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Why Renewable Energy?
Abstract
Renewable energy is the world’s future. Implementing the use of renewable energy that has no emissions and eliminating non-renewable energy sources with toxic emissions will result in cleaner air and water for all. Renewable power is clean, affordable, creates jobs and generates revenue for local economies. On the other hand non-renewable energy pollutes are water, air and atmosphere with devastating effects, we are beginning to see more and more of the damaging effects of non-renewables in things like global warming and our changing climate and smog.
Why Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy is the world’s future. Implementing the use of renewable energy that has no emissions and eliminating non-renewable energy sources with toxic emissions will result in cleaner air and water for all. Renewable power is clean, affordable, creates jobs and generates revenue for local economies. On the other hand non-renewable energy pollutes are water, air and atmosphere with devastating effects, we are beginning to see more and more of the damaging effects of non-renewables in things like global warming and our changing climate and smog. Over the years we have also seen a steady increase in Human illnesses/diseases such as cancers, emphysema, asthma, and allergies could this be because of the pollutants we are poisoning ourselves with by using non-renewable energy sources; such as coal, petroleum, nuclear power etc.? I say we all need to Take notice and get on the renewable energy bandwagon our descendants will thank us.
There are many types of renewable energy sources among them are: wind, solar, biomass and cellulosic ethanol, biogas, geothermal, hydropower and offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. however the main focus here will be wind and solar energy. Let’s take a look at Wind and solar power.
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Wind Energy –Uses the power of the wind, to propel the blades of the Turbine
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Pros
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Cost about the same as electricity from coal and gas powered plants, and is pollution free (NRDC, Staff)
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We will never run out of it. (Orloff)
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Farming and grazing can still take place on land occupied by wind turbines which can help the production of biofuels. (Orloff)
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Wind farms can be built offshore (Orloff) or in the water.
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Cons
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Wind power is not consistent because wind is needed for the power generation; the more wind the more electricity ins produced, the less wind the less electricity is produced, so the use of wind turbines is not ideal for all areas. (Orloff)
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Wind farms can be ugly and noisy
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Wind farms can be dangerous for wild birds
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People use wind energy for various reasons such as: they simply want to, environmental, financial, independence, reliability, and social. Our energy choices have a huge impact on our physical environment (Wind Power Basics)
While all energy renewal non-renewables have some impact on our environment, wind energy and other renewables have a much lower impact, if designed and implemented. With wind energy the fuel is free and occurs daily so the ongoing impacts on the environment are negligible. (Wind Power Basics)
According to the recent NRDC study, an average-sized wind farm of 250MW will create 1,079 jobs (NRDC, Staff)
“Our country was founded on independence, and there is a strong independent streak that runs through America even today, especially in rural environments. While people value working together and helping each other, they don’t like the dependence on governments, utilities, or charity—they want to take care of themselves. Having a wind-electric system can fulfill this motivation, regaining control of energy generation and bills.” (Wind Power Basics)
According to the U.S. department of energy, the cost of wind energy has fell 85% in 20 years. Wind farms with top notch wind resources had average cost of about 7 cents per KWH, this makes wind the most cost competitive source (excluding hydroelectric) for renewable electricity. (2010)
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Solar Power - is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy.
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Solar Power traps the sun’s rays into solar cells where the sunlight is then converted into electricity.
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Solar Thermal Panels uses the sun’s rays to convert sunlight to heat water or air.
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Parabolic Mirrors use sunlight to heat water to produce steam.
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We use the sun’s rays to passively heat or brighten a room by opening our blinds or window shades.
