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Energy Alternatives: Renewable Energy In The United States

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Energy Alternatives Everyday 85.8% of Americans drive to work, (McKenzie) whether it be carpooling or driving alone. Everybody knows that coal and gas won't last forever, but what will we use when they run out? The answer is all around us, it could be wind power, nuclear power, or even new biofuels. Whatever we decide on using, we are going to need to choose it quickly. In the USA coal and natural gas produce 70% of our energy. “During the 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama announced a new U.S. energy target: produce 80 percent of electricity from clean energy sources by 2035” (Kenward). As of 2011, 20% of electricity comes from nuclear and the other 10% from Renewable sources, like wind and hydropower. Wind is created when …show more content…

To get to the 80% energy quota, the US would need to build 64 nuclear power plants the size of New York’s Indian Point. Since the Fukushima disaster in March 2011, people have become more wary of the dangers of harnessing nuclear power. Since Chernobyl had a meltdown in 1986 there have been 57 nuclear meltdowns (The Guardian). Two thirds of these disasters have happened in the US, but there have been very few casualties in comparison. Nuclear power is generated by splitting atoms. Modern nuclear power plants use the immense amounts of heat to evaporate water and the steam turns a turbine to turn a generator. Fission is when you split an atom of Uranium or Plutonium into two smaller atoms called fission products. To split atoms, you have to hit it with a neutron, many neutrons are released in order to split as many atoms as possible to generate as much energy as possible. Most, if not all nuclear power plants use fission to generate the heat. The other method to harness nuclear power is Fusion. Fusion is the combining of two small atoms such as Hydrogen or Helium to produce heavier atoms and energy (What Is Nuclear). These can produce more energy than fission and not produce as many radioactive byproducts. Tons of these Fusion reactions occur in the sun using hydrogen as fuel and producing helium as a byproduct. Nuclear waste is recyclable, but most of the time only 1% of the Uranium is used, but the rest is thrown away as …show more content…

“Currently, 98 percent of the U.S. transport sector runs on petroleum. The reasons for this dominance are simple” (Kopp). These engines are simple, light, and use gas, which is relatively lightweight and extremely powerful. Biofuels seem to be a sound alternative to petroleum in cars. These biofuels are ethanol, made from corn, sugar, and fibrous plants. Often, 10% ethanol is blended with gasoline to make e10. E10 is normally used as a substitute for MTBE. MTBE is Methyl tert-butyl ether is an organic compound with a structural formula (CH₃)₃COCH₃. MTBE is a volatile, flammable, and colorless liquid that is sparingly soluble in water (Kopp). General Motors are making cars that with small modifications can run on e85 (85% ethanol) or even e100 (100% ethanol). GM is estimating that more than 2 million of these vehicles are on the road today. A government subsidy says it can produce a gallon of ethanol for the price of $0.51 in the market, whereas gasoline is at a cost of about $3-$4 a gallon in the US. The problem is that the ethanol that is produced is mostly used in e10, so no one know exactly how much the e100 would potentially cost. If e85 were to become popularly bought, the US would have to massively increase our production of ethanol which could raise prices. Not to mention the fact that ethanol only has about 70% of the energy that gasoline has. This means less miles per gallon for the consumers and a

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