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Effect of using fossil fuels on our environment
Effect of using fossil fuels on our environment
Using fossil fuels and climate
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The Importance of Transitioning to Renewable Energies If estimates are correct, available fossil fuel reserves will be expended in the early 22nd century; these fossil fuels are accountable for around 90% of the world's power supply. Without power the modern world would effectively shut down and tear itself apart overnight. There is only one truly long-term solution to avoid this inevitable situation - infinitely renewable energy. Renewable energies include such power sources as wind, hydroelectric, and the most promising option of solar energy. The topic of implementing solar energy as the country's primary energy contributor has been one of much controversy; however, making this transition could promise a world of incredibly cheap power …show more content…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has offered a partial solution. There are an estimated 80 to 250 thousand abandoned mine lands (AMLs) across the United States. Due to safety or environmental concerns, the majority of these sites have remained idle. The EPA has proposed marking many of these sites as potential solar panel fields or stations. Many large AMLs are in areas of the country that have abundant available sunlight and could house large solar arrays. Additionally, many of these AMLs are already near existing infrastructure. These ideal locations would significantly reduce the cost of installation. One of the EPA's projects was on Nellis Air Force Base when they had a solar power plant constructed over an old landfill. The 140 acre facility generates 25,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity per year, about 25% of the base's demand. This reduced CO2 emissions by an estimated 24,000 tons per year (OSRTI, …show more content…
(2014, April 9). Wildlife still suffering four years after BP oil spill. ABC. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2014/04/09/3981859.htm Brusaw, J., & Brusaw, S. (2014, June). Solar roadways. Indiegogo. Retrieved from https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways Frishberg, M. (2013, June). Incentives spark solar energy boom for Japan. Research Technology Management, 56(3), 5-6. doi: 10.5437/08956308X5603001 Grunwald, M. (2014, June 16). The green revolution. Time, 183(23), 40-45. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.dtcc.edu/ehost/detail?sid=ed6a28cf-5171-4627-bbf1-c139ded81b79%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4214&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc 3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=96356164 McLamb, E. (2011, September 6). Fossil fuels vs. renewable energy resources. Ecology Global Network. Retrieved from http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/06/fossil-fuels-renewable-energy-resources National Resources Defense Council. (2013). Solar Power. Renewable energy for America: Harvesting the benefits of homegrown, renewable energy. Retrieved from
Lof, George. “Solar Energy: An Infinite Source of Clean Energy.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Vol 410:52
Preview: Today I will discuss the potential that solar power has to become this country’s main supply of energy and the latest research that can make solar power more efficient and cost effective. I will also present the environmental benefits that come with using solar power over other and more harmful forms of energy.
Solar power for instance is one of the most popular and easiest of all of the renewable energy sources to harness, especially for home and business uses. (Galbraith) For around the same ...
Palmieri, Nancy. “Off the Grid or on, Solar and Wind Power Gain.” USA Today 12 April 2006. Print.
The future of the United States solar energy industry will be shaped not only by economic growth, but also by the rate of declining oil resources and the global realization of the consequences of human induced climate change. Political responses to this realization in the United States include; new policies, legislature, and tax incentives to both businesses and private households to promote growth and investment in the solar power industry.
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.
Two people who believe this are reporters at the Breit Bart News Network. Julian Morris and Victor Nava believe that, “‘Green’ energy subsidies benefit the politically connected while harming future generations as hundreds of millions of dollars are added to the country’s debt burden with each green failure.” In a way Morris and Nava are correct. According to Mathias Aarre Maehlum, “Residential solar systems are typically sized from 3 to 8kW and end up costing between $15,000 and $40,000.” This can add up to become very expensive when implementing solar energy throughout the country. However, with the advancements in technology growing every year the cost will decrease over time. The cost of implementation can in fact go down as well through the use of community solar gardens. This helps the homes that are shaded and cannot absorbs the Sun’s energy. The energy from the community solar gardens are shared through out those homes. Switching to solar energy can also save money over time. Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association confirms this. Resch says, “Today, the solar industry employs nearly 175,000 Americans and pumps more than $15 billion a year into the U.S. economy – and we’re just scratching the surface of our enormous potential” (qtd. in
increasing the supply of renewable energy would allow us to replace carbon-intensive energy sources and significantly reduce U.S. global warming emissions… a 25 percent by 2025 national renewable electricity standard would lower power plant CO2 emissions 277 million metric tons annually by 2025—the equivalent of the annual output from 70 typical (600 MW) new coal plants (“Benefits of Renewable Energy
When picking an energy resource for the topic of this paper, I bounced around a lot of ideas. Then it occurred to me that I should write about what I will be living with in about a month. My mom just finished designing and building our earthbag, solar, off-grid house, a four-year endeavor. I will soon live in a place powered by one of the most common alternative energy resources, solar energy, so I should learn more about it. At our new house, we have two stand alone pedestals with six 170W panels on each pedestal, making for a 2040W or 2kW solar system.
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.
In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels, scientists and policy makers have focused on three options: nuclear power, energy from biomass; and a combination of wind, water, and solar power. Nuclear power, however, is much more costly and runs the risk of having it fall into the wrong hands where it could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. The third option entails wind turbines, photovoltaic power plants and rooftop systems, concentrated solar thermal power plants,...
The 'Standard'. Alternative Energy. Chicago. The. HillCrest Publishers Ltd. Demirbas, A. a.
The Earth captures around 342 W/m2 of energy from the sun. This energy is in the form of solar radiation, which the atmosphere reflects about 77 W/m2 and will absorb around 68 W/m2 of solar radiation annually. Therefore, the Earth’s surface is receiving, on average, about 197 W/m2 of solar radiation annually. This amount of energy received is roughly more than 10,000 times the amount of all energy humans consume per year. This energy can be used to produce electricity or heat. This energy source is not being used to it’s potential considering how much effort would come into effect to store and transport this energy.
Why do we need to rely on renewable sources? Most of the energy that we use today comes from fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, and oil. All of these resources are non-renewable, so you can finish one day. In order to have a better world and a healthy environment for the future, people are trying to obtain energy from natural resources instead of non-renewable sources. In the lecture “Renewable energy resources” (2014), Mistry focuses on some advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy.
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.