Can Renewable Energy Sources Partly Replace Traditional Sources Such as Petroleum, Coal and Oil - Coursework Example

Pollution Problems that Have Forced the Australian Government to Invest in Renewable Energy, and can renewable energy sources partly replace traditional sources such as petroleum, coal and oil? Abstract  The Australian government has taken a step that will reduce reliance on fossil fuels and drive the country towards clean energy. The government has made open its plans to invest in renewable energy open and has even set a target of the amount of energy that these projects is expected to supply. Australia has a huge supply of both non-renewable and renewable energy but has been mainly depending on non-renewable energy for most of its energy supplies. This is unlike other developed countries that have invested heavily on their renewable energy reserves. However, a time has come that the Australian government has been forced to invest in these reserves. This paper will propose the benefits of solar and wind energy production as the main strategies that have been undertaken by Australian government to solve some environmental issues. Namely, Industrial waste and fossil fuel spills. Moreover, it will suggest that can renewable energy sources be resolve partly replace traditional sources such as petroleum, coal and oil? Introduction Currently, all human activities require a lot of energy to grow and thrive. There are several types of energy, used by humans in their daily life, such as energy which comes from underground , such as fossil fuels , and others which humans have been started lately using them as the best alternative to fossil fuels, such as renewable energy(Brook, 2010, pp.6-8; Destouni, 2010, pp.18-19) . Renewable energy refers to energy that is obtained from natural resources that are naturally replenished over a short period of time such as wind, rain, sunlight, geothermal heat, tides and sunlight (Aitken, 2010, p57). On the other hand, non-renewable energy refers to energy that is obtained from natural resources that are not replaced within a relatively short period of time (Oracle.ThinkQuest, 2011, par 1). This means that this energy cannot be replenished or produced at a rate that can sustain its rate of consumption. Examples are fossil fuels like natural gas, coal and petroleum, metals and uranium (Fthenakis, 2009, pp. 6-7). Solar and wind energy are prime examples of renewable energy sources. Wind energy refers to energy obtained by converting wind energy into some form of usable electrical or mechanical energy. Large scale electricity production from wind is done in wind farms that consist of hundreds of turbines connected to a power transmitting network. Solar energy refers to the energy obtained by harnessing the radiant light and heat energy from the sun (Martin and Goswami, 2005). Perlin (1999) states that solar technologies generally work by capturing, converting and distributing this energy to be used for practical applications like heating, cooling. This paper will propose the benefits of solar and wind energy production as the main strategies that have been undertaken by Australian government to solve some environmental issues. Namely, Industrial waste and fossil fuel spills. In addition, it will also discuss  some of the Australian governments policies on the exploitation of this sector more effectively in the future. Moreover, it will suggest that can renewable energy sources be resolve partly replace traditional sources such as petroleum, coal and oil? Problems faced by the Australian government First, industrial waste resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels of the biggest challenges facing the Australian Government. Owen (2004, p127) identifies a number of environmental burdens and emissions from the energy sector that can cause some impacts on the receptor areas (and people). These are liquid wastes, solid wastes, particulate and gaseous air pollutants. Others think that to emissions of heat and electromagnetic fields are also kind of industrial waste (Zavadil, Miller, Ellis and Muljadi, 2005, pp, 26-36). Although all energy sources have the potentialities of presenting these problems, they are more pronounced in the production of energy from fossil fuels and uranium. The above explanation implies that environmental pollution from energy production mainly touches on the state of the atmosphere and the main cause of this is the use of fossil fuel power in industrial production including generation of electric power and transportation. For example, A study by Australian Greenhouse Office (2003, p. vii) indicated that Australia generates