Breaking Barriers Towards Investment Of Renewable Energy Essay

The current technology in it’s infant stage isn’t capable of clearing the blockage to clean sustainable energy. According to a study by University of California, it is estimated that it will take 131 years to replace gasoline and diesel fuel which leave 90 years energy gap between end of conventional oil and alternative energy. Even if we start aggressively replacing biofuel, it will take much longer than the expected 30 to 40 years of known oil left so it is reasonable to conclude that it’s unlikely we will stop drilling and mining for oil even with all its known environmental and health risks. We can’t stop drilling but we can try to minimize the cost to our environment and our health through technological innovations but it will required great pressure from the people. We can’t rely economic forces to drive for innovation in energy because economic forces don’t account for 20 or 30 years ahead or any environmental factors; it simply cares only for short term profits. As long as oil remains relatively low, it will be business as usual because unless alternative energy can competitive in the market, it’s advancement and breakthrough will not occur. Biofuel have the potential to replace some of our fuel needs but replacing fields for fuel crops is challenge to our food supplies especially the future food crisis is an equally challenging problem in itself.

By 1875, coal byproduct replaced charcoal as the primary fuel for iron furnaces to make steel. The burning of coal to generate electricity is a relative newcomer in the long history of this fossil fuel. It was in the 1880s when coal was first used to generate electricity for homes and factories. Long after homes were being lighted by electricity produced by coal, many of them continued to have furnaces for heating and some had stoves for cooking that were fueled by coal. (U.S. Department of Energy, 2014).

The authors reveal the “desperate delusion that alternative fuels can solve the ecological catastrophe that is the private car”. Corn-based ethanol produces more CO2 than oil-based petrol “if all the energy used in the growth phase is properly accounted for”. Corn-as-fuel also takes up five times more land than corn-as-food. Using hydrogen or electricity to power US cars would need more dirty coal as an energy source. Either that or an area as large as the state of Massachusetts for solar panels, or New York State for wind turbines, or 200 new nuclear energy plants. (Mugyenyi and Engler, 2010, p.106-113) “There is no such thing as a green car,” the authors conclude. “Unsustainable” would barely describe the car’s environmental failure if the rest of the world were to adopt US patterns of car ownership and driving behavior (Mugyenyi and Engler, 2010, p.114).

Scattered records of the use of coal date to at least 1100 BC. By the middle Ages, small mining operations began to spread in Europe, where coal was used for forges, smithies, lime-burners, and breweries. The invention of fire bricks in the 1400s made chimneys cheap to build and helped create a home heating market for coal. Coal was firmly established as a domestic fuel in much of Europe by the 1570s, and represented the major heating source for buildings, especially in cities located far from easy access to less energy-dense biomass forms.

The world right now is facing a major disaster if our habits don’t change. Fossil fuels dominate our energy demand and at our current rate this will remain true for quite some time. The World Energy outlook claims that by 2030 84% of our energy demands will be fulfilled by fossil fuels (Shafiee et al, 181). It is believed that we possess the reserves to meet our demands until 2030 (Shafiee et al, 181) but the cost will increase as time goes on. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource, meaning that once we run out of what’s currently available, we cannot replenish it. Our future energy needs are heavily dependent on a non-renewable and quickly depleting energy source.

Technological advances with sustainable fuels like wind and sun were supposed to be the answer to the energy crisis. Cheaper fuels have dampened “enthusiasm for clean forms of energy and derailed efforts to wean the nation from it wasteful energy habits” (Mouawad). American history demonstrates that Americans are not afraid of any challenge, but this predicament can best be described as kicking the proverbial can down the road. The always fluctuating gasoline prices is frustrating and the practicality of renewable fuels is unnerving.

When the new Southeast Polk High School opened they added many new energy saving products. This included installing geothermal heating under the high school cutting back on the cost of heating such a large building. Many new windows help save on energy used to light the building along with automatic lights that turn off after several minutes without movement. The new high school shows how easy it is to save money and help the environment. Renewable energy is good for all aspects of the U.S, providing jobs, economical growth, environmental cleanliness, and new research for improving energy efficiency. Therefore the United States should use renewable energy to benefit the economy and environment.

