Alternative Energy Essay Example for Free

Alternative Energy Essay Alternative Energy whether used for transportation or utilities such as generating electricity for home or business is a very significant subject going on right now because of the benefits it would provide for us, such as environmental, economic, job security and energy security. I believe alternative energy would be beneficial to our society, especially if it is used in transport; there is many other better, leaner and reusable energy sources out there, for example fuel for vehicles pollutes the air and yet can be changed by using a more natural source that doesnt create as much pollution if not any If we were to experiment more with the usage of natural elements, without mentioning that it would be cheaper for all of us in the long run. Evidence Despoiling nature to get at the tiny trickle of oil we have left wont make any significant difference in what we pay at the pump not now and not ever. And it wont make our country any less dependent on foreign fuel. Our thirst for oil is bad for national security, bad for our economy and bad for the environment, America needs to say no to pumping up Big Oils profits and yes to forging a new clean energy economy. -Build the Clean Energy Economy, www.nrdc.org ?(accessed Feb. 25, 2009). The nation is finally realizing that the solutions to these twin crises are linked. That is because nearly everything that is good for the environment and practically everything that is good in the fight against global warming is a job. We can power America through this recession by repowering America with clean energy. We can create millions of jobs that will make our people wealthier and the Earth healthier. (Jones, 2008) The U.S. renewable energy resource base is vast and practically untapped. Available wind energy resources in 12 Midwestern and Rocky Mountain states equal about 2.5 times the entire electricity production of the United States, Complete elimination of CO2 could occur as early as 2040. Elimination of nuclear power could also occur in that time frame. (Makhijani, 2007) Biofuels can provide a number of environmental advantages over conventional fossil fuels-most notably a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Since the transportation sector accounts for about a third of total U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide (an abundant GHG), cleaner transp ortation fuels can play an important role in addressing climate change. -Environmental Benefits of Biofuels, www.doe.gov ?(accessed July 8, 2008) Solar power is a prime choice in developing an affordable and feasible global power source that can substitute fossil fuels in all the worlds climate zones. The solar radiation reaching the earths surface in one year provides more than 10,000 times the worlds yearly energy needs, with the right product, therefore offering customers the type of added value they are looking for, coupled with innovative marketing technologies such as solar electricity should be able to compete with grid power in industrialized countries.- Solar Generation: Solar Electricity for Over One Billion People and Two Million Jobs by 2020, www.epia.org, ?Sep. 2006. Counterarguments It is estimated that there is enough oil and natural gas offshore and in non-wilderness and non-park lands in the United States but currently ruled off-limits for production by the federal government to fuel 50 million cars and heat nearly 100 million homes for the next 25 years. -â€Å"PuttingAmericasEnergyResourcesto Work, www.exxonmobil.com,?June 2008. Taking into account the EIAs [US Energy Information Agency] projected increases in electricity demand, the renewable sector would need to grow 19% per year for 22 years consecutively to meet U.S. demand by the year 2030. Clearly, these targets are overly ambitious and impractical The government cannot create wealth or jobs; all it can do is take from Peter to pay Paul, opening up a job in green industry A by eliminating one in fossil fuel industry B. (Murphy, 2008) We want to be very clear: solar cells, wind turbines, and biomass-for-energy plantations can never replace even a small fraction of the highly reliable nuclear, fossil and hydroelectric power stations. Claims to the contrary are popular, but irresponsible. (Patzek, Pimentel, 2005) The use of corn for ethanol has led to major increases in the price of U.S. beef, chicken, pork, eggs, breads, cereals, and milk a boon to agribusiness and bane to consumers, as global population soars to 8 or 9 billion toward mid-century, and a s we burn more grain as fuel, shortages and production costs could cause grain prices to skyrocket, taking food from the mouths of the worlds poorest people. (Pimentel, 2008). The suns energy is too widely dispersed and the land area required to collect it too vast for solar to become a large-scale power source. The suns energy is too widely dispersed and the land area required to collect it too vast for solar to become a large-scale power source, he solar problem is that no matter how you design the system it will always be inefficient and capture only a small, uneconomical amount of solar energy. (Leher, 2005) We can come to a conclusion that there are many viable alternate sources of energy that we can and should use to supply our energy needs other than fossil fuels and coal, but if we really want to change the energy we use, we need to make a dramatic change. Even if at a first impression we might think it is more expensive to switch to Alternate energy for transport, imagine how it would be like to have cars that don’t need gas to run, in the long run it would be beneficial not only to our wallets but also to our environment, if we really want a change we should start investing in alternative energy now.