Alternative Energy Sources - Coursework Example

Alternative Energy

Abstract

Alternative energy sources are energy sources that are not fossil fuels. They include renewable and nuclear sources of energy and are touted as being more environmentally friendly and more sustainable than fossil fuels. Alternative energy has been in development for centuries now, much longer than the discovery or development of fossil fuel even. However, it was put on the backseat during the Industrial Revolution and the following decades due to the stronger, quicker, and greater results of fossil fuel. With increasing awareness of the dangers of fossil fuel dependency, alternative energy has come back into the conversation in a big way, with governments and companies realizing that voters and customers are increasingly demanding environmental responsibility from their voters and consumers. Alternative energy has positive economic benefits due to the provision of cheaper energy and local jobs, has a positive social and cultural impact due to the shift towards responsibility and sustainability, has a positive political impact due to the demand for more accountability from officeholders and has a positive environmental impact due to the lack of contribution to global warming. However, if not properly carried out, alternative energy production can also have its negative impacts, which include noise pollution and health damage for local residents, damage to bird species, loss of tourism, and loss of housing value. Overall though, alternative energy is a positive addition to society if executed in a proper way.

Introduction

Alternative energy is the energy that comes from sources other than fossil fuels (Barreto, 2018). This includes renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, or hydro energy and nuclear sources of energy, which come from elements such as uranium (Barreto, 2018). It is important to keep in mind that alternative sources of energy are not the same as renewable sources of energy, as the latter includes sources of energy that cannot be depleted and can, therefore, be reused and the former includes all energy sources that are not derived from fossil fuels (Barreto, 2018). The main advantage of alternative energy is the fact that it does not release greenhouse gases and thereby contribute to rising temperatures in the planet and this has made it an increasingly popular source of energy and point of discussion over the last few decades and especially over the last few years as climate change becomes a more pressing topic (Barreto, 2018). Other benefits of using alternative energy sources also include the lower cost of this particular method, specifically in relation to the tumultuous fuel prices the world has seen recently (Barreto, 2018). Types of alternative energy include hydrogen gas, tidal energy, biomass energy, wind energy, geothermal power, natural gas, biofuels, wave energy, hydroelectric energy, nuclear power, and solar power (Barreto, 2018). One of the most popular sources of alternative energy right now is nuclear energy, which produced a quarter of the electricity consumed by thirteen different countries in 2015 and is also used to create power in hundreds of plants across the world (Barreto, 2018). Also quite popular is hydroelectric energy, which contributes to 70 percent of the USA’s electricity consumption, is a very clean source of energy and its production cycle also carries with it other benefits such as helping with flood control (Barreto, 2018). A growing sector when it comes to alternative energy is geothermal power, which extracts energy from the ground and has seen massive growth over the last few years even though it comes with a significant set of costs that slow the adoption of this process on a wider scale (Barreto, 2018). This essay will explain the historical development of alternative sources of energy, discuss the social, cultural, political, economic and environmental impact of alternative energy on society, highlight some of the ethical issues that concern this particular source of energy to develop a concise argument on why the adoption of alternative energy is overall beneficial to society and its industries.

Historical Timeline

Alternative sources of energy have been around for a long time and were used extensively before the advent of fossil fuels. In 2000BC, the Chinese used coal to create energy for heating and cooking, and in 200BC, they started using natural gas to bore into shallow wells as well as to make salt from brine (Kruger, 2006). By this time, the Europeans were also using water energy in waterwheels, which crushed grain and did other such processes requiring a lot of power (Kruger, 2006). In the 1st century, the Chinese also refined petroleum oil as a source of energy and used it for heating, producing salt, and as a lubricant (Kruger, 2006). In the 10th century, the Dutch built windmills that were used to ground spices and grain, among other tasks requiring hefty power (Kruger, 2006). In the 1600s, England found they could roast coal to make a fuel called coke, and this was one of the key developments on the path to the industrial revolution (Kruger, 2006). In the 1700s, coal began displacing other energy forms, specifically with the construction of the first steam engine made in 1712, and by the end of the 18th century, coal was the main fuel used to smelt iron and create other forms of power (Kruger, 2006). In 1748, the US began commercially producing coal in Virginia via mines and using it to heat their homes and fuel other processes (Kruger, 2006). In 1800, electrolysis was discovered, which allowed for the use of hydrogen energy, and in 1821, natural gas was discovered, which started the process of using gas for light (Kruger, 2006). In the 1830s, coal replaced wood as train fuel, and ethanol became official lamp fuel, replacing whale oil (Kruger, 2006). In 1860, the first solar power system was made to replace coal in the driving of machinery after fears that coal might run out, and in 1876, a solar cell was demonstrated in generating electricity (Kruger, 2006). In the 1880s, the first hydroelectric plant, windmill, and geothermal heating system were built to generate electricity in the US (Kruger, 2006). In the early 1900s, ethanol became an increasingly popular power source and was even used to power a car and counteract the impacts of the Great Depression (Hoyer, 2008). In 1935, the Hoover Dam was built as the largest source of hydroelectricity and starting in 1942, and nuclear energy was also tested out (Kruger, 2006). In the latter half of the 20th century, petroleum became increasingly common, and alongside it, energy sources such as solar, nuclear, and hydropower became cheaper and more convenient to use (Kruger, 2006). As the impacts of fossil fuel energy on the environment and on industries have become increasingly clear, government and research have both come together to create advances in alternative energy that take the world away from reliance on fossil fuel (Kruger, 2006).

