St John’s College
Johannesburg
Department: Science
Name: Alexi Cavaleros
Grade: Lower IV
National School Science Essay Competition
Topic: “Is renewable energy an economically viable option for South Africa?”
Renewable resources are an important aspect of sustainability. Some examples of renewable resources that are most frequently used are biomass, water, geothermal, wind and solar. Unlike fossil fuels, which are finite, we can regenerate or replenish renewable energy resources. With the rising cost and decreasing availability of non-renewable fossil fuels, renewable resources are receiving increasing attention. The question however is, would renewable energy be an economically viable option for South Africa as a whole and its people.
Before we answer that question we need to be aware that when discussing energy or electricity it is a task that can become complicated with all this new terminology and divisions within it. Some different terms we hear discussed can be answered as follows:
What is renewable or clean energy? It is the sustainable provision of energy that will meet the needs of the present without compromising the future generations to meet their energy needs.
Which technologies promote sustainable energy? These technologies include renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal energy, artificial photosynthesis, tidal power and also technologies designed to improve energy efficiency.
What do we mean when we use the term energy efficient? Energy efficiency is, "using less energy/electricity to provide the same service". These days when shopping you see the term ‘energy efficient’ on all lighting and building aisles. They are there to encourage us to change from...
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...ford not to change policies and to invest in renewable energy’s as there may not be a country left to hand over to future generations. Non-renewable energy sources such as coal are limited and the mining of fossil fuels is harmful to the lands of South Africa. Everything has an impact on the eco-system of South Africa as a whole. People living close to mining areas have bad health. Pollution, acid rains and water are at their worse in certain industrial areas. The cost of removing and buying these fossils fuels is on the rise and the presence of them within the mines is reducing year on year.
“Is renewable energy an economically viable option for South Africa?” – In the long run yes, however, the costs to set up and maintain this clean energy plants are excessive and current schemes would have to be monitored so that costs to set up the plants could be motivated.
Non renewable energy, such as fossil fuel, is used all over the world. Big part of the population assumes that fossil fuel is a reliable source of energy, easy to obtain, and is relatively cheap. On the other hand, fossil fuel is a non renewable energy, which means that we can use it only once. Also, this burning fossils are not good for the environment and are the main reason of the global warming. In this era a lot of new technologies have been invented. Although not every created invention has been for good, renewable sources such as, solar, wind, and human power are a good alternative of energy. Despite some people thinking that solar energy isn’t helpful and it’s only a bad investment; solar energy is the best way to reduce the greenhouse gases and decelerate the global warming, also, is a good investment and it will help you save money in a short term, and unlike the burning fossil fuel, is not harmful for human’s health.
The year is 2200. The world is going through a fossil fuel shortage. Oil reserves are almost completely consumed and it is becoming impossible to find new fossil fuel sources. Not prepared for this event to occur, The United States, has no alternative options. As a result of the oil shortage, the standard of living deteriorates. Heat in homes, supermarkets full of food, and transportation, all basic necessities taken for granted, will be depleted because fossil fuels are used to power almost everything. The key to the prevention of this future is renewable energy. Unfortunately the support for the use of renewable energy is weak and ineffective. Unless the US puts forth effort to research and promote the use of renewable energy to consumers, conversion from fossil fuels to renewable energy will no longer be an option.
Energy is the basic necessity of daily life. Nowadays, dependence on fossil fuels for energy needs becoming lower in numerous countries due to the potential of renewable energy to supply sustainable energy to the huge populations in many developing countries who are short of clean and continues energy. Generally, renewable energy can be defined as energy that is derived from natural resources which are constantly replenished and theoretically inexhaustible. Fossil fuels on the other hand can be described as energy that cannot be renewed and will eventually diminish. Thus, in many developing countries renewable energy is the alternative energy to replace non-renewable energy or commonly known as fossil fuels. In addition, according to Sorensen (2004), there is a greater demand for renewable energy sources nowadays due to the uncertainty of fuel price rise in living expenses. Commonly, there are many types of renewable energy available in our world such as wind power, biomass energy, solar energy, hydroelectric power and geothermal energy. However, the main three example of renewable energy are hydroelectric power, solar and biomass energy (Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).
In the debate of traditional energy vs. renewable energy the clear winner is renewable energy. Renewable energy is vastly superior over traditional energy because it decreases dependence on foreign resources, produces no emissions, and is not limited in quantity. Opponents of renewable energy are likely to argue that this is not the case and that instead, traditional energy is better because it creates job growth, is reliable during all hours and climates, and comes with a lower cost. These advantages however are either misconstrued or hardly outweigh the long-term positive benefits of renewable energy.
