Alternative Energy Sources - Essay Example

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES Table of content Introduction 3 Shortcomings of traditional sources of energy 4 The power of sun and wind 5 Energy of water 8 Geothermal energy and biomass resources 9 Barriers and solutions 10 Conclusions 11 References 12 Alternative Energy Sources Introduction The world spins around, keeping on developing and progressing. Our technological level has achieved such scale that sometimes it is getting hard to follow emergent innovations and be aware of the latest novelties all the time. Today business sector tries to provide customers with the most modern, qualified and unique goods that are able to satisfy people’s needs. Earlier a major part of this range of products was not even possible to be imagined, meanwhile now habitually they fill up the market, creating sufficient supply and adequate demand. However, any kind of production requires specific resources, such as capital or labor. In addition, each plant or workshop has to be ensured with energy that enables equipment to run. It is rather simple to realize that without the latest resource all the rest of factors can become useless, because exactly energy is the main sign of any life on the planet. Human body along with everything that surrounds it requires sources of energy for providing basic vital functions and reaching self-growth. Hence, scientific and technological advance is impossible without development of electrification. For increasing productivity of labor it is essential to implement mechanization and automation of production processes with a help of manual labor’s substitution for equipment, which in most cases has electrical ground. Energy is the power of all industries. The more industry develops, the more energy is required for the technical equipment. It is well-known that any enterprise, new city or merely house is impossible to build without setting the source of energy beforehand. That is why the quantity of produced energy can evaluate technical and economic power of the entire country rather precisely and make a presentation about the wealth of its nation. In this respect, for the future development it is very important to research and explore new sources of energy that nowadays faces significant problems due to its gradual depletion and constantly rising demand. Shortcomings of traditional sources of energy Our nature has enormous resources of energy. We can find it in sunbeams, wind, water, wood, gas, oil, coal. However, today modern world energetics is based on thermal and hydroelectric power plants, which are able to transfer chemical energy into electrical. In the capacity of fuel thermal power plants use coal, peat, gas, kerosene shale, black oil. However, the price of theses fuels shows the tendency to growth, while their natural resources continue to decrease. In addition, many countries do not have own deposits or feel serious shortage of fuel resources. With a help of dams hydroelectric power plant is able to produce energy of rivers. Compared to the fuel-energy resources, hydroelectric resources have important peculiarity, which contains in own continuous renewal. According to this, the biggest advantage of hydroelectric power plants is their low cost price. Despite this, such type of power plants require significant capital investment and long duration of construction. Also water from dams may cause the erosion of the land, affect fish and compel people to move away from the place where a dam is planned to be constructed. In additional, regrettably, today in America a lot of rivers and lakes are already exploited. This fact requires the search and development of new sites in the future. Atomic power plant transfers nuclear power into electrical one. It has been found that world energetic resources of nuclear fuel, such as uranium and plutonium, exceed energetic resources of organic fuels considerably. This allows satisfying growing needs for energy in perspective. However, in spite of discovery of new deposits, today atomic power plants are not considered as the sources of cheap energy any longer, due to the high price of uranic ore’s extraction. Furthermore, many scientists have agreed with a fact that nuclear power is rather dangerous, because it produces radioactive wastes. In this respect, a lot of people call to reject the nuclear power and use other sources of energy. Also it is fair to mention that not only atomic but also thermal power plants are able to damage environment drastically, emitting hazardous pollutions to the atmosphere. This in its turn causes global warming, greenhouse effect and glacier melting that may create environmental disasters in the future. In this respect, according to the fact that because of scientific and technological progress and the process of mechanization on the factories humanity’s need for energy shows tendency to growth annually, meanwhile the resources of organic fuel are becoming depleted along with environmental pollutions and climate changes that has been caused with dangerous influence of power plants, it is obvious to admit that today it is time to think about alternative sources of energy more seriously. For the sake of own future and safety people should deny nuclear power and with a help of alternative energy sources try to provide sustained development in the world. The power of sun and wind Scientists warn that explored resources of organic fuel in the conditions of modern rates of growth will be enough only for the period from the next 70 to 130 years. That is why it is essential to find new sources of energy that can be profitable not only because of low fuel’s cost, but also due to the simplicity of construction and exploitation, cheapness of materials for the plant building, and its operating life. Wald stated, “Global investment in renewable energy