We Need to Embrace Alternative Energy
With all the advances we have made in energy alternatives over the last several decades, we are still far too reliant on traditional sources. Much of this falls on the politicians who cater to the oil, gas and nuclear industries, and fail to promote and fund the alternatives such as solar, wind and geothermal.
First and foremost, our power grids are outdated and there has not been the funding needed to upgrade the entire system. When we are hit with the huge storms (which is happening more often) hundreds of thousands of people are left without power for not only hours, but some for days. We continually pour money into replacing damaged poles and lines in the same manner we have always done. If the power lines had been moved underground years ago, we would not have to endure the significant outages that occur today.
The second piece is promoting renewable resources which are an important aspect of sustainability, and unlike fossil fuels, we can regenerate or replenish these resources. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the most frequently used renewable resources are biomass, water, geothermal, wind and solar.
Currently wind energy is primarily used for the production of electricity. Wind turbines convert wind's kinetic energy to mechanical power. Today, wind power provides 1.9 percent of all the energy consumed in the United States. Although wind power has increased significantly since 1970, it accounts for only a small fraction of U.S. electricity supply.
Solar power is more affordable, accessible, and common in the United States than ever before. Since 2008, U.S. installations have increased 35-fold to an estimated 62.5 gigawatts (GW) today, which is enough capacity to power the equivalent of 12 million average American homes. Since the beginning of 2014, the average cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels has dropped nearly 50%.
Geothermal energy is thermal energy that is stored beneath the earth's surface. It is clean, renewable, and can be harnessed from almost anywhere in the world to produce heat and electricity. It is commonly used today for residential heating and cooling, and electricity generation. The United States leads the world in the amount of electricity generated with geothermal energy. In 2018, there were geothermal power plants in seven states, which produced about 16.7 billion kilowatt hours (kWh).
Hydropower (energy in moving water) was one of the first sources of energy used for electricity generation and until 2019, hydropower was the largest source of total annual U.S. renewable electricity generation. America has vast wave, tidal and hydropower resources -- but much of this energy remains untapped.
Biomass is plant or animal material (purposely grown energy crops, wood or forest residues, waste from food crops, yard waste, food processing, animal farming) used for energy production (electricity or heat). One of the biomass energy pros is the reduced need for transportation as it can be produced and supplied in the area; this negates the need for large pipelines or massive infrastructure building. It also eliminates the pollution caused by vehicles transporting the energy source. Biomass naturally releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere which might be considered a bad thing since high carbon dioxide levels are thought to be a primary cause of the global warming that is occurring. The reality is that the use of biomass for energy is a net zero proposition.
The public’s reluctance to embrace alternative energy resources such as solar and wind power baffles me. There are those who argue that solar panels or wind turbines are ugly to look at. I’m not sure I follow this logic; are nuclear power plants and electric power grids better? The truth is, if we want to improve the environment, and find more cost effective ways to produce energy, we need to invest more time and money into alternative sources. Oil, gas and nuclear energy are not only costly, but they can also be dangerous to our health.
First and foremost, our power grids are outdated and there has not been the funding needed to upgrade the entire system. When we are hit with the huge storms (which is happening more often) hundreds of thousands of people are left without power for not only hours, but some for days. We continually pour money into replacing damaged poles and lines in the same manner we have always done. If the power lines had been moved underground years ago, we would not have to endure the significant outages that occur today.
The second piece is promoting renewable resources which are an important aspect of sustainability, and unlike fossil fuels, we can regenerate or replenish these resources. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the most frequently used renewable resources are biomass, water, geothermal, wind and solar.
Currently wind energy is primarily used for the production of electricity. Wind turbines convert wind's kinetic energy to mechanical power. Today, wind power provides 1.9 percent of all the energy consumed in the United States. Although wind power has increased significantly since 1970, it accounts for only a small fraction of U.S. electricity supply.
Solar power is more affordable, accessible, and common in the United States than ever before. Since 2008, U.S. installations have increased 35-fold to an estimated 62.5 gigawatts (GW) today, which is enough capacity to power the equivalent of 12 million average American homes. Since the beginning of 2014, the average cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels has dropped nearly 50%.
Geothermal energy is thermal energy that is stored beneath the earth's surface. It is clean, renewable, and can be harnessed from almost anywhere in the world to produce heat and electricity. It is commonly used today for residential heating and cooling, and electricity generation. The United States leads the world in the amount of electricity generated with geothermal energy. In 2018, there were geothermal power plants in seven states, which produced about 16.7 billion kilowatt hours (kWh).
Hydropower (energy in moving water) was one of the first sources of energy used for electricity generation and until 2019, hydropower was the largest source of total annual U.S. renewable electricity generation. America has vast wave, tidal and hydropower resources -- but much of this energy remains untapped.
Biomass is plant or animal material (purposely grown energy crops, wood or forest residues, waste from food crops, yard waste, food processing, animal farming) used for energy production (electricity or heat). One of the biomass energy pros is the reduced need for transportation as it can be produced and supplied in the area; this negates the need for large pipelines or massive infrastructure building. It also eliminates the pollution caused by vehicles transporting the energy source. Biomass naturally releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere which might be considered a bad thing since high carbon dioxide levels are thought to be a primary cause of the global warming that is occurring. The reality is that the use of biomass for energy is a net zero proposition.
The public’s reluctance to embrace alternative energy resources such as solar and wind power baffles me. There are those who argue that solar panels or wind turbines are ugly to look at. I’m not sure I follow this logic; are nuclear power plants and electric power grids better? The truth is, if we want to improve the environment, and find more cost effective ways to produce energy, we need to invest more time and money into alternative sources. Oil, gas and nuclear energy are not only costly, but they can also be dangerous to our health.
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