about 45.000MW of electrical energy. The majority of this energy is produced from fossil fuels as indicated in figure 1 below. As a result of that, production of energy in Australia causes about 47% of yearly carbon dioxide emission to the air which leads to global warming as indicated in figure 2 (Stevens, 1992, p.3). Australia is among the highest emmiters of greenhouse gases according to US Fed News Service (2006, p1) The risk of climate change and global warming are a major concern in Australia (Effendi and Courvisanos, 2012, p.245; Hindmarsh & Matthews, 2008, p. 220). These effects of oxides are health damage and acidic rain and health problems. The other major result is the increase in the amounts of gases Climate change refers to the gradual alteration in the average weather conditions (Edwards & Clark, 2001, p.46). Although, Australian government has been ratified the Kyoto protocol, and it is now working towards combating issues of global climate change in its environs. yet, the country still relies more on fossil fuels as sources of energy compared to renewable sources . With this level of emissions, Australia is facing a greater risk of facing problems related to global climate change(Edwards & Clark, 2001, p46). Figure 1:Energy Sources for Australian Electricity Generation (ABARE, 2007-2008) FIGURE2: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Capita, Selected OECD Countries, 2007 Source: International Energy Agency, Key World Energy Statistics 2009. http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4613.0Chapter50Jan+2010 The second major problem which strongly affect on the environment safety is fossil fuel spills. Fossil fuels are more likely to pollute the environment that impact on coastal and marine environments can be both short and long term , especially the marine environment while being distributed . Melville, Andersen, and Jolley (2009, pp.264-266) classify marine environmental issues into three classes. The first class comprises, small oil spills that occur during bunkering, berthing, and other terminal operations. Also, the spills occur due to accidental discharges of oil-water mixtures from machines. These spills normally occur in port usually are associated with equipment failure and accidents. The second category consists of oil spills that result from major shipping incidents like fires, groundings, collisions, or other damages. Other potential sources of oil pollution include damaged drilling platforms and rigs, and undersea pipelines. Such damages may result from serious weather events like cyclones, fires on off shore rigs or blow outs. For example, in January 2006, 25 tonnes of fuel oil spilled into Port Gladstone in Australia from the damaged hull of a huge carrier ship. About 18 tones of this was recovered but the remaining 7 tonnes was deposited in the intertidal region of Port Curtis, leaving behind a heavy viscous residue (Melville, et al., 2009, p.263). The last category of spills which occur intentionally include oily waters and dump waste oil that is directed into the marine environment to save time or money. This had a huge negative impact on the intertidal habitat. Some of the visible effects include defoliation and death of seedlings in mangrove parameters. Under such a situation, the death of marine animals like fish, whales and birds was unavoidable (Edwards and Clark, 2001, pp. 46). Table 1below summarizes the major oil spills that have been witnessed near or in Australian waters. This is the most important reason that led the Australian government to look for safer alternatives from oil. Tabl1: Major Oil Spills in Australia Date Vessel Location Oil amount 28/11/1903 Petriana Port Phillip Bay, VIC 1,300 tonnes 03/03/1970 Oceanic Grandeur Torres Strait QLD 1,100 tonnes 26/05/1974 Sygna Newcastle, NSW 700 tonnes 14/07/1975 Princess Anne Marie Offshore, WA 14,800 tonnes 10/09/1979 World Encouragement Botany Bay NSW 95 tonnes 29/10/1981 Anro Asia Bribie Island QLD 100 tonnes 22/01/1982 Esso Gippsland Port Stanvac SA unknown 03/12/1987 Nella Dan Macquarie Island 125 tonnes 06/02/1988 Sir Alexander Glen Port Walcott, WA 450 tonnes 20/05/1988 Korean Star Cape Cuvier WA 600 tonnes 28/07/1988 Al Qurain Portland VIC 184 tonnes 21/05/1990 Arthur Phillip Cape Otway VIC unknown 14/02/1991 Sanko Harvest Esperance WA 700 tonnes 21/07/1991 Kirki WA 17,280 tonnes 30/08/1992 Era Port Bonython SA 300 tonnes 10/07/1995 Iron Baron Hebe Reef TAS 325 tonnes 28/06/1999 Mobil Refinery Port Stanvac SA 230 tonnes 26/07/1999 MV Torungen Varanus Island, WA 25 tonnes 03/08/1999   Laura D’Amato Sydney NSW 250 tonnes 18/12/1999 Sylvan Arrow Wilsons Promontory VIC Read More