Renewable Electricity in the UK's Future - Term Paper Example

Section/# Renewable Energy: A Future Perspective for Scotland One of the most talked about forms of renewable energy over the past several years has been solar. Yet, solar is not the only form of renewable energy that presents itself to the nation or region that seeks to develop a degree of energy renewability or independence. Further, due to the decreasing natural resources that the planet exhibits, coal and other hydrocarbon fuel sources as well as nuclear sources of electrical generation, are in diminished supply and represent their own unique risks. As a function of discussing this alongside other alternative approaches, the following analysis will promote an understanding of some of the pros and cons of the utilization of different forms of electrical power generation. It is the hope of this author that the discussion that will be engaged will be beneficial in informing the reader with regard to some of the extant options that exist with respect to the future of renewable energy potential within Scotland. Firstly, it should be noted that a large majority of energy (electricity) is generated by coal plants. These coal plants are inherently a dirty way of creating electricity; due to the fact that they burn the fossil fuel coal as a means of generating steam that in turn drives turbines which produce electricity. Beyond the inefficiency of this process, coal is a limited and finite natural resource that once it is exhausted will be gone forever. Furthermore, the inherent damage to the environment that coal fumes and ash create has been proven by a litany of different medical researchers to be especially toxic. By means of comparison and contrast, many individuals argue for the more widespread use of nuclear energy; due to the fact that it is inherently “cleaner” than coal and less environmentally toxic to individuals that live in and around the nuclear stations that produce such energy (Jones et al., 2014). By means of comparison and contrast, solar energy has come to be a very attractive alternative. For instance, proponents of solar energy point to the fact that it is sustainable, widely available, reduces electricity costs, silent, abundant, renewable, and relatively low maintenance. All of these advantages encourage individuals throughout society to promote solar energy as the most effective way in which the dependent upon limited and finite resources can be reduced within the near future (Kolios & Read, 2013). However, the fact of the matter is that solar energy also exhibits a litany of drawbacks. First and most importantly, it is prohibitively expensive at the current juncture. This disadvantage in and of itself is not sufficient to discourage further development of solar resources and solar energy development. The underlying reason behind this has to do with the fact that any technology ultimately comes down in price as it is studied further and researchers/scientists are able to understand more effective and economical means of developing such a technology (Jones et al., 2014). For instance, only a decade ago, solar panels with the only way through which solar energy can be harvested. However, certain companies are now experimenting, to a great deal of success, with particular types of pain that can be utilized to collect solar energy and directed to electrodes that been in turn collected within battery banks or other capacitive storage devices (Reno, 2011). Although this might not be the ultimate direction in which solar energy develops, it does show the way in which promising new developments have a powerful impact with respect to changing the way in which society understands and integrates with this technology. A further issue that exists with respect to solar energy has to do with the fact that it is by its very nature and intermittent source of power. Whereas a coal or nuclear plant can operate 24 hours a day seven days a week and 365 days a year, solar generation can only occur during peak hours of solar activity. Moreover, in higher latitudes, solar energy is not sufficient due to the fact that the sun only remains in the sky a very brief period of time during the winter months. By means of comparison and contrast, the way in which solar energy is stored is invariably in the form of banks of batteries. As might be expected, this is a rather low-tech an extraordinarily expensive way in which energy can be retained. Furthermore, batteries eventually wear out and are highly toxic to recycle and/or dispose of/create. For this reason, many environmentalists have fundamentally shifted against solar power as a renewable form of energy altogether. Final drawback that exists with respect to solar energy has to do with the fact that it requires such a great deal of space as a means of generating power. For instance, a standard residential house that intends on creating its own power from solar panels would necessarily need the entire roof, as well as portions of the yard covered in solar panels as a means of achieving this goal. For this very reason, many individuals have not fully integrated with solar energy generation as a means of replacing the traditional energy that powers their homes. Accordingly, even at a government level of engagement, solar energy within Scotland is most likely not the best or most efficient means of electrical generation. Due to the high number of cloudy and rainy days that the UK experiences, other alternatives appear to provide a better result; both in terms of efficiency and cost, as compared to solar power generation (Norstrom, 2013). With the recent emphasis on renewable energy, the focus upon utilizing ocean currents, wind, and solar power has exponentially increased. However, like almost any other economic decision, there are strengths, weaknesses, and tradeoffs that must be considered. Like any other traditional public