in 2007 was $148.4 billion, up 60 percent from 2006” (Wald, 2009, p.57). However, along with alternative sources of energy traditional thermal and atomic power plants continue to operate actively all over the world. Sun sends the ocean of energy to the Earth. Ganechari and Sandeep stated, “The total energy we receive each year from the sun is around 35,000 times the total energy used by man” (Ganechari & Sandeep, 2005, p. 5). However, the major part of this energy is dispersed and absorbed with an atmosphere, especially with clouds, and just the third part of solar energy reaches the earth surface. The solar energy that gets to the surface of one lake is equivalent to the power of large-scale power plant. The power of the Sun is rather profitable due to the fact that sunlight is free of charge. However, there is a cost of solar panels that can be placed on the roofs of houses or enterprises for producing electricity locally. There are several solar power technologies, the most popular of which is solar thermal. This practice requires mirror, which gets sunbeams and directs them to the water-based fluid. With a help of emitted vapor a turbine is compelled to work. Although the solar thermal has its drawbacks, such as the requirement for flat surface or cooling water, which deserts not always may provide, this technology is ecologically clean, because it does not emit any pollutions. Solar energy is implemented in small automobiles with solar batteries, in space station and satellites. Despite that sunlight is free, solar power applies to the most raw material intensive kinds of energy production. Today solar energy is more expensive than the energy, which has been produced with traditional methods. However, there can be such situation in the world, when relatively expensive price of solar energy can be not the biggest disadvantage. The thing is about heat pollution of the planet due to the gigantic scale of energy consumption. According to the opinion of some specialists, irrevocable consequences will occur, when energy consumption exceeds today’s level in hundred times. That is why the most effective way to prevent this is the usage of ecologically friendly source of energy. Many scientists assure that experiments, which they make on pilot plant, will manage to solve not only technical but also economical problems. Now nevertheless the solar power plants apply to the most complicated and expensive technical methods of energy production, after all in many countries they continue to be build, working effectively and considering to be the most perspective source of energy. It is essential to remember that solar energy is ideal, because it does not upset the balance of power in environment. It was many years ago when for the first time, seeing the destructive power of hurricanes and storms, humanity stared to wonder how to implement the energy of wind in vital activities. The sources of wind exceed the sources of hydro energy of all the rivers on the planet in more than hundred times. According to the estimations of different authors, general wind-energetic potential of the Earth is equal to 1200 GW, but the possibilities of using this kind of energy in different regions of the planet vary. In certain locations, especially in coastal offshore, wind has a stable character, which makes wind power plants extremely effective on such territories. The intention to master the production of wind-energetic equipment helped to create a big number of different aggregates, some of which reached several tens of meters in height. Small wind-energetic aggregates are constructed for providing independent houses with energy. Today wind-energetic aggregates ensure oil industry workers with current and successfully work on agricultural farms, which do not have access to electrical station of general use. According to the Special Report prepared by Douglass, “In 1997, wind power generated only 7,636 megawatts of power, but this figure had risen to 47,912 megawatts by the end of 2004, a more than six fold increase” (Wells Fargo, 2005, p.9). Wind energy can be produced without any harm to environment; however, it has two significant disadvantages: wind energy is very dispersed in the space and it is unpredictable. Wind is prone to change its direction frequently, sometimes being able to break windmills with its strong power. In addition, the construction, exploitation and repair of twenty-four-hour wind turbines have rather expensive cost. Wind power plants require much bigger territory than thermal or hydroelectric power plants. Also the question about wind power plants’ harmlessness is still disputed, because windmills may hinder radio waves, kill birds and insects, and create big noise. Best sites of wind power are situated not near the centers of population. Nevertheless, wind power shows the biggest potential in producing energy. Energy of the wind is clean and renewable source, which does not require any fuel component. Wind power plant can operate in remote territories and is rather cost effective. When windmills are installed, the land around them can be used for agricultural purposes. Wind power plants do not need cooling water as solar power plants do. Both mentioned sources of energy are friendly to the environment and can be used for domestic heating or for commercial electricity generation. Energy of water Ocean is a gigantic accumulator and transformer of solar energy into energy of streams, heat and wind. Energetic resources of the ocean represent a huge value as renewable and almost inexhaustible sources of energy. The experience of exploitation of already functioning systems of oceanic energetics shows that they do not bring perceptible damage to the environment. Today energy of water can be received with a help of tidal stations, waves and streams. The level of water on the sea coasts is changed