No plan to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions can succeed through increases in

energy efciency alone

carbon emissions will keep climbing despite the introduction of more energy-efcient vehicles,
buildings and appliances
renewable sources promise to enhance Americas energy security by reducing the countrys
reliance on fossil fuels from other nations
solar cells, also known as photovoltaics, use semiconductor materials to convert sunlight into
electric current
sunlight could potentially supply 5,000 times as much energy as the world currently consumes
Solar cells can now be made from a range of materials, from the traditional multicrystalline
silicon wafers that still dominate the market to thin-lm silicon cells and devices composed of
plastic or organic semiconductors
an expansion of research efforts would further enhance the performance of solar cells on the
market
easy to use because they can be installed in so many places
The biggest challenge will be lowering the price of the photovoltaics, which are now relatively
expensive to manufacture
Kenya is the global leader in the number of solar power systems installed per capita
More Kenyans adopt solar power every year than make connections to the countrys electric
grid
Sales of small solar power systems are booming
wind power has been growing at a pace rivaling that of the solar industry
wind turbines now produce only 0.5 percent of the nations electricity
If the U.S. constructed enough wind farms to fully tap these resources, the turbines could
generate as much as 11 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, or nearly three times the total
amount produced from all energy sources in the nation last year
rejecting wind farms often means requiring the construction or expansion of fossil fuelburning
power plants that will have far more devastating environmental effects
The most common biofuel by far in the U.S. is ethanol, which is typically made from corn and
blended with gasoline
ethanol has a positive net energy of almost five megajoules per liter
best estimates indicate that substituting corn-based ethanol for gasoline reduces greenhouse
gas emissions by 18 percent
Renewable sources of energy have begun to make a rise in todays market, growing more and more
popular. The most notable of these renewable sources are solar power, wind power, and biofuels. Solar
power has the potential to collect amounts of energy up to 5,000 times the current worldly
consumption if all of the power from the sun was harvested. In fact, this source of power can also be
used for small areas, or even a single house, and Kenyans have taken advantage of this fact and have
distributed about 30,000 small solar cells every year. Wind power is another power source that has not
been fully exploited, with massive areas that can produce large amounts of electricity not being used.
One of the main reasons for their controversy is due to large corporations and some average citizens
who are lying upon the NIMBY principle, and think that the turbines will ruin the landscape and wildlife.
Of the three renewable sources, biofuels happen to be the most questionable, with the emissions that
may arise from its use indefinite or completely unknown. Although there are some issues, it may be
cleaner than oil use and can be made from grown crops, reducing the reliance on foreign oil.
Renewable power and fuels have arisen as a viable source for our current market and economy.
These sources include solar power and photovoltaic cells, wind power and wind turbines, and biofuel
and ethanol. Solar power and wind power both have largely untapped sources of power that could
generate large amounts of electricity but are unused because of either cost or controversy. Adversely,
while biofuels are renewable, the emissions that could come with it are not studied well enough to
make any concrete statement, so this fuel is seen as largely questionable. In my opinion, these sources
of energy and duel need to be used. Even though they may be expensive to make or invest in, the shift
from non-renewable to renewable will support if not solve economic issues that come with a lack of
resources (coal, oil), or environmental issues like smog. I believe that if we switched to renewable
energy, our issues would become solvable or at least sustainable, but without switching, our issues can
quickly spin out of our control.
So What?
This information is important because it displays
sources of energy and fuel that could be used that
will not run out, like our current sources will
Says Who?
This article was written by a professor of energy,
who collected this information from studies
What if?
If this information was never published, then the
potential of renewable energy might have been
ignored
What Does This Remind Me of?
This article reminded me of the ethanol station on
Convoy, where the prices for ethanol are cheaper
than gasoline