Renewable Energy
Ruston S.
Every Day we use energy for everything from turning on the lights, to running our cars. But have you ever considered where this energy comes from. Most likely this energy comes from burning fossil fuels. This has many negative impacts in the environment. However scientist have developed new renewable energy sources that are environmentally friendly and are waiting to be used.
What is Renewable Energy and What Are the Different Forms? Renewable energy is a type of energy whose sources is consistently renewable, regardless of the amount of energy used. Renewable energy is derived from a repetitive natural occurrence. Therefore it takes a variety of different forms such as follows. Wind Energy. Wind energy is produced through turbines that are spun by high the power of wind. Wind energy currently one of the most economically efficient, and fastest growing renewable energy sources. Wind energy has almost no pollution and is not insufficient in production capability. As a matter of fact the U.S. could have the capability to produce ten times its current energy needs from wind power alone. Solar energy. Solar energy is produced through a broad range of technologies including solar thermal energy and photovoltaics. The sun will be a source of energy for billions of years.. Solar energy technologies, however, are very expensive, although they are economically efficient long term. Geothermal Energy. Geothermal energy is produced through using naturally generated heat from the earth to convert water into steam. This steam then spins turbines, producing electricity. This form of energy also has plenty of capability in certain locations. Hydroelectric Power. Hydroelectric power is formed by using flowing water to spin a turbine thus producing electricity. Hydroelectric power currently accounts for half of all renewable energy produced in the U.S.
Why is Renewable Energy Important? Our society today is becoming more and more energy dependent. However, energy production is the most polluting industry in the United States. This is mostly a result of use of non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. These energy sources have very high carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions rates compared to renewable energy sources. Both of these gases have a variety of negative impacts on the environment. Although carbon dioxide is necessary for plant life, it is the most abundant greenhouse gas. Carbon Dioxide is widely considered the number one contributor to global warming. Newer research has also proven that oceans absorb 20% of carbon dioxide emissions, increasing the ocean's acidity, and destroying oceanic life Sulfur dioxide is the leading contributor to hazardous acid rain. However Renewable energy sources do not have this effect on the environment. Geothermal, hydropower, solar power, and Wind Power all have zero direct, biogenic, or albedo effect carbon dioxide emissions. This makes these energy sources extremely important to environmental conservation efforts, and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions efforts. Both the United Nations Environmental Programme and the International Programme for Climate Change agree that without renewable energy sources being the sole source of energy, there will be increases of up to 14 degree Fahrenheit. This would cause significant risk to food supply, extremely poor air quality, and increasing commonness of extreme weather. Renewable energy is also important to consider because the current fossil fuels we use take millions of year to develop. Because we are using them at such an extremely high rate, the world will soon lack the quantities necessary to sustain the high energy demands.
How will Renewable Energy affect our economy? Although renewable energy may threaten the fossil fuel industry, Renewable energy is actually highly beneficial to the overall economy. Renewable energy has had an array of positive impact on a variety of sectors economy. As of 2014 Renewable energy has supported seven million seven hundred thousand jobs worldwide. Six hundred twenty five thousand of those were in the United States. Increasing the amount of renewable energy while decreasing the amount of oil, coal, and natural gas we use can also help the stock market. Increased renewable energy usage would help to stabilize energy prices. Currently oil prices fluctuate dramatically, which increases market volatility. This can had severe impacts on the stock market. Low oil prices earlier this year caused an economic crisis, which the market is still recovering from. The Dow Jones Index, a key indicator of overall market performance, lost nearly 2000 points which is almost about 12% of its overall value. Renewable energy use would create stable energy prices which would decrease market volatility, and therefore increase overall market performance. Studies also suggest that the more renewable energy can continue to grow economic opportunity. According to the union of concerned scientist, if the United States were to pass a plan previously introduced by President Obama to have twenty five percent renewable energy by 2025 the United States would see significant growth. The United States would see about 300,000 new jobs, 263 billion dollar in investments for renewable energy technologies, 13.5 billion dollars for landowners, 11.5 billion dollars in property tax, and 64.3 billion dollars in energy saving for consumers. Although this act has currently not been passed, and we are therefore not guaranteed these results, but current trends make it very possible that many corporations will provide this change on their own.
How Does Renewable Energy Affect Politics? Renewable energy, like almost all issues in politics, is a very divided issue between democrats and republicans. Democrats are supportive of the United States development of renewable and sustainable energy sources. They believe it is impossible for the united states to obtain energy independence using coal, oil, and natural gas. They also believe that developing and utilizing renewable energy sources is necessary in order to slow the effects of climate change. They believe production, installation, repair, and improvement of these technologies would help create job growth. Republicans believe that oil, natural gas, and coal are irreplaceable sectors of the economy. They believe that renewable energy would pose a significant threat to the U.S. economy and would inhibit job growth. Republicans believe that the U.S. should expand its production of coal, oil, and natural gas instead of developing renewable energy. They also doubt the reliability of studies supporting climate change. Renewable energy is also a major issue in the presidential race. On the republican side, almost all the candidates support an all of the above renewable energy plan. The two exceptions are Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. Rubio supports the republican anti-renewable energy platforms. Donald Trump merely states, “Windmills Look Nice, But They Kill A Lot Of Birds,” and ask Scotland to, “end plans for an offshore wind farm he fears will spoil the view at his exclusive new $750-millionpound ($1.2-billion) golf resort” Despite the fact that only 0.00736% of all bird fatalities are from wind turbines, this of course did not decrease his support. On the democratic side Sanders and Clinton both support their party's platform on renewable energy, and former presidential candidate Martin o'Malley
“Windmills Look Nice, But They Kill A Lot Of Birds,”- Donald Trump Fact: Only 0.00736% of all bird fatalities are from wind turbines.
Is Renewable Energy Practical Enough to Replace Fossil Fuels? Although all these energy sources appear to be beneficial energy solution, they also have some negative impacts that cause some to reconsider their feasibility. For example, many are afraid that the massive turbines used to generate wind power could result in habitat loss for some species. They are also reliant on the weather creating conditions in which the necessary winds are provided. Solar Energy is still highly expensive for the individual buyer, and is incapable of production on cloudy days or at night. Geothermal production is limited to areas where there is high geothermal activity, and water is available. Hydropower requires flowing water. It is also necessary to build a very expensive dam that has a variety of negative impacts on the habitats of fish. With all these impacts can renewable energy replace fossil fuels. Yes, they can. Although there are downsides to all of these sources using each in moderation we can still meet our energy needs. And eventually, they have to. At our current rate, we will run out of oil in fifty-three years, natural gas in fifty-four, and coal in one hundred and ten years. It may sound like a lot of time, but it is not as much as you think, and we will need to switch to renewable energy it is too late.
“It means joining with allies to deploy renewable energy technologies both at home and around the world to confront the very real and present danger of possibly irreversible of climate change” Bernie Sanders
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