Alternative Energy will continue to be an important source of power for the world’s electrical demand in the foreseeable future.  Alternative energy sources may not overtake other major fuel sources used for electrical production, but they will play a vital role in creating a sustainable and renewable source.

Over the next several years liquid fuel will continue to outpace alternative energy as the largest fuel for electrical production.  Alternative Energy, Coal, and Natural Gas, are all expected to become more widely used as an important part of electrical production.
Coal and Natural Gas usage is expected to be the largest growing and second most widely used fuel source by 2030.    Alternative energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro power are also expected to make significant gains in usage and see a substantial annual growth of 2.1 percent until 2030.

All of this substantial growth in alternative energy and fuel consumption is due to the substantial growth in the world’s electrical demands.  It is expected that electrical demand will rise from a 2005 total of 17.3 trillion kilo-watt-hours to an estimated 33.3 trillion kilo-watt-hours in 2030.
According to projections contained in the International Energy Outlook 2008 report, published by the Energy Information Administration, the total world consumption of energy is expected to grow 50 percent by 2030.  Developed nations are expected to experience less that 1 percent annual growth.  The expectation for developing nations is an average annual growth of 2.5 percent.

This increase in electrical demand, and the fuel required to sustain it, has resulted in serious impacts upon people’s health and the environment.  Increased carbon emissions from fossil fuel usage are believed to have resulted in higher atmospheric carbon levels, health and respiratory illnesses, and a variety of other environmental conditions resulting in a public demand for an alternative.
Pressure to reduce carbon emissions and to find an alternative to fossil fuels has resulted in a variety of alternative energy sources being developed.  In the United States an additional 0.3 trillion kilo-watt-hours will be added to the nation’s electrical grid from alternative energy sources.

Alternative energy sources in the United States include primarily hydroelectric power, solar power, and wind power.  Other, less significant sources include biomass fuels and the use of hydrogen and other chemicals.
Another growing source of alternative energy that is not usually tracked by governments is the use of off-grid power sources.  Companies and multitudes of people are starting to move off-grid using solar and wind generated alternative energy sources.  These sources have become reliable, convenient, and easy to install.  Cost savings can be immediately realized through eliminating or lowering utility bills, the mobility of power sources, and their scalability.
In the 21st century, governments, power companies, and private individuals are all becoming aware of the importance to have renewable, clean sources of energy.  More and more people are turning to alternative energy.