...ination, hydrogen fuel and solar energy (World Economic Forum 2014). These are technologies that closely related to environmental and recourse preservation, which help the society switch to use renewable energy.
Energy-cities (2011) define energy efficiency as the use of less energy input while achieving or maintaining an equivalent level of economic activity. On the other hand, energy saving refers to a broader concept that also encompasses consumption reduction through decreased economic activity or behaviour change. Practically, the two are difficult to differentiate and are often used interchangeably although they are not synonymous (Kats, 2003).
Renewable energy is an alternative to the traditional energy resources that we as a society currently use i.e. oil, coal, and natural gas. Non-renewable energy is also very expensive with regards to retrieving it from the earth and as we all know it causes substantial harm to our environment. Renewable energy or if you prefer green energy are resources that consist of solar, wind, water (hydro), biomass, and geothermal. Furthermore, renewable energy is energy that we do not have to fear about depleting because it is replenished naturally over moderately short periods of time.
The United States currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. While the price of natural gas per barrel continues to plummet, the United States is constantly seeking new sources of renewable energy. Renewable energy consists of any type of natural resource (solar power, ocean power, wind power, rain, snow, etc.) that naturally and automatically replenishes itself. Renewable energy is important because it is infinite and everlasting, meaning our children and our children’s children will be able to utilize these resources long after we are gone. I believe the only way the United States and the world will see a large-scale transition to renewable energy sources is through education. Right now, it seems as though only a few pockets of people throughout the world are aware of the positive benefits of renewable energy sources. Not only is it better and cleaner for our environment, but the industry of renewable energy could also
Energy is broadly classified as non renewable and renewable. Generation of renewable energy is done from natural resources and can be replenished within a short period of time. There are some renewable energy sources such as waste biomass, hydro-power by water, geothermal energy, wind energy, and solar energy [2].
Many countries see renewable energy as the future and have made plans to foster its use. It is estimated that wind will provide 5 to 10% of the United States power needs by the year 2020, and the Euro...
To start, let’s go into exactly how this idea of sustainability comes into play with renewable resources. Sustainability is an approach to “economic growth while preserving the quality of the environment for future generations” (Cheever 1). “More than half of all planned energy projects in the Northeast Power Coordinating Council region…are renewable energy projects” a sign that the world is taking a step to become more sustainable (Bhanoo 1). Today a majority of the world’s population relies heavily on coal and other fossil fuels to provide all energy sources. If the global population continues to do so, future generations will not have access to these materials and will not have any other choice but to turn to other energy suppliers. As Craig Pirrong, professor of finance and energy markets director at the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, put it “All renewables are cursed...
First the first thing that I am going to do is define renewable energy “renewable energy is generally defined as energy that comes from resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight, wind,rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat¹ .So by this definition of renewable energy i would classify solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, bioenergy,green power, ocean energy, hydrogen and fuel cell, hydro power all of these energy types are all renewable but are relatively expensive compared to our main source of electricity, fossil fuels that make up more than 77% of South Africa’s needed energy.
This essay attempts to evaluate the potential of renewable energy both in terms of sustainable development and reduction of global warming. Renewable energy such as biofuel and wind energy can be seen as a safe, reliable and cost effective alternative to using fossil fuels for energy security. However, the development of green energy has drawbacks, so funds for research and development for change from lab-scale products into commercial products should be provided and these fuels will become increasingly expensive to use. Clearly more could be done to produce carbon-free energy, more efficient and reduce environmental impacts. Also, awareness of the advantages of renewable energy has been steadily growing and it is expected that the share of renewable energy in the total generation capacity will increase in future.
There are many types of Alternative Energy Sources. The different energy sources are hydro and solar power, wind, biomass and geothermal energy. Throughout the world people don’t recognize that we use every these energy sources day for our own personal use. The energy sources are not only free but they are also renewable. It is a little more costly to use these energy sources, but going green is what’s best for our environment. Using these alternative sources will create fresher air, eliminate over half of the pollution caused by fossil fuels, and protect our earth a lot longer. I’m going to explain these five expensive, but very worth it energy sources.
Using fossil fuels such as coal and oil is inefficient, dangerous, and otherwise a process that is known to eventually fail as a long lasting energy source. Yet, there is hope for the future of energy, this new hope has many shapes and forms, but requires a chance to be fully implemented in our everyday life. Such energy sources like solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, and hydro power are the key to our future. These energy sources are proven to be long lasting, safe, more reliable, and the next innovation. In short, all Americans should switch to renewable energy, resulting in a safer and more efficient world.