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Pros
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Solar Power is a renewable resource in that as long as the Sun exists, so will it’s energy (Orloff)
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It power generation produces no pollution (Orloff)
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It can be used very efficiently for uses such as heating and lighting (Orloff)
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The benefits are seen frequently to heat pools, spas and water tanks all over. (Orloff)
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Solar panels are silent, easy to operate, and rarely need maintenance. (NRDC, Staff)
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Solar panels can slash utility bills both for private and commercial consumers (NRDC, Staff)
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Solar panels help utilities avoid brownouts and blackouts (NRDC, Staff)
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Solar panel manufacturers employ more than 27,000 Americans in high-earning, high-tech jobs. (NRDC, Staff)
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This domestic industry helps reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources from foreign oil, coal and natural gas. (NRDC, Staff)
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Cons
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Solar power relies on the sun to produce energy so it is limited in that if the sun is not shining (nighttime and cloudy days) the amount of energy is seriously reduced. (Orloff)
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The power from sunny days can be stored for use when the sun is not shining.
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Solar power stations can be costly to build. (Orloff)
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The cost of building solar power is being reduced each passing day with new technology.
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The private person can even now build their own solar panels and system rather inexpensively.
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Installing a solar power system can pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time, thereby making it cost effective.
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“Most renewable energy comes either directly or indirectly from the sun, it can be used for generating electricity, hot water heating, and solar cooling. Solar energy is produced when the sun is shining during the day and is complementary to wind energy, which tends to reach its highest production at night.” (Wind & Solar: Why Renewable Energy)
“Solar installations in the United States exceed 3,100 megawatts, enough to power more than 630,000 homes. The solar industry employs more than 100,000 Americans and grew by 69% in 2010, making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the U.S. The price of solar panels has dropped by 30% since 20110 and cost continue to fall.” (Wind & Solar: Why Renewable Energy) “Experts predict the cost of solar power will drop below retail electricity rates in many parts of the country between 2013 and 2018” (NRDC, Staff)
“The cost of solar energy has fallen sharply over the last 20 years, with accelerating price declines in the last five years. The growing global demand for solar power has translated into manufacturing and supply chain efficiencies, resulting in price declines on par with consumer electronics like cell phones, laptop computers, and high-definition televisions” (NRDC, Staff).
“Electricity from small or medium-scale solar installations, such as those on homes or businesses, costs around 12 to 30 cents per kilowatt-hour, but these prices should continue to drop thanks to falling installation costs, accessible, low-cost, long-term financing, and a healthy number of incentives and tax packages offered by nearly every state government. The current federal incentives include a 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC) and, for businesses and commercial units, a five-year modified accelerated cost recovery system (MACRS), which allows system owners to deduct federal taxes on an accelerated timetable of system value depreciation.” (NRDC, Staff)
Here are some interesting historical facts on renewable energy.
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Approximately 15% of land and wildlife resources (128 million acres) in the American west are protected areas that must remain off limits for any type of energy or resource extraction activities (NRDC, Staff)
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In 1970 the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered that environmental considerations would be required for every decision regarding expansion, construction, and operation of electric power systems and their components.
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The Public Utility Regulatory Policy (PURPA) was passed in 1978.
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In 1979 Jimmy Carter dedicated the hot water solar heating system installed in the West Wing of the White House, the solar collectors served as a symbol of Carter’s commitment to promoting solar energy to meet the nation’s energy needs.
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As early as 7th century B.C., people used solar energy to start fires
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A scientist in France used heat from a solar collector to make steam to drive a steam engine, more than 100 years ago.
