Energy Advantages And Disadvantages

878 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Comparing fossil fuels and renewable energy essay

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a population of nearly 9.2 million people in 2012 (World Bank) and it produces over 48,951,000,000 kWh. (NationMaster.com). It has the world’s sixth largest proven oil reserves and the fifth largest natural gas reserves. However, despite all this, UAE’s methods of generating electricity are going to soon come to an end.

There are many ways to generate electricity and they each have their advantages and disadvantages. The major way to generate electricity is probably through fossil fuel plants. However this is not a renewable energy source. There are many other ways that countries use to generate electricity such as Solar energy, wind energy, wave energy, and magnetic energy. In the UAE, natural gas and oil are used to generate electricity.

Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed when layers of buried plants and animals are exposed to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years. The energy that the plants and animals originally obtained from the sun is stored in the form of carbon in natural gas. Natural gas is combusted to generate electricity, enabling this stored energy to be transformed into usable power. It is a non-renewable resource and it is running out.

The process works by extracting the natural gases from the ground, and then they treat it. The gas is treated at gas plants to remove impurities such as hydrogen sulfide, helium, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons and moisture. It then gets transported through pipelines from gas plants to power plants. They then use several methods to convert gas to electricity. A more common approach is to burn the gas in a combustion turbine to generate electricity.

Oil is another way that the UAE is generating electricity. Oil is found in undergrou...

... middle of paper ...

...ing electricity and do not produce any pollution in the process. It is a reliable energy source. This is because the sun will always rise and set every day, although clouds are unpredictable we can still generate a bit of energy every day. It is also a secure solution and no one will be able to steal it. Economically solar powers help save a lot of money. It also provides job opportunities. It creates two to three times more jobs than using natural gas.

There are also some disadvantages of using solar energy. The biggest disadvantage of using solar energy would probably be the fact that the sun doesn’t shine 24 hours a day. When the sun goes down there is no sun and therefore the PV panels will stop producing electricity. This would mean that along with solar panels another energy source must be used to generate electricity when there is no sun light available.

Show More
Related

  • Case Study: The Keystone XL Pipeline

    2378 Words  | 5 Pages

    Its most known process of generating electricity would be movement of air through wind turbines. Wind power has two parts, mechanical and electrical systems. Mechanical systems are low speed and are used for mechanical tasks such as pumping water or grinding grain. Electrical systems are high speed and are used to generate electricity to power homes or schools. Many people feel that wind farms full of turbines, are aesthetically unpleasing, but wind power is a clean energy source and does not generate greenhouse gas emissions. It is a very abundant resource throughout the United States. Wind power is simple, relatively cheap, and low maintenance (Sambu). Wind power is again, free and very abundant so no matter how much we use now, we will still obtain enough in the

    Read More

  • Oil Boom in the Middle East

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    The economic and technological development since the twentieth century has been fuelled mainly by oil, just as the early industrial revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has been fuelled by coal. ...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Solar Energy

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    The sun has been a major aspect of life since the beginning of time. People used many other forms of energy before electricity was discovered. There has been a debate over energy resources for years. Many people are worried about what current energy resources may be doing to the environment. Oil spills and nuclear power plant mishaps have only been a few accidents that have had a big impact on the environment and the people who inhabit it. There are plenty of energy sources that do not harm the environment and are still able to get the job done. Solar energy is one energy alternative that will insure the betterment of the country and, at the same time, protect the natural environment.

    Read More

  • Natural Gas

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    After natural gas forms, it then rises to the top of the surface through the pores spaces in the rock because of its low density compared to the surrounding rock. MAJOR RESERVES AND HOW THE GAS IS EXTRACTED The biggest reserve of natural gas is in...Russia!, which has seven times the reserves of the U.S. Our country is endowed with a substantial resource of natural gas and new findings has revised that number in the upward position in the last few years.

    Read More

  • Fracking As A Solution To Fracking

    1876 Words  | 4 Pages

    America is becoming more and more worried about where it will get the resources it needs for energy. Coal is becoming an expensive resource and under close observation due to its effect on our atmosphere with its carbon dioxide emissions. Nuclear power has created concerns since the recent Japanese disaster. We return to looking for a way to have fuel needed to supply us with the energy needs of today, and also the future. Natural gas then presents itself as an option. Natural gas is being celebrated as a solution to sustain us till we can become more dependent on renewable resources, such as wind and solar. The source for all this gas is literally right under our nose. It lies in shale formations underground. One such formation, the largest in America the Marcelus Shale, a huge formation in parts of Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania contains more than $500 billion worth of gas in one area alone.

    Read More

  • The Energy Crisis: Traditional Energy vs. Renewable Energy

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, over half of the oil used in the USA is imported. Most of this imported oil is located in the middle east and is controlled by OPEC members. Subsequent oil price shocks and price manipulation by OPEC have cost our economy dearly—about $1.9 trillion from 2004 to 2008—and each major shock was followed by a recession (Reduce). We may never be able to fully eliminate our need to import oil, but we can reduce cartel market control and the economic impact of price shocks by reducing our demand (Reduce). One way we can reduce our reliance on oil is through investing in renewable energy. Solar power, wind power, and hydro power are all forms of energy which come from renewable resources. Unlike oil, solar, wind and hydro electric power is abundant and can be obtained locally.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Alternatives: Pros And Cons Of Alternative Energy

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alternative energy sources are renewable, and is most commonly referred to as free energy sources. There are many alternative energy sources such as hydro power, solar power, wind, biomass, and geothermal. Using alternative sources is more expensive in the long run, but it is the much safer option for our environment compared to fossil fuels. Although everything used is completely free, such as water and wind, the equipment used to generate these things are expensive. There are several pros and cons that come with the utilization of alternative energy sources.

    Read More

  • The Clean Energy and the fossil fuels in Saudi Arabia

    1656 Words  | 4 Pages

    Over the past 200 years, mankind discovered the fossil fuels and they used this source to produce hug energy. This affects the environment in many negative ways and caused many issues worldwide such as urban air pollution and acid rain, oil spills and the high temperature of earth. Saudi Arabia has the biggest oil reserves in the world by 19.66% (the world factbook, 2011) and the second oil producer country in the world with roughly 10.121 million barrels a day – which account for 12% of the total world production of oil in 2010 (Fontinelle,2011). Moreover, the country relies heavily on oil industry. And the most successful companies in the country are thus whose work in oil industry such as ARAMCO Company. The reason behind this success is because most of these companies get financial support and attention from the Saudi government and sometimes the government owes these companies. Because of the massive reserve of oil and the high income that generated from oil, the country has less attention to seek for other sources of clean energy such as solar energy and wind energy which leads to the increase of air pollution in the country. However, oil is expected to last in the next 50 to 100 years (Hubbert, 1956). Furthermore, the International organizations have made many decisions to protect the environment and environmental resource such as Kyoto Protocol which decided to raise the use of solar energy to 50%of the total global energy use by 2020 (UNFCCC ,2005 ). Recently, these issues lead the Saudi government to realize problems, such as air pollutions, and start to invest in clean energy area but not as expected. These days many people in Saudi Arabia argue the uses of clean energy and replace with the fossil fuels. And they d...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: Solar Power

    1587 Words  | 4 Pages

    Claim: Solar power has the potential to become the United States main supply of energy and replace are needs for more conventional and harmful forms of power generation.

    Read More

  • Solar Panels At My House

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    I have already written about the obvious benefits of going solar. There are other benefits as well that decrease the impact on our earth over time. Solar panels and battery banks have a life of 25-35 years and don't need anything more than general cleaning, snow removal and monthly water filling. Solar energy is the cleanest and purest form of energy, allowing for cleaner air overall in our environment. There is great hope for a lot more solar panels to be installed worldwide.

    Read More

  • Hydropower Essay

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are three parts to a typical hydropower plant. The first part is an electric plant where electricity is produced. The second is a dam that open and closes to control the flow of water. Water behind the dam goes into an intake and is pushed against blades in a turbine which causes them to turn. Then the turbine rotates a generator to create electricity.

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast of Nuclear Energy and Alternative Energy

    1351 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the condensation process is finished and the steam reverts back to water, it is pumped into the reactor again, thus completing the process of producing nuclear-based power. Next, hydro-electricity is electricity produced by moving water, flowing past a turbine connected to a generator (“Hydropower”). According to Nationalgeographic.com, a typical hydro-plant is a system with three parts: an electric plant where electricity is produced, a dam that can be opened or closed to control water flow, and a reservoir where water can be stored.... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • The Environmental Effects of The Oil Industry

    2641 Words  | 6 Pages

    Electricity is one of the chief products of the oil industry. We use oil to heat our homes and businesses. We use oil to produce electricity to light our homes and businesses also.

    Read More

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nuclear energy is generated by a process called fission. Fission occurs within the reactor of a nuclear power plant when a neutron is fired at an atom of uranium causing it to split and release subsequent neutrons.1 These are able to crash into other uranium atoms causing a chain reaction and releasing a great deal of heat energy.

    Read More

  • Solar Energy Essay

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper will explore the many aspects of solar energy. From how it was discovered to what it is used for, how it is used, and the many benefits of it. Solar energy is defined as, radiant energy emitted by the sun. Solar energy has been used for many years and also has been used to generate a number of things that we use today, from solar powered cars and cell phones; solar energy is a huge aspect of human life as we know it. If it weren’t for solar energy, many things may not be able to operate and many other things may not have been discovered because of it.

    Read More

More about Energy Advantages And Disadvantages

Open Document