Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies - Term Paper Example

Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies Table of Contents Table of Figures Figure 3 Figure 2 5 Abstract This paper examines the environmental impacts of renewable energy sources, which have been largely ignored retrospectively since the new energy was seen as a panacea to the problems occasioned by fossil fuels. Renewable sources are discussed with emphasis on their potential impacts on the environment: Solar power can result in land wastage and release of hazardous material used for cleaning the semiconductors. Hydroelectric power on the other hand can also result in land wastage and the dams often result in depreciation of water levels and drying up of rivers drastically affecting aquatic life forms. Biomass combustion and geothermal plants release greenhouse gases in qualities that are comparable to coals was well as sulfur and nitrogen dioxides which pollute the air and cause acid rain. Finally, there is nuclear power, which poses catastrophic threats in case of accidents and the release of radioactive water and gases into the atmosphere in addition to the production of GHG from emergency diesel engines. Figure 1 Fig 1.1 World primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions. (Hung 2010) Introduction In most of the world’s countries, the primary sources of energy are carbon based fossil fuels, this are however finite considering the fact that it takes millions of years for them to form although they are depleted in substantially less time. They are gradually becoming harder to extract as well as more expensive and this has in retrospect resulted into political conflict as nation’s battle each other in competition for these resources (Asif and Muneer, 2007). In addition, the environmental impacts of fossil fuels have proved dire owing to the inevitable production of GHGs, which follows their combustion. The corollary has been a myriad of negative environmental effects such as a marked increase in the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere that is threating to drastically change the global climate. In addition, the CLC that are also byproducts of burning carbon fuels have depleted the ozone layer and this exposes the world to dangerous infrared shortwave radiation, which poses a plethora of health danger for life on earth (Drabyk, 2001). More direct and short term impacts of fossil fuel include massive pollution of air and water the former resulting in acid rain, health problems such as Asthma and the latter mainly merging in oil seepages and leakages in water bodies. The innumerable problems attributed to fossil fuels and their apparent finiteness has necessitated a shift to renewable energy that many tout as the only feasible source of energy. While conceding that renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power portend clean and efficient energy, they are not a silver bullet and just like the non-renewable sources, they come with their share of environmental impacts (Letcher, 2008). This is in view of the fact that the new energy sources require significant investment in terms of resources and infrastructure to harvest them and this ultimately results in certain ramification for the environment that are however not very widely researched owing to the popular opinion that they are the embodiment of eco- friendly power Figure 2 Fig 2: Shares of energy sources used in electricity production, 2007. (Lenzen 2010) Solar power The sun is a source of a considerable amount of clean renewable energy that is arrested through solar panels and used to power machinery and generally provide energy both for industrial and domestic use. Notwithstanding, solar power plants have the potential to significantly impact the environment through; land use habitat loss and environmentally hazardous materials that are used in the manufacturing of the hardware. Large scale solar power plants have raised concerns about the land degradation and power loss, typically the amount of land that wil be require often depends on the topography or an area and the scope of the power generation in progress. It is estimated that the cost in land average around 3 to 10 acres per megawatt, this means that for large scale production of solar energy a lot of land will be required. This land cannot be used for anything else such as farming and as such, that solar plants when situated in arable areas results in high wastage of land. The manufacture of solar cells often requires the use of hazardous material which a mostly used in the cleaning and purifying the surfaces of the semiconductors, these include hydrochloric, nitric and sulfuric acid as well as hydrogen fluoride and several others. If these are poorly disposed, the pose a significant environment and public health hazards not unlike those caused by the release of Chlorofluorocarbon produced in the combustion of fossil fuels. Geothermal power Geothermal power is harnessed through the extraction of hot water energy by drilling near geological hotspots that are area where there is molten rock close to the earth’s surface; this is done through hydrothermal plants. One of the means through which the heat energy is captured is the open loop system, which results in the release of steam from underground repositories to the atmosphere; this steam contains several