Alternative Energy Sources And The Future Of Those Sources

Since 19th century fracking, coal, and other fossil fuels have supplied humanity with energy. With fracking In 2000, shale beds provided “just 1% of America’s natural gas, but now they provide 25%” (fracking good idea?)of America’s natural gas. Fracking has a big part in our world with supplying the world with energy. In just Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, and Texas the amount of natural gas in the ground is enough energy to power the country for 110 years.

Our energy use has dramatically improved our lives , but this energy is derived mostly from fossil fuels and has resulted in environmental change , and depletion of fossil fuels (Shahriar 181 ). This leads to continuing military conflict . This resulted in developing and using alternate resources for the increasing energy demand.

An environmental disaster waiting to happen in ones eyes, a potential “gold mine” in the others; the decision of the Keystone XL pipeline. What seems to be a perpetual environmental battle and one of the most politically controversial topics in the past decade. The Keystone XL pipeline is a proposed 1,179-mile pipeline running from Alberta, Canada, to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would join an existing pipe. There’s no question the intended pipeline has its pros such as its projected attribution to the American economy and the jobs it will create. However, I strongly believe the few pros it possesses simply do not outweigh the negative effects it will have. These include deforestation, the impact the pipeline could have on the environment and wildlife if there is a spill as well as the continued reliance to depend on fossil fuels; specifically coming from the tar sand oils from Alberta.

Throughout history, the source of energy that powers the world has advanced alongside technology. The power on which civilization thrives has to be in accordance to the demand at which it is required. As technology evolves, objects from which energy can be extracted can expanded exponentially. In the status quo, the United States is trying to limit the greenhouse gas emissions instead of just switching power sources which is the wrong direction they should be going in. [Thesis] Instead of wasting their time and money investing in burning coal as their main source of power, countries and their governments need to assist in the transition to a more cost effective and efficient form of energy in the form of nuclear energy.

The Keystone XL Pipeline fight involved large economic and political issues. Some of the major issues included: Canada’s development of its oil sand resources, U.S. energy security, the American oil refining business, oil and gasoline prices in the United States, the environmental health of Nebraska’s Sandhills region, the Ogallala Aquifer and most significantly, global climate change.

Although thorium nuclear fuel is not new technology, it is a newly appreciated resource. The reason more effort was put into uranium previously is because, “A 1997 international scientific symposium on nuclear fuel cycles concluded that the principal reason thorium had not been used more widely to date is that the ore contains no fissile isotope.” (Thorium Power, 2015, para. 9). A fissile isotope like uranium-238 is more prone to sustaining nuclear chain reactions. Simply put, during the cold war, uranium research aided in producing nuclear weapons as well as energy. Alternatively, thorium is more of a fertile element, and it requires more effort to make it fissile, but it is possible. (Thorium Power, 2015, para. 2). Thorium is more beneficial

Thorium is obviously a better vitality source in correlation than uranium, and Thorium has the best advantages. We are given a more normal fuel source that creates numerous times the measure of vitality as uranium. The force of this new innovation equals that of our fossil energizes, and does not hurt our environment as the smoldering of fossil fills does. Nuclear Energies has officially ended up being a compelling distinct option for oil and coal, and thorium will lessen the dangers with the nuclear

Everyday in U.S., immense amount of fossil fuel is burned. Fossil fuels are fuel formed by natural processes, such as decomposition of buried dead organisms. Fossil fuel release carbon dioxide when they are burned which adds to the greenhouse effect and increases global warming. The way we can help the environment and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide is by replaying fossil fuels with solar and wind sources for electric power generations in the U.S.

It is estimated that at today’s rate of consumption, the earth has about fifty years left of fossil fuels. In contrast, due to the very small amount of uranium needed to create a huge amount of energy, the supply of nuclear energy is almost infinite [Jiskha].

Thorium has long been the subject of scientific research ever since its discovery, and now it appears that this obscure element may now be the energy source which could fuel humanity for generations to come. While thorium has a complicated history, the element remains very important to humanity for many reasons. Discovered about the same time as uranium in the 19th century, thorium has been well known to the scientific community for many years (World Nuclear Association). In fact, famous scientists like Marie Curie and Ernest Rutherford worked with the element in several experiments when nuclear decay was first being discovered. Since that time, however, thorium has largely been thrown by the wayside for use in practical applications such as energy production in favor of neighboring elements uranium and plutonium. Things are starting to turn around for thorium though, as people are beginning to realize that thorium power offers cleaner, more powerful, and safer energy than anything humanity has ever known before, and they beginning to take action to make thorium more widely known as an important prospective energy source.

In the world, there is enough uranium to last us for 80 years and then we have another substance that is called thorium. This substance is thorium and was found in 1828. It works just like uranium and comes out with the same output. Around the world, there already have been thorium power plants that are working so we have proved that they are good. Even though the power plants cost is around 6 million dollars but after you have built it you do not have to pay very much. With the good cost, you also don't use much

The debate regarding the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline is one that we must look at very carefully, as this proposed project not only affects the petroleum industry, but has greater far-reaching consequences that many people may not be aware of. Some of the primary concerns raised against the project are safety, effects on the climate, and the impact it will have on the economy in America and abroad.

In the imminent future the world’s energy needs must be fulfilled somehow, but with so many disadvantages to more common energy sources such as fossil fuels the obvious alternative is nuclear energy. However, the traditional Uranium reactor won’t do, Thorium reactors with all the various advantages over the glaring deficiencies of Uranium reactors. With Thorium reactors being able to be safer by having less toxic waste or preventing against the creation of nuclear weapons, Thorium reactors are a promising energy source for the

The world is in an energy crisis because humans solely rely on finite sources of energy such as coal, natural gas, and oil. If humans consume these resources at status quo consumption rates, oil is projected to run out in 2051, gas in 2060, and coal in 2087. The evidence points to how the world is facing a huge problem that must be solved in the next half century. One possible method to solve this crisis is the rise of nuclear power. Nuclear reactors are a technology that has rapidly proliferated in the last half century while receiving both positive and negative reactions. The current status quo nuclear reactors in use are old light water reactors with many dangers, however the thorium reactor creates new possibilities for solving a multitude of problems.

It is estimated that useful life of world’s well known petroleum reserves will last 40 years, natural gas will last 61 years and coal reserves will be exhausted in 227 years. Decrease in fossil fuel reserves due to fast consuming and environmental damages due to increasing environmental pollution makes it necessary to orient towards new and renewable energy resources. Thorium is a metal found in ores such as thorite, thorianite and monazid and it is an important energy source for electronuclear power which is found three times more than uranium. It was proved only in 1993 that thorium may be used as fuel in nuclear reactors. Study on first reactors planned to be commissioned in 2010 is still performed by CERN (European Center for Nuclear Research). With this regards, it is somewhat a raw material of raw material waiting its commissioning time.