Alternative (Green) Energy Sources 1

Alternative (Green) Energy Sources

Term Paper 1

Leonard Gordon Salt lake Community College Howard G. Dumars February 27, 2014

Alternative (Green) Energy Sources 2

Energy is a very important part of our world. What would we do without our cell-phones, our stove, fridge, or electricity? What would we do without our car, the bus, or without Trax? We take technology and energy for granted sometimes. Everyone has a cell phone, the internet is in most homes, when we flip a switch - the lights turn on. Do you ever put any thought into how the power comes into our homes, or what powers the vehicles we get around in? What energy source is used to bring electricity into our homes? Is this energy source polluting the air we breathe? How is the gasoline that I use in my vehicle produced, what effect does that production have on our atmosphere? These are questions we should be asking. When I go up in the mountains and look down into the Salt Lake valley, I see a nasty looking cloud hovering over. I am astounded by the sight of this pollution hovering over the Valley that I live in. This is what we are breathing everyday. Hard to believe, but we are breathing a virtual carbon monoxide cloud. I believe alternative energy sources can help to decrease the amount of pollution in the air and increase air quality, and in turn help with our health.

I believe the alternative energy sources can help with our air quality and are very important to the future of our planet. Here is a list of some alternative energy sources.

Hydropower is the most common renewable energy in use today and is one of the least expensive sources for electricity. 1

Wind Power has been in use for hundreds of years, and is one of the worlds fastest growing energy technologies. Wind Power helps the environment by producing electricity without producing pollution. 1

Alternative (Green) Energy Sources 3

Solar Power uses the Suns energy to bring power to homes and businesss all over the world. Although there are few environmental concerns, solar power can be very expensive. 1

Geothermal Power uses the Earth to create power. Geothermal power produces few emissions and because it uses the Earths heat, steam, or hot water, the power source is continuously available. 1

Biomass Power uses plants to create energy. It provides two valuable services: it is the second most important source of renewable energy in the United States and it is an important part of our waste management infrastructure. 1

As a society we are dependent on non-renewable energy sources. Nationalatlas.gov says, Renewable energy sources are energy sources that are continually replenished. These include energy from water, wind, the sun, geothermal sources, and biomass sources such as energy crops. In contrast, fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas are non-renewable. Once a deposit of these fuels is depleted it cannot be replenished a replacement deposit must be found instead. Both renewable and non-renewable energy sources are used to generate electricity, power vehicles, and provide heating, cooling, and light. 1 The big difference between renewable and non-renewable energy sources is the abundance. Of course Non-renewable energy is exactly what is says, non-renewable. Renewable energy sources are great because they are renewable but again we are very reliant as a society on non-renewable energy sources.

Although renewable energy sources are great for the atmosphere and are continually replenished, they can be very expensive. Electric Power Research Institute, a nonprofit consortium financed by investor- and publicly-owned utilities, predicted in November that even

Alternative (Green) Energy Sources 4

for plants coming on line in 2015, wind energy would cost nearly one-third more than coal and about 14 percent more than natural gas. The cost of solar thermal electricity, made by using the suns heat to boil water and spin a turbine, would be nearly three times that of coal and more than twice that of natural gas. (It would be almost double the cost of wind energy, too.) 6 So is cost the reason we are so dependent on non-renewable energy? Is there a way to bring down the cost of renewable energy? Renewableenergyworld.com states, A recent Los Angeles Times article typifies the confusion on this issue, misreporting significantly the results of a draft report issued by the California Public Utilities Commission in 2009. The article stated that achieving incoming governor Jerry Browns vision of 33% renewables by 2020 would cost Californians $60 billion. The article also stated that this goal would require a 14.5% electricity rate hike. 7

Solar Power is at the forefront of many arguments when it comes to renewable energy. Altenergy.org states, Solar advocates delight in bashing utilities. But for all its faults, the industry has strung an amazing amount of wire. Rarely is an American or an Australian, or a European more than 50 feet from an electrical outlet. It is an everyday miracle we take for granted. From an engineering perspective, the grid is a tremendous resource. 2 I agree that we take the grid for granted and just how advanced it really is. I know when I look around my apartment I have more outlets then I have things to plug into them.