gases such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia methane and carbon dioxide. The most prevalent of these is hydrogen sulfide which oxidizes to form sulfur dioxide, these results in the formation of acid particle which permeate the atmosphere resulting in acid rain and causing water pollution and poisoning crops, forest and soil. When absorbed by human and animals through respiration, the acidic particles cause heart and lung disease which can be fatal. The process of producing geothermal energy also emits small amounts of mercury, which the plants moderate through mercury filter technology. Nevertheless while this may reduce (not eliminate!) air pollution the sludge that results still contain the captured substances which include aside form mercury, sulfur, vanadium and other heavy metals and toxic chemicals, which if not properly disposed could enter the environment and food chain and have long lasting an far reaching implications. In open loop systems, the geothermal plants produce 10% carbon and a lesser amount of methane, these are gases that both contribute to the global menace of global warming, in big geothermal systems, the energy production to greenhouse gas emission is between 0.6 to 2 pound per kilowatt produced. Contextually, this can be compare to an average of 1.4 to 3.6 pound per kilowatt in coal power generating plants ultimately it implies that the difference between coal and geothermal plants can be minor enough to overlap. Biomass Like fossil fuel plants, biomass plants require to consume feedstock in order to generate energy, a coal plant for example will require to consume coal while a biomass plant uses switch grass or other forms of feedstock. Consequently, there are parallel albeit not identical concerns that arise about issues such as emissions and water use (Lavric, Konnov et al, 2004). Most of the facilities get water from the surrounding sources such as river and lakes and although they attempt to cool it before it is redirected to the source, when it returns it is still slightly warmer than it was to start with. This negative impact aquatic life since even small change in temperature can result radial variation in the balance of life and interfere with many of the ecosystems therein. Furthermore, the growing of grass to feed the plant require huge tracts of land in addition to significant quantities of water, this could result in destabilizing the water table in certain areas and harm water and soil quality through tillage and nutritional runoff. Combustion of biomass can also have a negative effect on air quality since the pants often produce gasses such as nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, this gases when released to the environment will result in acid rain and contribute to the greenhouse effects (co2). Oxides of nitrogen emitted from biomass combustion can cause ground level ozone also known as smog which burns lung tissue after inhalation putting those who live near biomass plants at a risk of contracting asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. Hydroelectric Power These Power plants generate electricity from waters, which has to be blocked and using dams in order to create sufficient force to turn the turbines and produce electricity (Ristinen and Krushaar, 2006). One of the notable environmental impacts is the colossal amount of land that is required to construct a power plant; this is especially in flat areas where a lot of land has to be flooded. For example the Balbina hydroelectric plant in Brazil resulted in the flooding of over 2300 kilometers squares of land yet only produces on 250 megawatts which means translates into roughly 2000 acres per megawatt. This is excessive considering that small power plants in hilly or canyon areas produce a megawatt per quarter and acre. In addition, flooding reservoir has proved to have extremely severe impacts, forest land is destroyed and in the process wildlife habitats are compromised, sometimes it requires that entire communities are relocated to make room for the dams (Yonghui, 2006). If there is too much water trapped by the dams, parts of the river downstream are likely to dry out and this could result to loss of habitat and life for aquatic life. Nuclear Power While nuclear power is considered among the most viable sources of energy in the absence of fossil fuel, it does not come without its environmental impacts (Ansolabehere & Konisky, 2009). Owing to its phenomenal capacity to produce previously unconceivable amounts of energy, it has been widely harnessed in the last few decades and this trend is expected to escalate with time. However, in the same way it hold great potential for energy production, if the process is not handled with extreme caution, the results could be catastrophic and past accidents such as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster are evidence of how so. One of the environmental impacts of nuclear energy production is caused by the great amounts of heat energy that is rejected; much of this either goes into the atmosphere or is cooled down in water bodies (The Washington Post, 2006). As aforementioned, increase in water temperatures have adverse effects on aquatic life in addition the intensity of the heat produce in nuclear plants even interfere with the flow of water in rivers. Nuclear power plants use diesel generators to provide