I believe most people would like to get away from the electricity that comes from big power plants that consume a lot of dirty unrenewable hydrocarbons, and instead use clean renewable energy generated at home. The solutions to this problem are difficult but not insurmountable with the use of new ideas in technology, and planning future homebuilding. Since it has become known how much damage we are doing to our environment and ourselves with dirty power plants a solution is needed, and I believe residentially produced renewable energy is the way forward. Renewable energy for residences has been a goal for engineers, scientists, and the government since at least the 1970’s. It always failed because, the technology wasn’t good enough, or it violated some local regulations. Technological innovations in renewable energy generation, along with new home building methods, and greater appliance efficiency, could guarantee the future of energy generation at home. Do to new innovations in the manufacture of photovoltaic panels and small wind generators could provide a properly built house with all the power it needs. It is reported that “technological improvements from the R&D labs leading to higher module efficiencies in the range of 15% to 18% by 2010 and the automation of production lines resulting in module price declines to 2.00 US$/Wp by 2010” (Charron, Remi, and Atheienitis 290). The lowering cost of electricity from solar power and an ability to buy wind generator kits allows a household to generate enough electricity, but only if the house is designed and built correctly. A home needs to be specifically designed for the area its going built in. Some of these design considerations are “Variables that significantly influence solar ... ... middle of paper ... ...a specially built new house off the electrical grid at no extra long term cost. The change of residences to self-sufficiency will take time but it might take a lot less if regulations were changed so homeowners could take advantage of alternative energy. Everybody should try to advance the use of alternative renewable energy. It won’t be easy but with new technology and a rethinking of local regulations it’s viable and should be considered. Works Cited Berkooz, Corry. "Let the Sun Shine In." Planning 74.6 (2008): 18-23. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Charron, Rémi, and Andreas Athienitis. "Design And Optimization Of Net Zero Energy Solar Homes." ASHRAE Transactions 112.2 (2006): 285-295. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
Our country is currently suffering energy-wise, we have been powering with inefficient sources for years now and the harm that it is doing to the country has started to become apparent. Renewable energy is the only way to stop, or at the very least set back the inevitable downfall of our ecosystem. I think that the next big breakthrough for renewable energy is implementing off-grid communities that use renewable sources as their main sources of power, so that we can potentially escape the energy rut that we got ourselves stuck in.
Two people who believe this are reporters at the Breit Bart News Network. Julian Morris and Victor Nava believe that, “‘Green’ energy subsidies benefit the politically connected while harming future generations as hundreds of millions of dollars are added to the country’s debt burden with each green failure.” In a way Morris and Nava are correct. According to Mathias Aarre Maehlum, “Residential solar systems are typically sized from 3 to 8kW and end up costing between $15,000 and $40,000.” This can add up to become very expensive when implementing solar energy throughout the country. However, with the advancements in technology growing every year the cost will decrease over time. The cost of implementation can in fact go down as well through the use of community solar gardens. This helps the homes that are shaded and cannot absorbs the Sun’s energy. The energy from the community solar gardens are shared through out those homes. Switching to solar energy can also save money over time. Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association confirms this. Resch says, “Today, the solar industry employs nearly 175,000 Americans and pumps more than $15 billion a year into the U.S. economy – and we’re just scratching the surface of our enormous potential” (qtd. in
Some types of renewable energy sources include wind, solar, light, residue wood, soybeans, corn, sugarcane, rice, wheat, sorghum(milo), cotton, oats.(etc.). These sources show recycling or reusing items. There are so many types of resources in our environment. Many houses can be build out of these resources or recyclables. For example, rice hulls from milling industries can be made into electricity. Did you know that a 13-megawatt plant consumes approximately 600,000 pounds of rice hulls per day. By burning the hulls, a company called Agrilectric Power, located near Lake Charles, will take a liability and turn them into an
“Where does our power come from?”, when asked, many people would not know the answer to this question. Some might say wind, water, or solar, but the main providers of America’s power are coal plants and nuclear reactors running to keep the lights on. Unfortunately, there is no free energy, it comes at a cost to the environment and its inhabitants. So when the choice arises to change the way humanity looks at our consumption of power, why choose the way we do things? Because the time has come for us as a country and the world to make the switch from the old to the new.