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The Solar industry started in the 1920’s and was in full swing just before World War Two. (at this time the solar water heater was popular in Florida, California, and the Southwest)
“When we consider the true cost of energy, we need to look at the big picture, not just the rate on the utility bill. Conventional fuels have real social, environmental, and economic impacts. There are annual and cumulative costs that stem from all of the pollutants (airborne, solid, and liquid) emitted from mining, processing, and transporting fossil fuels that impact our public health and the environment. Electricity derived from coal and natural gas will never be able to outweigh the energy and continual resources required to produce it.” (Solar Electricity Basics) Unlike conventional energy sources, Solar systems produce clean electricity for decades after achieving their energy payback. (Solar Electricity Basics)
There are three major disadvantages to renewable energy that advocates against the use of this energy will use to go against implementing any long term worldwide strategy to implement the use of renewable energy on a large scale, they are:
1. High Initial costs – “As we have already noticed, some renewable energy resources are already almost cost competitive with conventional energy technologies. However, the main stumbling block for the widespread adoption of these technologies is the high upfront costs. Since the upfront investment is much higher (especially compared to thermal energy) these projects are much harder to finance.” (Unknown)
2. Overall cost – “For each technology we assess we must note that there are two important costs to consider. One is the direct cost of adopting that technology i.e. the cost of setting up the plant, buying the land, etc.” (Unknown)
3. Non-suitability for certain regions – “Often renewable energy technologies are dependent on certain conditions. Wind energy projects cannot be set up in an area with little wind. Small hydropower cannot be utilized in an area without small rivers. By and large there is a technology or technologies that are suitable for almost all regions. However, there are some areas where it is possible (at least at present) that no renewable energy resource is appropriate.” (Unknown)
Moving towards larger scale use of renewable energy is affected by a great degree by the policies of the government, both here and abroad. Even with the most enlightened policies the energy enterprise will be slow to change. (2010) “It is a complex mix of scientific, technical, economic, and political elements.” (2010) “These complex issues mean that the necessary transformational change in how we generate, supply, distribute, and use energy will be an immense undertaking requiring decades to complete.” (2010)
A significant portion of the electricity used in the United States is generated by burning coal. We get our coal by strip mining, pit mining, shaft mining, and mountain top removal. All of these methods of extraction, and the burning of coal, have a deleterious effect on the ground, water, and air, not to mention the health of workers and nearby residents. Other major sources of electricity nationally are natural gas and nuclear energy, both of which have environmental damage and risk involved in fuel extraction and use.
Using renewable energy is about saving our planet and ourselves from the toxic emissions produced by non-renewable sources of energy such as: coal, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear energy, etc. As with any new or still developing technology there will be hurdles to overcome in making that technology accessible and affordable to all. However, the benefits in moving forward in switching to renewable energy sources out way the current perceived disadvantages that can be overcome as the technology advances. Take notice and get on the renewable energy bandwagon your descendants will thank you.
References
(2001). In F. N. Laird, Solar Energy, Technology Policy & Institutional Values (p. 266). Port Chester, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press . Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/chartercollege/docDetail.action?docID=5002286
(2010). In N. R. Resources, Electricity from Renewable Resources : Status, Prospects, and Impediments (p. 385). Washington, DC, USA: National Academies Press. Retrieved 02 2014, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/chartercollege/docDetail.action?docID=10379903
Nattional Academy of Engineering; National Resesrch Council of the National Academies; Chinese Academy of Science; Chinese Academy of Engineering. (2010). Power of renewables: Oportunities and Challenges for China and the United States. National Research Council. Washington, DC, USA: National Academy Press. Retrieved 2014, from www.nap.edu: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/chartercollege/docDetail.action?docID=10443277&p00=10443277
Need, staff. (n.d.). The Need Project. Retrieved 2014, from National Energy Education Development: www.need.org
NRDC, Staff. (n.d.). Renewable Energy for America: Harvesting the Benefits of Homegrown renewable Energy. Retrieved from Natural Resource's Defense Council: The Earths Best Defense: http://www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/
Orloff, J. (n.d.). Saving Energy: The most common alternative energy sources. Retrieved from About.com: http://saveenergy.about.com/od/alternativeenergysources/a/altenergysource.htm
Solar Electricity Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved from Homwe Power: http://www.homepower.com/articles/solar-electricity/basics/what-solar-electricity
Unknown. (n.d.). Disadvantages of Renewable Energy Technologies. Retrieved 2014, from Grinnelle: http://web.grinnell.edu/courses/ant/s00/ant154-01/magar/disadv.html
Wind & Solar: Why Renewable Energy. (n.d.). Retrieved from Clean Line Energy Partners: http://www.cleanlineenergy.com/tech1nology/wind-and-solar
Wind Power Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved from Hpme Power: http://www.homepower.com/articles/wind-power/basics/what-wind-electricity