Technical Aspects of Energy Policy - Research Paper Example

and Section # of Technical Aspects of Energy Policy The devastating impacts on the environment resulting from the internal combustion engines and harmful emission of greenhouse gases in the air has led to increased recognition of alternative replacements for fossil fuel powered vehicles in the society, which has led to the development of electric cars and hydrogen powered jet planes. However, despite the numerous endeavors on part of the automotive industry, these new era vehicles are far from becoming the norm in the transportation sphere, due to their lack of acceptance by the vehicle-buying population (Westbrook, 2005). These vehicles are referred to as Clean, Green and Keen: Clean is due to the no local emission and very minute global emissions, Green because they are in accordance with environment friendly principles, and Keen is attributed to it for the intelligence aspect (Chan and Chau, 2001), and according to research studies it was essentially declared that when compared with the traditional jets powered by conventional fuel, the aircrafts powered by hydrogen fuel are relatively better with regards to performance, cost, noise, pollution in the air, and they are efficient in energy usage (National Research Council, 2001, 32). Despite the environmental benefits of these technologies, the dilemma pertains to the integration of the clean vehicles into the societies of contemporary times, since they are clutched in the vicious cycle: wherein the prices of the vehicles are high and thus the demand is low due to no mass production, which cannot be undertaken due to low market demand, hence unfortunately keeping the advanced technology out of the market, and deepening the carbon lock-in situation (Chan and Chau, 2001). The massive growth in suburbs has increased the home to work travel distance, hence the commuters began to rely on fuel powered cars, but ignored the drastic negative effect on the environment due to their personal advantage. With the advent into the era of increased freedom of press, and extensive development into the ‘green’ awareness campaign has resulted in the increase in demand for environment friendly technology, and thus gradually bringing the world out of the vicious cycle of technology lock-in. Hence as a result of this increased awareness the demand for electric cars and hydrogen powered jet planes has also hiked. Electric cars are the future choice vehicle for transportation, since they depict rapid advancement in technology and hence efficiently link computers, batteries and the electric motors into a complete system which is capable of driving well, are self regulated and require almost none or little maintenance. The major problem associated with this technology is that it requires repeated charging and is rather expensive due to its requirement of lithium, which is a scarce and rare raw material (Nutramed, 2010). This is being worked upon to generate efficiency as many companies are devoting time and effort to create efficient electric cars which could be integrated into the society, such as the Volkswagen E-up, Micron, Nissan Leaf (Nutramed, 2010), and Tesla Roadster (Tesla Motors, 2010) etc., this green efficiency has also extended into the jet-plane transport industry, with the development of hydrogen power, such as the Boeing Company’s creation of the Phantom Eye (Green Car Congress, 2010). The Nissan Leaf is an electronic vehicle, the outcome of Japanese electric technology, this advancement in the automotive industry when compared to any other compact commuter car would show that it has all the style and the comfort provided by the traditional cars, but with the varying edge over the efficiency in utilizing energy in non-polluting way. The range of the car however is limited to 100 miles, which is a major drawback when compare to other cars, but has to its credit, efficiency, speed, and the sound of a space rocket when it runs (Greenbang, 2010). The wheel power of the Nissan Leaf has been rated positive, and the CNBC reporter Phil Lebeau who tested the car, gave it an affirmative with regards to handling and navigation (Karp, 2010). The wheels and other specifications of the car are designed in a way to not give a shock to first time users of electronic cars; it has a somewhat similar driving experience to other compact commuter cars running on gasoline. The accelerator pedal provides the driver with the similar tip-in feeling as would other commuter cars, and the force is similar to that of a petroleum burner. The engine pressure to reduce the car speed is also similar to the lifting off throttle experience in other cars. The brakes of the car are quite effective, giving a four wheel disc grip, and also provide pedal pressure. The steering of the car is relatively lighter, however it is weighted as being the same as any other non-electric vehicle, the edge point other than the environment friendliness of the Nissan Leaf are the 16-inch Bridgestone Ecopia Tires which provide the feeling of a smooth drive and quiet rolling. This energy efficient car has extricated electronic cars from the label of having hard and quite low rolling tires which produce unpleasant noise; hence the only problem with this car is battery recharge facilities available and the less mileage (Maynard, 2010). The Tesla roadster is another introduction in electronic automotives in the sports sector, the major drawback is the lack of power steering, and thus turning the wheel requires major effort from the driver. The wheel friction however is less than other sports cars, but still it slows the car down efficiently and timely, the regenerative brake system also is effective enough to halt the car in less time than other sports cars. Furthermore, it is compact in size and a paradigm change in sports driving; in addition its immense acceleration efficiency along with 92% electric motor efficiency makes it the most technologically advanced car of today, but it still has to undergo minor improvements to be integrated into the sports systems (CNet, 2010). Alternative energy sources are an enthusiastic diversion from the fossil fuels which will be depleted in near future, constraining the world’s energy requirements. Therefore a rapid transition is required