Wood, Jennie. “Living Off the Grid: What Does It Really Mean to Live Off the Grid?” Infoplease ©
... reduce natural gas consumption. Long-term I am committed to installing new energy efficient windows to truly reduce energy consumption. To help reduce the family’s water consumption we recently installed an energy efficient washing machine that uses over 60% less water than the previous model that was installed. As an additional means in which to help conserve water I will be installing a rain barrel in the summer to water our outdoor plants. While these actions might not seem significant, they can make a significant difference. According to Energy Star, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star qualified CFL, in just one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars.
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.
Rotman, David. "Finding a Solar Solution." Technology Review 2 (2012): 48-51. Print. 22 November 2014.
When picking an energy resource for the topic of this paper, I bounced around a lot of ideas. Then it occurred to me that I should write about what I will be living with in about a month. My mom just finished designing and building our earthbag, solar, off-grid house, a four-year endeavor. I will soon live in a place powered by one of the most common alternative energy resources, solar energy, so I should learn more about it. At our new house, we have two stand alone pedestals with six 170W panels on each pedestal, making for a 2040W or 2kW solar system.
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 renewable energy industry could also provide a large-scale economic boost in the United States and other developed countries. I believe any negative economic effects that the transition from traditional to renewable energy may have on our economy would be counteracted by the plethora of positive effects that would come about as a result. According to ucusa.org, renewable energy already supports thousands of jobs in the United States alone.
Household energy conservation is a very practical and realistic approach to conserving energy within our society. US households consume a tremendous amount of natural gas as well as electric energy. It has been calculated that the amount of energy consumed within the US increased exponentially from about 1850 to 1975. If energy continued to increase at this rate, we would be experiencing severe energy shortages in our current society. Luckily, steps towards conservation, including various energy regulations, have curbed that growth somewhat, brining the predicted 160 Qbtu/yr for the year 2000 down to around 93.8 Qbtu/yr by the year 1996. However, household energy usage is still a major issue as households consume about 38% of the total consumed energy and contribute greatly to natural gas consumption and issues such as global warming. Therefore, it is important that people understand how we use energy in the household and what steps can be taken to conserve that energy.
One of the most compelling arguments for the use of renewable energy is how many forms exist of it. Nuclear power, solar power, wind power, tidal power, hydroelectric power, pumped storage, wave power, geothermal power, biomass, and biogas are the most widely known renewable energy sources (Darvill, 2013). This large selection of fuels supports the idea of renewable fuels one day powering the entire planet. All the sources of energy have different niches and benefits. Solar energy is extremely effective when providing energy for small establishments such as a house or small store, but hydrothermal power would be a more plausible solution for factories or large establishments....
The world that we live into today affords us the expectation that the flip a switch will turn the lights on. As populations increase and developing nations undergo dramatic economic growth, this energy demand will only continue to grow. The International Energy Agency (IEA) believes that “the world’s energy needs could be 50% higher in 2030 than they are today” (ElBaradei). Given this projected growth, it is necessary for world leaders must take action to secure the energy supply. Meaning that world leaders need to start seriously considering an alternative to non-renewable energy sources. “In 2012, the United States generated about 4,054 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. About 68% of the electricity generated was from fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), with 37% attributed from coal” (U.S. Energy Information Administration). The fossil fuels that are used to supply over half of our country’s energy are in finite supply and are increasing in price to astronomical heights.
For years man has relied on energy in order to be successful in life. The industrial revolution relied on coal for the new inventions brought into the world. Life as has never been the same since then. However since that time, there has been little done to improve on energy efficiency and humans still primarily rely on fossil fuels for energy. For over a hundred years the Earth has become more polluted and dirtier than ever before. Now, with new, innovative technology there is an opportunity to change that and to rely on renewable, cleaner sources of energy. The main source of energy for the world should be alternative energy instead of energy from fossil fuels.
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.