for three times during twenty-four-hours. Such fluctuations are especially noticeable in the bays and mouths of rives that flow into sea. The construction of the simplest tidal power station requires basin. A dam has culverts and turbines. During the flow water gets to the basin and when the level of water in basin equals to the level of water in the sea, water gates are closed. During ebb tide level of water in the sea decreases and when the pressure becomes strong enough, turbines and energetic generators start to work, so the water in the basin gradually diminishes. According to the ecological issues, tidal stations possess undisputed advantage over thermal power plants. The experience of already existed wave stations’ exploitation has shown that produced electrical energy is more expensive than traditional in 2-3 times, however, in the future the fall of its cost price is forecasted. American engineers assert that the construction of 242 turbines in the Strait of Florida is even cheaper than building of thermal power plants. It is not needed to build premises, lay roads and arrange warehouses. In addition, operational costs are much lower. The available capacity of each turbine with maintenance charges and losses during a transfer ashore is totaled 43 MW, which allow to satisfy 10 percents of the general need of Florida state. Geothermal energy and biomass resources Approximately 4 percents of the planet’s water resources are contained in the stratum of rocks. In the countries where thermal waters are near the surface, geothermal power plants are constructed, which manage to transfer heat of springs into electrical energy. Geothermal energy is based on the use of Earth’s natural heat. The quantity of heat that is contained in the Earth’s crust up to 10 km in depth exceeds heat content of all technically and economically explored world resources more than in 70 thousands times. Geothermal power plants function in California. Due to the gratuitous fuel of such stations, the cost price of produced energy is lower in several times. In USA as well as in Russia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Iceland thermal waters are used for warming buildings, greenhouses, hotbeds, and swimming pools. Such alternative source of energy is becoming very popular because of its cost-effectiveness and harmless influence on environment. According to Machan, “Biomass resources include agricultural crops and residues, wood and wood residues, municipal solid wastes, animal wastes, aquatic plants, and algae” (as cited in Kocar, 2008, p. 660). Energy crops contain such plants as poplar, willow, eucalyptus, safflower, sunflower, soybean, rapeseed, sweet sorghum, maize. Biomass is used to reduce the emissions of fossil fuels. This source is also helpful in receiving emission credits by combining it with traditional fuels. Biomass can be implemented in automotive sector. However, despite its significant utility, today it is considered more supplemental than independent source of energy. Barriers and solutions The choice of alternative energy sources can solve the problem of exhaustible resources and environmental protection, keeping sustainable development of the world. In addition, the USA will be able to reduce its dependence on Middle Eastern oil, which prices show the tendency to growth. However, there are several obstacles that hamper the development of renewable sources. The main of them are the lack of knowledge and information by the public and government; skeptical attitude of public to new sources; lack of political and financial support; lack of practice and skills in construction, installation and maintenance of renewable energy equipment; existence of import duties on renewable equipment. Taking into account all mentioned barriers, the most important actions can be defined. They are the following: arranging active propaganda by political leadership; providing new legislation that is able to encourage investment in the renewable sources; eliminating nuclear subsidiaries; removing import restrictions; imposing pollution taxes; providing government financing and flexible system of commercial loans; providing professional education and trainings for engineers, builders, managers; creating partnership between international companies and domestic industries. Conclusions Consumption of energy is very important indicator of life’s standard. In chase for energetic abundance humanity has faced number of natural calamities without any thought about the consequences of own deeds. But time has changed. Today the problem of providing sectors of world economy with electrical energy in the conditions of everlasting growth of more than six-billion population’s needs becomes more and more urgent. Many countries, realizing the necessity of changes, have substituted their policies for the direction of alternative energy sources. Hence, Douglass founded, “Massachusetts has written into law that four percent of state electricity must come from renewables” (Wells Fargo, 2005, p. 4). Despite the existence of specific obstacles in the development of alternative energy sources, there are some solutions and recommendations, which America should take into careful consideration for providing stable future and secured environment in perspective. References Ganechari, S. M., & Sandeep, K. (2005). Alternative energy sources. National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources. India: V.P.M.’s Polytechnic. Kocar, G. (2008). Anaerobic digesters: From waste to energy crops as an alternative energy source. Energy Sources, 30, 660-669. Wald, M. L. (2009). The power of renewables. Scientific American, 300(3), 56-61. Wells Fargo. (2005). Identifying the opportunities of alternative energy. Special Report: Douglass, S. E. Retrieved from https://www.wellsfargo.com/downloads/pdf/ about/csr/alt_energy.pdf Read More