The problem we face is big corporations. They have invested million dollars in non-renewable energy sources, and have continued to fight against the renewable energy movement. Amory Lovins, in his 40-year plan for energy, stated our non-renewable current energy system would have to be replaced by 2050, costing a total of $6 trillion. It would cost the same amount of money to replace coal and power plants with wind farms, solar panels, and other renewable energy sources. While also, maximizing security, saving $5 trillion throughout their life cycle, 158% bigger economy, and reducing fossil carbon emissions by 82-86%. The federal government offers tax breaks, grants, and other refunds for switching to more environmental friendly equipment. For the coal and gas industry to follow suit, there will need to be more of a demand for cleaner energy through electric cars and other products that don’t rely on non-renewable energy sources.

The world around us mostly runs on fossil fuels in order to produce electricity; however, there will be a period that comes where we will run out of those fossil fuels. We only have so much time before a crisis hits and we have nothing left to produce the energy we need. In order for our country to produce the energy and electricity we need, we must do something about it. As a country, we must figure out how we can make the switch to using more renewable energy before it is too late and we run out of fossil fuels.

As the world population rises, we are using more and more energy and it is depleting faster than ever. Our fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) will not last forever and at some point we will have to switch over completely to renewable energy sources. While most of the world still uses non-renewable energy sources, the future will rely on renewable energy and its applications. Right now, over 90% of the world still uses fossil fuels and developing countries even burn wood to generate energy. At the rate we are using our fossil fuels, they will not last us far into the 22nd century. Additionally, big consumers of fossil fuels like China, U.S., Russia, and India are creating large amounts of pollution and it is only increasing. For instance, India has major issues with pollution because of heavy traffic (which releases more fuel emissions into the air), the burning of biomass (wood and other organic matter), and runoff into lakes and rivers. Right now, our biggest goal should be to figure out how to implement more forms of renewable energy in our own society. We should start using renewable energy in America because: it is more environmentally friendly, opens up the job market, and improves the health of the public.

The world is depended on oil and soon oil will become more valuable than gold and could lead to a worldwide war. Price for oil could soar to above two hundred fifty dollars per barrel. Oil and other fuel cell also cause green house gases which contribute to global warming. China is consuming two times more petroleum than 1996 and India is projected to consume three times the oil it currently does by 2050. Global house gas emission has increased by twenty percent from 2003 to 2006. Energy consumption has increased exponentially throughout the globe. The U.S. department of energy projects energy consumption will increase seventy percent from 2003 to 2030. The world has agreed to reduce emission by twenty five percent before 2020 and by over

If America makes the change to renewable fuels, it could take hundreds of years to undo the indirect damage that will be triggered. The amount of pollution that would be emitted by harvesting new fuels is as devastating as not switching at all (Grunwald). The processes for acquiring these alternatives create pollution that will destroy our environment. It is counterproductive to use renewable energy, if it does not enhance the current situation. Many people are supportive of the change, but are unaware of the long term effects on the economy and environment. The issue of alternative fuels is a controversial topic around the world with numerous countries wanting to use a cleaner fuel source than petroleum and

The most of global energy production produces from fossil fuel such as coal, oil and natural gas. The vast fossil fuels generate energy which use for many purposes for instant residential, transportation and industrial sectors. While the rate consumption of fossil fuel higher than their formation leads to oil price crisis. Another concern of fossil fuel combustion is the impact on the environment. Global warming is a significant problem which results in increasing concentrations of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. These problems drive researchers and societies to search alternative energy such as switching to renewable energy or carbon-free energy to replace fossil fuels. For example Nakata et al., (2011:465) show ‘low-carbon society’

Energy is a critical component for every economy and society around the world. Energy is divided into two groups, nonrenewable (coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear) with a finite amount found around the globe and renewable (hydro, tidal, solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass) that are constantly being replenished so that they will never run out (Green Energy Choice, 2011). The international economic impact of renewable energy is explored by examining subsidies, strategic policies, and comparative advantage of renewable energy.

Energy is a crucial necessity and with the ever increasing need for it and the high and fluctuating prices of oil, researchers are constantly coming up with newer and more sophisticated alternative sources of energy. However, energy comes at a cost, as it is either expensive or it possesses high health risks. This essay presents the concept of energy by discussing the two major types of energy, the various forms it could take, including renewable sources of energy, energy conservation and above all it talks about the safest and cleanest alternatives.