iran in 1953 on behalf of the biggest oil companies? Until "green energy" scams reach that world class status, I think, we just have to face the fact that sustainable and renewable power sources just haven't caught up with petroleum.

solar: Its free 'after' you pay for a 20,000$ piece of panel and then you have matenince. Then what do you do when it rains?

wind: Its a GIANT SPINNING BLADE!!! So sometimes birds die. About 4000 a year world wide.

hydrogen: Clean fuel in, drinkable waste out.

lithium: The lithum battery life has ben multiplied x10. So yay.

At the rate the world uses it, gas will be depleted in 100 years. However cheap gas prolly won't last anothr week.

But we can now turn turkys into thir weight in oil in 1 week with some time travel doo-hicky.

Guide To Solar Power : http://solarpower.siopu.com/?GJT

why do you ask questions you all ready know the answer to?

renewable resource = methane

non renewable=oil

blah, blah, blah, blah,

the real question should be why is it we don't want to change our lifestyles to adjust to the crippling disaster we are creating for our children and our children's children

I've sworn off term papers.