Coal and Petroleum are called Fossil Fuels. Coal and petroleum were formed from the degradation of bio-mass millions of years ago and hence these are resources that will be exhausted in the future. These are the main energy resources for a human.
Scientists are working on developing some alternate energy sources so that dependency on coal and petroleum can be reduced.
Some examples are given below:
- Solar energy is being used to produce electricity at many places. Although the technologies for solar energy are still costly future prospects look bright.
- A fuel cell is another development which may help in replacing the internal combustion engines from automobiles.
- Hydrogen is being used as fuel in buses and cars in many countries. Hydrogen; when used as a fuel produces water as a byproduct. Thus, hydrogen can be an environment-friendly fuel.