Even our government is involved in the energy debate. John Swcharts of the New York Times opens his article (Fissures in G.O.P. as Some Conservatives Embrace Renewable Energy) with, In conservative politics, solar power is often dismissed as an affectation, part of a liberal agenda to funnel money to solar cronies of the Obama administration and further the global warming hoax. 3 I dont believe global warming to be false or make believe. Alernative-energy-

Alternative (Green) Energy Sources 5

news.info believes, Solving the energy crisis is going to take a lot of social action combined with government support. Rising energy costs are finally starting to force global leaders to research alternatives and provide the funding to make changes. Issues like global warming are becoming mainstream reality and causing worldwide concerns about pollution and consumption. 8 Alternative energy sources, such as solar power are costly, but I appreciate that our government is trying to funnel money into alternative energy sources. It actually shows that they care, not just about our immediate future but the future of generations to come.

For those of us that want to see a greener planet, there is good news. Alternative energy sources are being used more today then ever before. Bryan Walsh, of Time Magazine, reveals, On the surface, it looks like the renewable-energy industry has never been healthier. This year, wind-turbine installation in the U.S. actually outpaced the installation of new natural-gas capacity despite the shale-gas boom, which has pushed down the price of natural gas. In 2012 new wind capacity reached 6,519 MW as of Nov. 30, just edging out gas capacity and more than doubling new coal installations. Meanwhile, new solar capacity in the U.S. reached nearly 2,000 MW, beating out 2011s numbers. Globally the stock of installed wind and solar power hit 307 GW in 2011, up from 50 GW in 2004, while total investment in the sector hit $280 billion last year. Those are some bright numbers. 4 I agree these are bright numbers. It is awesome to know that alternative energy is on the rise.

As I research more on the topic of alternative energy sources I find it interesting how the rest of the world stacks up when it comes to energy. Joe Eaton, of National Geographic, states, Russia is one of the world's energy superpowers, with the largest natural gas reserves on Earth, but delivery of fuel, heat, and electricity across the nation's vast expanse is often difficult and

Alternative (Green) Energy Sources 6

costly. He goes on to say The nation's greatest energy stores are in remote and frozen regions of the north and east; Sochi, a Black Sea resort town in the west, was far from major pipelines and transmission when it was selected as host. Also Since winning its Olympic bid in 2007, Russia has built 49 major energy projects, according to Energy Minister Alexander Novak, increasing capacity to generate electricity in the Sochi region by 800 percent. 5 Americasquarterly.org states, Canada is the top energy supplier to the U.S.a long-standing relationship institutionalized within the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The U.S. has no closer friend on energyliterally or figurativelythan Canada, which, for its part, relies on the U.S. as a guaranteed, secure market. 9 Theguardian.com states, According to the International Energy Agency, China's share of total renewables in the global primary energy supply stands at 15.6% compared with 4.2% in the US. 10 I find it astonishing how the rest of the world compares to us here in the US. It seems we got some catching up to do.

Do you look at those questions in the introduction a little differently now? I know after research and writing this paper I look at those questions in a different light. I would like to see our society move to a greener way of thinking when it comes to energy. The fact is eventually our world will run out of non-renewable energy. Although alternative energy is very expensive, I think alternative energy sources are the key to a healthy survival here on Earth. Creating a better environment and reducing pollutions are vital to our existence.

Alternative (Green) Energy Sources 7

1. http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/people/a_energy.html 2. http://www.altenergy.org/ 3. Swchwartz, J. (January 25, 2014). Fissures in G.O.P. as Some Conservatives Embrace Renewable Energy. New York Times, Politics. 4. Walsh, B. (December 27, 2012). 2013: A Cloudy Forecast for Renewable Energy, with a Silver Lining. Time Magazine, Science & Space. 5. Eaton, J. (February 7, 2014). Sochi Powers Up: Bringing Energy to Site an Olympic Feat. National Geographic, Daily News. 6. Wald, M. (March 28, 2009). Cost Works Against Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources in Time of Recession. New York Times, Energy & Environment. 7. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/12/the-true-cost-ofrenewable-energy 8. http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/politics/ 9. http://www.americasquarterly.org/the-next-energy-superpower 10. http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jun/07/china-us-how-superpowerscompare-datablog