Influence on Society

Social

From a social standpoint, alternative sources have a positive social impact due to the provision of choices to the consumer where individuals can choose whether or not they want to go the fossil fuel route given that there are significant alternatives available (Hoffman & High-Pippert, 2005). Another positive benefit of alternative energy sources is the fact that this can provide local employment options to consumers who do not have to travel to countries with fossil fuel reserves or put their national economies under the burden of imported oil but rather can look inward at their own economies and build energy sources that can fuel the economy while keeping workers in the country (Hoffman & High-Pippert, 2005). Another social impact of alternative sources of energy is the fact that such energy sources are better for the environment and therefore contribute to individual health, the climate of that area, the agricultural yield of that area and by this the entire standard of living of that particular area (Hoffman & High-Pippert, 2005). It is important, however, to take into account the negative social consequences that can occur. Wind energy can cause bird deaths and has a significant noise level, hydropower plants can cause displacement and disrupt agriculture, and geothermal plants can contribute to pollution levels of an area (Hoffman & High-Pippert, 2005).

Cultural

When it comes to the cultural impacts of alternative energy, what is most important to highlight is the change in attitudes that results from the use of alternative sources of energy. The adoption of alternative sources of energy is not just a matter of figuring out the best technical formula to adopt such practices but also includes the adoption of cultural attitudes, which most clearly gel with such practices. With the adoption of such sources, individuals and economies are consciously making a choice to forego huge profits for sustainable energy production which allows for the production of energy in a way that is forward-looking and will not harm the planet for the next generations (Cooke, Cripps, Irwin & Kolokotroni, 2007). Additionally, its also a cultural shift due to its inward-looking approach where economies are not looking to import from other countries what they do not have in terms of fossil fuel quantities, but rather they are looking to make use of their own available natural resources in the quest to provide to and create energy for their industries (Cooke, Cripps, Irwin & Kolokotroni, 2007).

Political

Alternative energy has a very significant political impact primarily because it is in the interest of all voters and taxpayers to pay less for their energy bills and have governments that do more about climate change (Onyshchenko & Sivitska, 2014). This has pushed political parties who are able to bring forward real and practical initiatives involving alternative energy to the forefront of national politics from their previously obscure positions (Onyshchenko & Sivitska, 2014). It has also pushed all politicians to educate themselves on alternatives to fossil fuel and the importance of climate change as a partisan and global issue (Onyshchenko & Sivitska, 2014). Because individuals are now more concerned with the steps governments take and how they deliver services and amenities, politicians have to come up with very real reasons for why they do or do not want to adopt alternative energy given the clear consequences of fossil fuel dependence (Onyshchenko & Sivitska, 2014). This is also clear in global political agreements like the Paris Climate Agreement, in the fact that most politicians around the world do address environmental issues in their run for offices and in voter concerns (Onyshchenko & Sivitska, 2014). One negative consequence of this, however, is that alternative fuel is now another tool and avenue for divisive politics and spreading misinformation regarding the reality of climate change and global warming issues.

Economic

The economic impact of alternative energy sources is quite significant because of a two-fold advantage. Firstly, this industry as a whole creates a large number of jobs that can utilize local labor as well as local raw materials for the setup of the plants as a whole (Gupta, 2017). This means the stimulation of the local economy as a whole because from start to finish, the production of energy is local. The second economic benefit provided by alternative energy is the fact that this energy can be sold at a cheaper price, which can help stimulate local businesses, thereby adding more jobs to the economy yet again (Gupta, 2017). It is also important to consider the role played by renewable energy sources, which, compared to fossil fuels, do not have the issue of scarcity, which drives up the price (Gupta, 2017). Since renewable energy sources are by definition renewable and available for universal use, they can be converted into energy easier and at a cheaper price without the threat of the sources running out in the future and with the option of choosing the energy source that is most abundant in a particular country or economy (Gupta, 2017).

