Examining Your Community's Source of Energy (Dallas, Texas) - Essay Example

?My Community’s Source of Energy My home area is Dallas, Texas. Texas is generally a hot place which means that people tend to use a lot of energy for air conditioning. The place is also rich in agriculture which makes its energy consumption high especially if industrial consumptions are taken into account. This paper will discuss the energy consumption in Texas and more specifically in Dallas. Given that data relating to residential energy consumption in Dallas may not be readily available, statistics for Dallas will be used in some cases. Primary Types of Energy in Use in Dallas and their Impacts Texas is one of the greatest producers and consumers of energy in the United States of America. The energy produced and used in Texas comes from various sources, both renewable and non-renewable. Most of this energy however comes from non-renewable sources. In Dallas, the most common types of energy used to power homes is electricity derived from hydro, electricity derived from nuclear power, and natural gas. Electricity plays a big role in the economy of Dallas as it provides the energy that runs homes, recreational facilities, industries, and businesses. The electricity that is supplied to homes and industries in Dallas comes from Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). On the other hand, the community living in the urban parts of Dallas use natural gas especially for heating, the supply coming from various sources (piped or tanked natural gas). In general, the community has been relying on the three sources of energy for a long period of time. From the bills that we have received, our electric consumption amounts to about 583,333 Btu of natural gas and an average of 441 Kwh of electricity per month. This translates to about 7 million Btu of natural gas and about 5300 Kwh of electricity per year. It is important to state that it may not be possible to state how much of the electricity quantified comes from hydro-power and nuclear energy since all the energy is supplied from one electric grid. According to statistics, the consumption of electric energy in Texas varies over time owing to various factors. Assuming that the population of Dallas is 1,197,816 (according to the 2010 census) and that the area has 460698 households, the consumption of electricity and natural gas for the area will be as follows: Estimated yearly energy use = (yearly energy estimate for one house) ? (estimated number of houses in the community) Community yearly consumption of electricity = 5300 Kwh x 460698 = 2441699400 Kwh or 2441699.4 MWh Community yearly consumption of natural gas = 7,000,000 Btu x 460698 = 3224886000000 Btu Nuclear Power Nuclear energy is a non-renewable power source. It is derived from nuclear fusion or fission of radioactive fuels such as uranium. As previously stated, one of the energy sources that apply in Dallas is nuclear energy. Texas derived about 10.3 % of its energy from the South Texas Project and the Luminant’s Comanche Peak in 2006 (Combs, 2012g). The electricity generated from these nuclear sites found its way to the states’ electricity grid and was used both for domestic and industrial applications. Although quite reliable and cheap, nuclear energy is associated with many negative impacts. For one, the fuel that is used in the generation of nuclear energy is mined from the ground which means that a lot of environmental pollution occurs as a result. Although most of the uranium that is used to power the nuclear plants is imported a limited amount is mined locally. During mining of the fuel, the environment suffers massive pollution as dust mixes with air. Furthermore, during the transportation of the fuel, the air is polluted by exhaust fumes produced by the trucks that ferry the raw materials. One of the greatest challenges that the Texas community faces as a result of nuclear energy production is waste disposal. During the production of nuclear energy, a lot of heat is generated. This heat is dissipated in the air directly causing heat pollution. The cooling systems of the reactors also rely on water which eventually drains in water bodies raising their temperatures and reducing the level of water in the natural sources as noted by Combs (2012g). When the temperatures of water bodies are raised beyond their normal range of temperatures, the ecosystem are strained leading to the death of flora and fauna. Yet again, the radiations that may be emitted in the environment during the disposal of waste material may lead to radiation pollution of the environment. The radiations that are emitted by the waste materials are harmful to humans and animals and may cause cancer and even death. Hydro-electricity Hydro-electric power is produced in Texas. Its impact on the economy of Texas is however quite insignificant. The state has a hydro generating capacity of 673MW (Combs, 2012c). The states’ terrain however does not allow the construction of large hydropower plants. Some of the negative impacts of hydroelectricity generation include are that the creation of artificial dams displaces human inhabitants, as well as flora and fauna. In this respect, the development of hydroelectric systems leads to the destruction of habitats and therefore interferes with the initial ecosystem (Combs, 2012c). Yet again, the in-stream and downstream flows of the river are impacted much as the estuarine and bay ecosystems are negatively affected. Natural Gas Texas produces about 25% of the United States’ natural gas according to Combs (2012e). According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), close to 72% of the company’s electric generation capacity come from natural gas if effectively used. The residential use of dry natural gas in Texas in 2006 totaled approximately 166,255 million Cubic feet. This accounted for close to 5.4 of total consumption of natural gas in the state. During use, natural gas is clean to an extent as