Top 7 promising alternative energies

London, Jan 15 (ANI): A new study has listed the most promising types of alternative energies, based on their total ecological footprint and their benefit to human health.

According to a report in New Scientist, the study, carried out by Mark Jacobson of the atmosphere and energy programme at Stanford University, US, found wind power to be by far the most desirable source of energy.

Biofuels from corn and plant waste came right at the bottom of the list, along with nuclear power and "clean" coal.

The energy sources that Jacobson found most promising were, in descending order, wind, concentrated solar power (mirrors heating a tower of water), geothermal energy, tidal energy, solar panels, wave energy, and, hydroelectric dams.

To compare the fuels, Jacobson calculated the impacts each would have if it alone powered the entire US fleet of cars and trucks.

He considered not just the quantities of greenhouse gases that would be emitted, but also the impact the fuels would have on the ecosystem - taking up land and polluting water, for instance.

Also considered were the fuel's impact on pollution and therefore human health, the availability of necessary resources, and the energy form's reliability.

"The energy alternatives that are good are not the ones that people have been talking about the most," said Jacobson. (ANI)