Environmental

The environmental impact of alternative sources of energy is quite clear when looked at in reference to the antithesis of alternative energy: fossil fuel. The increasing popularity of alternative energy is a direct outcome of individuals realizing the global warming impact of fossil fuels and the increase in environmental carbon dioxide as well as trapped heat (Davies, 2009). Alternative energy can be used to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the air as well. However, it must be considered that alternative sources of energy production also have a specific set of impacts on the environment in that they require a very particular environment in which they can be set up and created, and they can sometimes negatively impact the environment as well (Davies, 2009). Wind farms, for example, have been known to kill large amounts of birds, and geothermal plants cause a lot of noise pollution to the environment (Davies, 2009). Regardless, the choice of which environmental impact is better is clear, specifically since the alternative energy sources can be executed in such a way that their negative environmental impact is as minimal as possible while their positive environmental impact cuts through some of the negative impacts of global warming in the process (Davies, 2009).

Ethical Considerations in Relation to Impact on Humanity

One of the biggest ethical issues that come along with alternative energy is that alternative energy farms or production units can cause major disruptions to the people living around that area. For example, wind farms cause a lot of noise pollution and kill a lot of birds in that particular area, including a large number of endangered or highly local birds per year (Lai, 2008). Hydropower plants and geothermal plants both have an issue of noise pollution as well as potential other pollutions that come along with the construction and maintenance of the plant by itself (Lai, 2008). These are not minimal issues as individuals living near such establishments have been known to suffer from disturbed sleep, dizziness, and memory problems because of the construction in that area (Lai, 2008). With all of these plants also comes the frequent complaint of people who live in those areas that their landscape is adversely affected by wind turbines or other such units towering above them (Lai, 2008). Another huge ethical issue that comes with alternative energy sources is that unlike fossil fuels, there is a significant degree of dependency on weather conditions. Even though people might need a certain amount of energy in a particular season or year, they cannot control the weather to do what they want, and so there is a high degree of dependency which comes with alternative energy sources which pose an ethical issue when one is convincing factories or production units to switch from fossil fuel to alternative energy sources (Lai, 2008).

Yet another ethical issue arises in terms of picking the place where the alternative energy plants are to be built as research has shown that the construction of such buildings reduces the value of the houses that are surrounding it, perhaps due to the noise pollution and destruction of the landscape (Taylor, 2008). Another issue with knowing where to build these plants is the fact that plants such as wind turbines have to be built in large and spacious areas atop mountains where there is plenty of wind reach to actually turn the wind turbines (Taylor, 2008). Such construction has a detrimental effect on the sight of such areas, which are usually hotspots for tourism and, therefore, core sources of income for the local population (Taylor, 2008). By converting them into energy production areas, income and tourism are effectively being drained from that particular area. It is also important to account for the fact that just energy being sourced from alternative sources does not make it free of pollution if it is not run properly. The establishment in question has to be run in a way that sound, air, and land pollution is managed and effectively curtailed in order for the benefits of alternative energy to kick in and the harmful effects of global warming to be scaled back as promised (Taylor, 2008). Finally, it is important to reiterate that the construction of such plants can have a deeply harmful impact on local animal populations, including birds, bats and eagles in particular, which fly into the rotating blades and can be seriously injured or killed (Taylor, 2008).

Conclusion

This essay highlighted the potential of alternative energy sources, which are energy sources that are not fossil fuels. It explained how alternative energy has been in development for more of history than fossil fuel sources, and following a few decades where it was shelved in favor of the more economically beneficial fossil fuels, a lot of research funding and development has gone into expanding the uses of alternative energy. It also highlighted the fact that alternative energy has positive economic benefits due to the provision of cheaper energy and local jobs, has a positive social and cultural impact due to the shift towards responsibility and sustainability, has a positive political impact due to the demand for more accountability from officeholders and has a positive environmental impact due to the lack of contribution to global warming. It then established that despite these significant benefits, alternative energy carries with it the issue of being dangerous for particular bird communities, creating a significant amount of noise pollution which can result in health issues to local residents who have to live with it, taking away local incomes in the form of lost tourism earnings and reducing the housing values in the communities in which these places are built. Given these positives and ethical issues, it is important for the decision to adopt alternative energy to be made under a balanced viewpoint where the individuals leading the change understand how to mitigate the negatives and enhance the positives. If this is done, alternative energy can be a very valuable addition to local communities and national economies, adding jobs, reducing global warming, and reducing foreign and oil dependency for all. Overall, alternative energy is the way forward into the future as countries look for ways to maintain living standards while reducing the carbon footprint.