These days it may be more apparent than ever that we should be making serious efforts to wean ourselves off of traditional fossil fuels. Even if we put the whole “climate change” debate aside, it’s undeniable that there is a finite amount of fossil fuel available for us to use, and it will someday run out. Fossil fuels also cause pollution. Surely, technology has made our cars and electricity production much cleaner than it was decades ago, but wouldn’t we all be better off if we could just eliminate all that pollution? In addition to that, the names Chernobyl and Fukushima should convince us that nuclear power is not the answer to all our energy problems either. Although we are probably many years from fully utilizing the following methods of energy production, it’s good to see that innovation may be leading us in the right direction.

1. ‘Waste’ Heat

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Think about it. A lot of human activities produce heat that’s not needed, and is often wasted when it is evacuated into the atmosphere. Instead of wasting all the heat that results from the operation of the subway system in London, an new project is using that excess heat to warm people’s homes when the weather is cold. So far, about 500 homes are reported to be benefiting from the project, although we can probably expect the project to be expanded if it proves to be a success.