Alternative Energy Sources and Green Technology

This paper presents a review of the green technologies and processes for the development of the renewable energy resources. Renewable energy resources hold great promise for meeting the energy and development needs throughout the world. This promise is particularly strong for developing countries where many regions have not yet committed to fossil fuel dominance. Solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies are particularly advantageous for serving the two billion people in rural areas without grid electricity. Modern biomass energy is attractive because it uses locally available agricultural wastes. Wind energy and small hydroelectric resources a real so mature technologies well suited to developing countries. Such renewable resources are far more economical than traditional energy resources, especially where the costs of acquiring, maintaining, and operating centralized power stations and remediating their pollution can be avoided. However, a host of economic, social, and legal barriers prevent these renewable resources from reaching their full potential.