It’s becoming clearer everyday that fossil fuel has overstayed its welcome. Since its discovery, scientists have discovered more efficient ways of producing clean, renewable energy that doesn’t have a negative impact on us humans and the rest of the environment. We already know of solar and wind power, but in this article, we’re going to identify five more future energy sources that we just might see in action in the not-so-distant future.

1. Fusion

The idea of nuclear fusion has been in the works for a really long time. And unlike fission, there’s no radioactive nuclear waste. We know for sure that it’s not only possible and reliable, but there’s a huge setback when it comes to harnessing it for practical purposes. This is because it takes a lot of power to even start a fusion reaction, and as we’ve seen so far, it ends up using way more power than we can get out of it. So it’s just a matter of working out the engineering kinks and then we’ll be on our way to producing clean energy that is four million times more effective than fossil fuel.

2. Flying Wind

Flying wind power differs from windmills and wind turbines in the sense that it makes use of the air that is around us. The issue with ground-based windmills is that the wind isn’t always blowing, especially on pleasant days. This is where flying wind turbines come in. Built like kites filled with helium and capable of reaching up to altitudes of nearly 1,600 feet, these devices are able to make use of the air currents that don’t otherwise reach the ground, allowing companies to generate twice the power amount of power than what tower-mounted turbines produce.

3. Tidal Energy

So earlier we spoke about harnessing the wind, now it’s time to conquer the ocean. Doing so will provide us with an estimated one terawatt of energy potential, which will cover a good chunk of our needs given the fact that the world uses about 17 terawatts every year. In Europe, many companies known as wave farms have made several attempts at tidal energy but they have been met with a few setbacks because of the numerous complications that arise in keeping the turbines in working order.

4. Algae Power

It may not look like much, but algae, that green scum found in fish tanks and ponds, is a very powerful source of potential energy. This is because algae produce and shed electrons when exposed to sunlight. In turn, these electrons can be converted into viable electricity right away if they are formed on bio-photovoltaic cells, sort of like a self-contained battery. Though it’s quite not up to the level of solar energy, algae power can be a great alternative for those in underdeveloped countries that lack modern power grids.

5. Human Energy

Remember The Matrix franchise where humans were hooked onto machines that used them as a living battery to keep them running? Well, it’s now looking like this isn’t entirely a fictional concept. In fact, the idea has been around for quite some time, going all the way back to 2008. That same year, researchers managed to develop a knee brace that was capable of converting kinetic energy into power for personal electrons which could be converted into electricity for minor tasks such as charging phones. Our very own body heat could also serve as a potential source of energy.