Clean Energy Production: No Easy Answers

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Clean Energy Production: No Easy Answers

Modern life requires vast amounts of electricity to maintain. Electricity is used industrially, commercially, as well as residentially and consumption of it has tripled in the United States within the past 50 years (U.S. Department of Energy, 2009). Major power outages cause disasters wherever they occur, not only inconveniencing daily life, but crippling emergency response systems, hospitals, and security systems. In extreme climates, electricity is a necessary component of survival as it is used for heating and air conditioning. The world is dependent on safe, effective, and huge amounts of electricity generation. Currently, the majority of all the electricity generated is from burning coal and gas (U.S. Department of Energy, 2009).

The world needs clean energy sources. Electricity generation from coal and gas is dramatically expediting climate change (Kirby, 2004). Smog cover is a common sight over the major cities in the United States and respiratory diseases are increasing at historic rates (Kirby, 2004). Nuclear power generation creates one way to produce electricity without creating air pollution, but safety, environmental issues, and cost of production deem it not sustainable (Kirby, 2004). Fortunately, clean energy production is not merely a dream for the future.

Clean energy production technologies are being developed that have the potential to significantly reduce pollution caused by electricity production ( Kirby,2004). Currently solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal resources are being utilized to subsidize electricity production throughout the world("Renewable energy," 2011). Major producers of energy are investing vast amounts of money to expand the use of alterna...

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...al application.

References

Folke, L., & Burnette, H.S. (2005, March 28). Burning bright:nuclear energy's futute. Retrieved from http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba511/

Gould, L. (2011, March 15). High radiation levels after leak at Japanese plant. Lewiston Sun Journal, pp. A1, A4.

Kirby, A. (2004, December 13). Pollution: a life and death issue. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4086809.stm

Renewable energy and electricity. (2011, February). Retrieved from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf10.html

Scientific facts on the chernobyl nuclear incident. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.greenfacts.org/en/chernobyl/index.htm

U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Information Administration. (2009). Energy explained Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Retrieved from http://www.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm

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