it leaves no ash. However, it produces gases such as sulphur oxides, nitrous oxides and carbon dioxide which pollute the environment (Combs, 2012e). The gases degrade the quality of air (Combs, 2012f) and contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer which leads to global warming. During its production, natural gas causes pollution of the air and makes the air smell foul. High concentrations of the gas in an area can lead to the death of birds, wild animals, and even humans. As a result of petroleum mining activities in Texas, the quality of air is highly polluted with dust and natural gas being the main pollutants. Recommended Alternative Energy Source: Solar While there are several alternative energy sources that may be applicable to Dallas including hydropower, solar power, wind turbines, and geothermal energy, most of these are unsuitable for one reason or another. Going by the few water sources in Texas that can be used for hydroelectric production, prospects for the development of more hydro projects in Texas are quite limited. On the other hand, geothermal energy currently has insignificant impact on the Texas economy especially due to insufficient technological developments in the area of geothermal energy in spite of its great prospects (Combs, 2012d). Wind energy has great promise in Dallas although many community members are not willing to lease their lands to organizations that develop wind farms. Reasons for the reluctance in adopting wind energy include difficulty in siting the turbines, noise, possible harm to wildlife, property rights issues, and bad appearance (Combs, 2012b). The renewable energy source recommended for Dallas and Texas in general is solar. Solar energy is inexhaustible and can be used in the form of heat and electricity. This energy source is recommended considering that there are very limited prospects for the expansion of hydropower in Texas. Furthermore, the technology available for the harvesting of solar energy is adequate. Yet again, the climate of Texas allows the application of solar systems considering that the area receives a lot of sunshine most of the year. Texas, and Dallas by extension, has great prospects in the expansion of solar energy tapping and use (Combs, 2012a). The use of solar panels and heaters will help reduce the demand for natural gas and electricity that comes from the state grid. According to government sources, between 1998 and 2005, a thermal equivalent of 124,000 MWh has been produced annually by the solar heating market (Combs, 2012a). Solar panels on the other hand can be installed in small or large scale. On large scale, solar panels when the sun is shinning can produce enough energy to power between 7,800 and 31,000 homes going by average domestic electricity consumptions. With solar panels with a capacity of producing 200MW each costing approximately 7 million USD, the number of panels that would be needed to supply the electrical energy needs of the community will be as calculated below: No. of panels = Total power needed (MWh)/ (solar panel capacity x no. of hours per year) = 2441699.4MWh/ (200 x 8760) =2441699.4MWh/1752000 MWh = 1.4 panels (rounded of to 2 panels) Conclusion Solar energy is an alternative energy source that can be easily adopted by the Dallas community. The source is applicable in the area given that the area receives a lot of sunshine through the year. The energy source is also easily applicable considering that it is not associated with noise and air pollution. Furthermore, the amount of energy that a solar good size panel can produce can be sufficient to fulfill the energy needs of a household. Yet again, different sizes of solar systems can be purchased depending on the pocket of the individual buyer with almost no associated maintenance costs. While the energy source has several advantages, the initial investment involved in setting up an individual or large scale solar system is relatively high. From the analysis, about 14 million large scale (200MW) panels would be enough to supply the energy needs of the community. This may be a major reason for the opposition of the idea of using solar systems. While the initial cost is prohibitive and the payback period long, the long term costs of the installation is quite low. Given that solar energy does not pollute the environment, practically all organisms would benefit from the adoption of solar systems in the production of power for domestic and industrial use. Given the numerous advantages of solar, the community members are bound to embrace it and will be amazed about the positive impacts that solar energy can bring to the environment. References Combs S. (2012a) Chapter 10: Solar Energy. Retrieved from http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/renewable/solar.php Combs S. (2012b) Chapter 11: Wind Energy. Retrieved from http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/renewable/wind.php Combs S. (2012c) Chapter 19: Hydropower. Retrieved from http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/renewable/hydro.php Combs S. (2012d) Chapter 21: Geothermal. Retrieved from http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/renewable/geo.php Combs S. (2012e) Chapter 5: Natural Gas. Window on State Government. Retrieved from http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/nonrenewable/gas.php Combs S. (2012f) Texas Energy Quick Facts. Retrieved from http://www.window.state.tx.us/finances/captrade/tx_energy_quickfacts.html Combs S. (2012g) Chapter 8: Nuclear Energy. Retrieved from http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/nonrenewable/nuke.php U.S. Department of Energy (2012a) Texas Residential Energy Consumption. Retrieved from http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/residential.cfm/state=tx U.S. Department of Energy (2012b) Texas Residential Energy Consumption. Retrieved from http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/residential.cfm/state=tx#sources Read More