utility, the extent to which the community condones and authorizes the use of large wind turbines and is amenable to the unsightly display that such turbine arrays affect on the environment is a primary drawback. As has previously been noted, the rate of growth and expansion of renewable energy has skyrocketed within the last few years. As such, the prevalence and use of wind power in various populated regions around the United States has also increased. Although these alternative sources of energy account for less than 10% of current energy needs within Scotland, they are nonetheless visible and provide a stark contrast to the otherwise unmolested natural environment that oftentimes existed prior to their installation. Although many environmentalists are happy to have such wind farms in operation, there is a strong level of pushback that exists with regards to the adulteration of key environment as well as a definite contingent of individuals that view such wind farms as something of an eyesore. Conversely, many other environmentalists view alternative energy as a necessary means of preserving the planet and are willing to relinquish some aesthetic beauty for progress (Reno, 2011). Although both sides have a valid concern, it is the belief of this author that the environmentalist seeking to promote the use of alternative energy are the ones that have the stronger point; both morally and logically speaking. Due to the fact that renewable energy provides nearly resource neutral power production, it should be in the best interests of all involved to increase the means of production for this particular type of energy, on mountaintops or in fields in prairies etc. Of all renewable energy approaches that this paper will engage, the ability to harness the oceans currents or tides is perhaps the most promising. As the United Kingdom is surrounded by oceans on all sides, this option is of particular interest in terms of sustainment of a renewable energy base. The greatest problem that exists has to do with the fact that the ability to harness the oceans currents/tides has not fully developed and the approaches that do exist threaten a direct level of harm to fragile coastal ecosystems. With this in mind, few developments have taken place with regard to promoting the ability to harness electrical power via the ocean’s tides. Accordingly, the high initial cost of creating such devices is also another reason why this approach has not caught on to the degree that one might expect. Further, as might be expected, the need to continually repair such devices, as a result of the continual strain and pressures they sustain, creates an added concern and cost that few governments or private entities are prepared to engage with. From the information that is thus far been described, it is clear and apparent that even though solar energy represents a noted benefit with respect to the traditional forms of electoral generation that currently exist within the system, it also references core drawbacks; drawbacks that make it unfitting for use specifically within the geographic area of the United Kingdom. For these very reasons, solar energy has not caught on to a higher degree. For these very reasons, individuals are necessarily discouraged from using it and the level of efficiency that could potentially take place from solar power generation is limited with respect to the means by which this energy is stored after it is collected. With all of this being understood, it is the interpretation of this analyst, from a review of the resources that have thus far been presented, that a further emphasis on wind turbines and wind power must be effected if the United Kingdom, and Scotland specifically, is to become more independent from non-renewable and traditional means of electrical power generation. This understanding is not unique within Europe, and specifically Northern Europe; instead, nations such as Denmark, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries have led the way in maximizing the overall number of wind turbines and the percentage of power that is derived from them in recent years. As such, Scotland will have some catching up to do if it expects to reach the same percentage of renewable energy that it can produce at any given time. Irrespective of this, the approaches that have thus far been referenced should not be understood as either useful or useless. Instead, different areas of Scotlandm will exhibit different weather patterns. As such, solar and/or wave energy might be particularly efficient within one particular area. By means of contrast and comparison wind power generation might be especially poor within a given area. In such a way, the reader can come to the determination that a “best practice” in terms of electrical power generation is elusive to say the least. However, with this in mind, the crafters of an energy policy would do well to note these unique nuances in determining the approaches that will best suit the needs of the future. Bibliography Jones, P, Hillier, D, & Comfort, D 2014, Solar farm development in the United Kingdom, Property Management, 32, 2, pp. 176-184, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 18 April 2014. Kolios, A, & Read, G 2013, A Political, Economic, Social, Technology, Legal and Environmental (PESTLE) Approach for Risk Identification of the Tidal Power Industry in the United Kingdom, Energies (19961073), 6, 10, pp. 5023-5045, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 18 April 2014. Norstrom, G 2013 Survey reveals public support for move to renewable energy 2013, Engineer (Online Edition), p. 1, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 18 April 2014. Reno, J 2011, Motivated Markets: Instruments and Ideologies of Clean Energy in the United Kingdom, Cultural Anthropology, 26, 3, pp. 389-413, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 18 April 2014. Read More