Energy Resources: Switzerland Essay

Biomass provides 10.8% of global primary energy use, nuclear power provides 6.5%, and hydropower provides 2.2% of global primary energy use. Nuclear power generates 15.8% of the world’s electricity, and hydropower generates 15.9%.

　　　　On contrast, opponents hold different conceptions, they do not regard nuclear energy as a green and clean source of energy. According to Ross(2007), a news director for the National Urban League, fuel rods at every nuclear plant leak radioactive and harmful gases to atmosphere, and it is collectively releasing millions of curies annually. As a matter of fact, the essential raw material for nuclear nuclear power is uranium, which is a dangerous radioactive element. Opponents also claims that uranium tailing which is byproduct of the procession of getting energy are being inappropriately disposed, which make the situation even worse. On the other hand, after the tragedies of nuclear energy in Chernobyl, three mile island and other district, some people have become more and more impregnable to believe the nuclear energy is dangerous. Dr.

to get clean energy for use of cars planes and other things that we use everyday.

The economic and environmental issue surrounding Hydroelectric is because it is very expensive and damages ecosystems. (Campus France)

Some cons that hydropower has include; Environmental impact, Displaced people, and Accidents. The environmental impact would be before producing hydropower, it is necessary to build a dam, changing water levels and flooding large areas. It is also necessary to build roads and power lines. This has a strong impact on wildlife and the ecosystem. When building a dam the construction of a large dam often requires that entire towns move out of the area. In the construction of the Three Gorges Dam it is estimated than 1.2 million people were displaced. lastly , in the past old dams often suffered breaches which led to floods and

It is also can cause fatal consequences. One of the main disadvantages of nuclear power plants is the severe consequences of accidents.

The United States has led the world in dam building for the past 100 years. The dams are used for a variety of purposes, including hydropower, irrigation, flood control, and water storage. Even though dams can be a benefit to society, they can also cause a lot for harm to the rivers. Dams degraded river ecosystems, depleted fisheries, and diminished the recreational use of nearly all of the nation’s rivers. Many of the dams are unsafe, old or no longer serve their intended purposes.

C. Rivers are the source of another popular technology. Hydroelectric Turbines leverage this hydro energy.

Hydroelectric power plant is one of the major power plants all over the world in order to create electricity. It is also one of the best renewable energy sources on the planet earth. In ranking, Canada is the third largest country to produce hydroelectricity power. The efficiency of this power source is 90% and this is very impressive as the percentage of efficiency is very high. Hydro power plants generate 24% of the world’s electricity. More than 1 billion people are associated with hydro power plants as they use the power supply from hydro power plants.

“Worldwide, hydropower facilities possess a significant amount of installed electric generating capacity. IEA statistics indicate that at the end of 2001 there was in excess of 450,000 MW of installed capacity within IEA member countries, with about half in Europe and half in North America. In addition to conventional hydropower, there is more than 80,000 MW of installed pumped-hydro capacity in IEA countries. In contrast, utility-scale wind power is relatively new in the electric market, but increasing rapidly” (Integration of Wind and Hydropower Systems)

The International Energy Agency estimates that by the year 2003 forty percent of the world's energy production will be from sources other than fossil fuels or nuclear power. Nevertheless, the need for

Unlike gasoline or diesel, biofuels release little pollution. It can also be used to produce electricity by heating water using biofuels and using the steam produced to rotate a turbine. Another method is to allow the biofuel to decay and produce methane. Methane is commonly used as fuel for car, heating, cooking, and producing electricity.

It is a clean, practical alternative that would satisfy the world economy's growing energy demand." Today there are 212 nuclear power plants in the world and the number is expected to rise to 250 in the next five years. Nuclear power already provides 75% of power in France and 20% here in the United States (McQuinn). Like nuclear energy, wind energy is also becoming more popular and efficient. Large wind turbines powered completely by wind gusts generate up to 233 megawatts of power every minute (Roberts 12). Homeowners and farmers can now own their own wind turbines and have their unused energy purchased by energy companies. Wind energy is very popular in Germany especially where at least 33% of the countries energy comes completely from wind turbines (Roberts 13).

Of these two types of energy production, fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal make up about ninety percent of the world’s energy usage. Nuclear power takes up five percent of this equation, with the remaining renewable energy resources splitting

Switzerland is best known for their cheese, chocolate and watches. However, their Swiss Energy Program should be added to that list and taken into consideration and emulated by other countries, like the United States. Similar to the Kyoto Protocol, the Swiss Energy Program introduced a CO2 Act, which planned to reduce their carbon emissions by ten percent by the year 2010. They were slightly successful, however compared to the United States, their carbon emissions are unsubstantial. Switzerland also implemented a Nuclear Phase-out plan which would completely stop the use of nuclear energy by the year 2034. Since Switzerland uses nuclear energy for 40 percent of their energy, this plan would be effective by increasing energy efficiency in other renewable energy sources. Finally, Switzerland promotes energy efficiency through their Swiss Energy Program by implementing the Energy Strategy 2050. This strategy has five main objectives Switzerland intends to accomplish by 2050 which include reducing energy consumption, broadening electricity supply, maintaining electricity imports, strengthening energy research, and encouraging international cooperation. Due to their monumental use of renewable energy, the Swiss Energy Program is effective by increasing energy efficiency through their implementation of CO2 Act, Nuclear Phase-out plan, and Energy Strategy 2050.