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.
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 ...
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
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.
The first type of renewable energy is hydroelectric energy or well known as hydropower. In greek word, hydro means water and thus hydroelectric energy refers to electricity generated using flowing water at high velocity. Lutgens and Tarbuck (1992, p. 163) stated that “running water is of great importance to people as we depend upon rivers for energy, travel and irrigation”. Continuous availability of water in universe made water to be the main source of hydroelectric energy. Water has been widely utilized by mankind since the beginning of civilization and wate...
...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.
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.
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.
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 expensive, yes, but only in terms of the development costs, comparatively it would be more cost effective to build and operate a conventional power station than let’s say a wind farm. Subsequently renewable energy is
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...
Why renewable energy is so expensive is the capital needed to start producing energy as well as the length of time for eg. a hydropower station takes to build.Due to these facts South africa has not taken the necessary steps towards fully implementing renewable energy into our society we have only pocketed by using the cheap fossil fuel to maximize our profit. .For these reasons i will say the renewable energy is not an economically viable option at this moment. I say this because of two reasons first, the cost of the capital necessary to start up a renewable energy power plant and the provider will only seek the profit in the future which is not what big businesses want to do they are impatient and will want immediate profit to cover their capital also our fossil fuel the means to over 77% of our electrical output, this transition of 77% will be extremely costly and is highly unrealistic.What would be a viable option is to integrate renewable energy into our output of electricity and slowly but surely bring down the percentage of our fossil fuel.The second re...
Dilley, L.; Earle, J.; Keats, G.; Nxele, A.A. & Ravenscroft, G. (2012) Conventional energy sources and their impact on the environment. Focus Geography Grade 11. 4th edition. Cape Town, South Africa. Maskew Miller Longman. p. 263
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.
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...
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.