to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind or the Blacklight energy process. The negative impact of fossil fuel combustion is the greenhouse gases which have contributed to global warming, melting the ice and increasing sea levels, hence affecting fishery, agriculture, and settlements for both commercial and recreational purposes. The danger to the natural ecosystems of fossil fuel extraction is detrimental, resulting in loss vitality of land. The renewable energy sources on the contrary are efficient and non-polluting. It protects the environment and also provides a leeway from dependence on excessively depleting fossil fuels (McLamb, 2010). Another major move is the innovation in the energy sector known as ‘Blacklight power’ which pertains to the energy generation from hydrogen atoms, the Blacklight Incorporation has created a competitive, non-polluting and previously undiscovered energy supply called ‘hydrino’, it uses water as a fuel, which is inexpensive and readily available, and thus a non-depleting raw material (Blacklight Power, 2010), further research must be undertaken in this sector since many academic and research papers have been published which highlight that the reaction between atomic gases and the nano powders in this process result in the generation of anomalous heat, this has spurred intense debate in many systems such as LENR, cold fusion and solid state systems which are being utilized by the Arata in Japans or Mills at the Black Light Power (Froarty, 2010) . Apart from this breakthrough in energy sector, the already existing traditional forms of renewable energy are also is undergoing aggressive investment, such as the Solar power, wind based energy, hydroelectric power from water force driven turbines etc., resulting in a $360 billion industry, to supply half the globe’s energy requirement; this would generate jobs, and have positive economic effects. It would bring down energy cost dramatically, as operational costs are minimal, and maintenance is low, thus lowering costs of production and eventually lowering prices, hence reducing inflation, thus stimulating income in the economy and also improving living standards. It would also be extremely climate friendly as harms to the environment are zero, and the source is non-depleting, one time investment and minor repair costs would provide energy forever, this would improve health standards throughout the globe. In addition, it would protect the countries, especially the United States of America, which has a large coastal area, from natural disasters such as massive flooding and breakage of ice glaciers, which would take entire cities underwater. Such natural disasters are a threat to national security which could be overcome if timely action is taken. Therefore, the replacement of fossil fuel power with renewable energy or Blacklight power is a win-win-win situation with regards to economy, environment and security (Sustainable Business, 2008). On the brink of fossil fuel depletion and the ever deepening demand of energy, the world requires efficient and effective energy sources which could be relied upon forever. But the world must not ignore the devastating effects to the environment of energy production and also utilization, in the form of daily operational activities and cars (commuter and sports), plus transportation through jet planes. These could be effectively overcome if progress is made towards breaking free from the polluting technological lock-in and transitioning into a pollutant free healthy environment, which is essentially presented by an advent into the clean, green and keen renewable energy sources such as Solar energy, wind power, and Blacklight power, and also electric vehicles and hydrogen powered jet planes. It would save the world from the increasing global warming resulting from carbon emission which adds to the greenhouse effect, this conversion to ‘green’ technologies and energy would be less costly, easy to maintain and have a reliable future due to a never running out raw material supply as compared to the short remaining supply of fossil fuels. The current investment in renewable energy could cater for energy requirements of half the glove, this prospective industry is an attractive opportunity for future investment, which would provide a healthy future to the next generations and save the planet earth from natural disasters. It would rehabilitate the natural ecosystem and preserve the scarce fossil fuel reserves. Protecting the world is the foremost responsibility of every dweller on any part of the globe, therefore a collective effort from people from all spheres and sectors, ranging from children to the adult population, a movement towards the progressive future is a necessity, or else the environment would be polluted and natural disasters would become imminent, making the survival of every creature on earth difficult. Works Cited Work Cited Blacklight Power. BlackLight Power, Inc. - Executive Summary. 2010. July 22, 2010 Chan. C C and Chau. K T. Modern Electric Vehicle Technology- 1st Edition. United States of America. Oxford University Press. 2001 CNet. 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport. 2010. July 22, 2010 Froarty. Relativistic interpretation of Casimir effect Expanded. 2010. July 22, 2010 Greenbang. The Nissan Leaf: A car for early adapters. 2010. July 22, 2010 Green Car Congress. Boeing Unveils Phantom Eye Hydrogen-Powered Unmanned Airborne System; Powered by Ford HICE Engines. 2010. July 22, 2010 Karp. Z. CNBC Test Drive Gives Nod to LEAF. 2010. July 22, 2010 Maynard. M. Nissan Leaf EV: First drive. 2010. July 22, 2010 McLamb. Fossils Fuels vs. Renewable Energy Resources: Energys Future Today. 2010. July 22, 2010 National Research Council. Commercial Supersonic Technology- 1st Edition. United States of America. 2001. National Academy Press Nutramed. Cars, Trucks, Air Pollution and Health. 2010. July 22, 2010 Sustainable Business. Renewable Energy Can Replace Fossil Fuels by 2090. 2008. July 22, 2010 Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors Home Page. 2010. July 22, 2010 Westbrook. M H. The electric car: development and future of battery, hybrid and fuel-cell cars- 2nd Edition. United Kingdom. 2005. The Institution of Electrical Engineers Read More