backup power and they are required to run them at least once a month to ensure they are operational, this provides a regular source of greenhouse emissions. Moreover, owing to the radioactive nature of the process within the gases released into the atmosphere are radioactive as is the water used in the cooling process. The most dangerous impact that nuclear power plants pose to the environment is in the event of accidents which would result in leaking of the radioactive matter in the environment. Exposure to radiation would negatively affect the plant and animal life, soil and water and huge tracts of land would be rendered useless not to mention inevitable casualties. In addition the radiation would get into plants and this way it would be introduced into the food chain and the resultant consequences would be experienced by generations of animal population. Conclusion At the end of the day, based on the evidences provided herein it is clear that renewable energy is not a panacea for the environmental impacts which fossil fuels occasion. Although the latitude is marginally smaller, the use of nonrenewable energy could also cumulatively result in similar consequences as fossil fuels in addition to high cost of operations, which may counterbalance the benefits of not properly, managed. Nonetheless, despite the risks and impacts they pose, they are a definite improvement from fossil fuels and their effects are easier to mitigate, therefore if properly managed, they could potentially provide clean energy without major environmental consequences. Recommendations The impacts of solar power on land use can be mitigated by setting up the power plants on areas where the land is not productive like brownfields or nonoperational mines, the hazardous material used to clean semiconductors can be recycled which actually makes financial since they are very expensive. To reduce the release of heated water and gases by geothermal power plants, all firms should see to it that they use closed loop systems in which the by-products, both liquid and gaseous are re-injected into the ground. Biomass producing plants need to use water friendly feedstock such as agricultural and urban waste which do not require the use of too much water or result in clearing of natural plant cover resulting in ecological imbalance. In addition, the system should be closed loop and the water used for cooling should be left to cool down completely before it is directed back to the source. Hydroelectric power plants should be constructed after careful feasibility testing so as to ensure they us minimum land to produce maximum energy so as to avoid wastage, furthermore, they should ensure they control the waters so rivers do not dry up and destroy aquatic life. Nuclear plants should be located in areas as far from human populations as it is practically possible, in addition they should use closed loop systems in which they inject their waste both gaseous and liquid into the ground. To prevent leaking of radioactive water and overheating the water sources, the scrubbing process should be thorough and the water should be tested for radioactivity and cooled down naturally before release. Overall, more research needs to be conducted on the impacts of renewable energy to the environment, in the past; studies have focused on the nonrenewable energy owing from the overt risks and consequently the effects of renewable energy have been largely ignored. Nevertheless, to effectively mitigate this consequence before the new energy goes mainstream, it is critical that intensive research is carried out to formulate contingencies. References Ansolabehere, S., & Konisky, D. M. (2009). PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD CONSTRUCTION OF NEW POWER PLANTS. Public Opinion Quarterly, 73(3), 566-577. Asif, M. and T. Muneer (2007). "Energy supply, its demand and security issues for developed and emerging economies." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 11:1388-1413. Drabyk, A. M. S. (2001). Renewable energy--its physics, engineering, environmental impacts, economics and planning, second edition. Journal of Environmental Quality, 30(3), 1098. Hung, C. (2010). Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy An Overview of Life Cycle Results. Norwegian University Department of Energy of Science and Technology and Process Engineering. NTNU. EPT-M-2010-01. Retrieved from http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:354351/FULLTEXT01.pdf Lavric, E., A. A. Konnov, et al. (2004). "Dioxin levels in wood combustion—a review." Biomass and Bioenergy 26: 115-145. Lenzen, M. (2010). "Current State of Development of Electricity-Generating Technologies: A Literature Review." Energies 3: 462-591. Letcher, T. M., Ed. (2008). Future Energy: Improved, Sustainable and Clean Options for Our Planet. Oxford, Elsevier. Ristinen, R. A. and J. J. Krushaar (2006). Energy and the Environment. New Jersey, John Wiley and Sons. Sims, R. E. H., R. The Washington Post. (2006, Aug 17). That eerie green glow; new nuclear power plants sound promising. but what to do with the radioactive leftovers?. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1364381.html Yonghui, Y., Baiping, Z., Xiaoding, M., & Ma, P. (2006). Large-scale hydroelectric projects and mountain development on the upper yangtze river. Mountain Research and Development, 26(2), 109-114. Read More