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Renewable energy effects on the environment
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Ever since humans have existed they have been interested in one thing—energy. Energy and the use of it has been a big question mark to humans throughout history. Also whenever humans find an energy source they are never satisfied. The human race has always tried to find newer and more effective ways of energy to show their dominance. For hundreds of years humans have fallen in love with fossil fuel energy. These various types of energy are very effective for any needs that humans might have. There are a couple disadvantages that have been exposed that have made us as a human race look for new ways of energy. But these new sources of energy can’t just be new they can’t just be cheaper than fossil fuels but they have to also be more effective and also cleaner for the environment. This limits to what could actually be the new and improved energy source that the human race turns to because if it was easy to figure out and use then it would have already been done. The technology improvements though have allowed the path for a new type of energy though that is starting to catch on fast; this new energy is renewable energy. This type of energy will never run out and is better for the environment because it is using natural things and just making energy out of it. Solar, wind, and hydro power are three major types of renewable energy sources that have started to lead the way in this movement of change, the only question is if they are actually cheaper, more effective, and easier to use.
The first example of a source of renewable energy is solar energy. This type of energy comes from the abundant energy of the sun. How solar energy works is it uses solar panels or solar cells to create and convert solar energy into mechanical energy, ...
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...c Power." Energy Facts: Hydro-Electric Power. Ohio State University, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
Department of Energy & Climate Change. "Electricity Generation Costs." Department of Energy & Climate Change, Oct. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
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Union of Concerned Scientists. "Environmental Impacts of Wind Power." Environmental Impacts of Wind Power. Union of Concerned Scientists, 05 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
Union of Concerned Scientists. "How Solar Energy Works." Union of Concerned Scientists, 16 Dec. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
U.S. Department of Energy. "Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy." Wind Program:. U.S. Department of Energy, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Hydroelectricity." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Independent Statistics & Analysis: U.S. EIA. March 15, 2012. http://www.eia.gov/countries/index.cfm?view=consumption (accessed March 16, 2014).
"Solar & Wind Energy Calculations: The (very) Basics." Solar-estimate.org. Solar-Estimate, 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
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.
Lof, George. “Solar Energy: An Infinite Source of Clean Energy.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Vol 410:52
Smil, Vaclav. "The Long Slow Rise of Solar and Wind." Scientific American 310.1 (2014): 52. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Energy is the basic necessity of daily life. Nowadays, dependence on fossil fuels for energy needs becoming lower in numerous countries due to the potential of renewable energy to supply sustainable energy to the huge populations in many developing countries who are short of clean and continues energy. Generally, renewable energy can be defined as energy that is derived from natural resources which are constantly replenished and theoretically inexhaustible. Fossil fuels on the other hand can be described as energy that cannot be renewed and will eventually diminish. Thus, in many developing countries renewable energy is the alternative energy to replace non-renewable energy or commonly known as fossil fuels. In addition, according to Sorensen (2004), there is a greater demand for renewable energy sources nowadays due to the uncertainty of fuel price rise in living expenses. Commonly, there are many types of renewable energy available in our world such as wind power, biomass energy, solar energy, hydroelectric power and geothermal energy. However, the main three example of renewable energy are hydroelectric power, solar and biomass energy (Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).
Hydro power is one of many examples of alternative energy sources. Hydro power produces energy by moving water. Wind power is another form of solar power. Wind isn’t only a clean fuel source, but it is one of the most inexpensive alternative sources of energy.
Rotman, David. "Finding a Solar Solution." Technology Review 2 (2012): 48-51. Print. 22 November 2014.
Duke Energy. n. d. a. d. a. d. 10 April 2014. http://www.duke-energy.com/about-energy/generating-electricity/nuclear-how.asp>. “How do solar cells work?” Physics.
The United States currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. While the price of natural gas per barrel continues to plummet, the United States is constantly seeking new sources of renewable energy. Renewable energy consists of any type of natural resource (solar power, ocean power, wind power, rain, snow, etc.). that naturally and automatically replenishes itself. Renewable energy is important because it is infinite and everlasting, meaning our children and our children’s children will be able to utilize these resources long after we are gone.
"The Future of Hydropower." Macalester College: Private Liberal Arts College. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
Diandong, R. (2010). Effects of Global Warming on Wind Energy Availability. Journal of Renewable & Sustainable Energy, 2(5), 052301.
In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels, scientists and policy makers have focused on three options: nuclear power, energy from biomass; and a combination of wind, water, and solar power. Nuclear power, however, is much more costly and runs the risk of having it fall into the wrong hands where it could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. The third option entails wind turbines, photovoltaic power plants and rooftop systems, concentrated solar thermal power plants,...
There are different kinds of resources that we can use in order to produce renewable energy. Solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power are just some of the kinds of renewable energy that might be the best options to obtain energy because they come from natural resources. Although renewable energy can be expensive to build, it has less environmental damage in comparison to non-renewable energy. Besides the natural resources such as sun, wind, water and hydrogen, we also have geothermal power, and biofuels as renewable sources.
Deal, W. (n.d.). Wind power: An emerging energy resource.Technology & Engineering Teacher, 70(1), 9-15. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=a747d6c4-9f9f-4066-be3e-d7d26a427ef2@sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=114&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zc2Mmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU=