How Do Renewable Energies More Efficient Than Coal?

The Alternative energy industry in the United States has been at a steady rate of growth for the past decade, however there is still controversy over the use of renewable energies, their impact on the economy, and their impact on the environment. As controversial as the topic is, the argument boils down to a moral need to support environmental regulations, and an economical need to sustain domestic growth in the Energy industry of the United States. Mainly, the question is can alternative energy effective replace fossil fuels? There are of course arguments for both sides of this question.

As the Law of Conservation states, energy can be neither created nor destroyed (The Secret Lives of Energy). That means that an energy source has to be use in order to generate the energy needed. It is common knowledge that the pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels over time is making society live in a contaminated world. In addition, the cost of the use of fossil fuels is increasing and becoming too expensive, forcing people to find alternate ways in which they can pay less for the use of energy. The use of fossil fuels over time has increased to a point where the remaining reservoirs have decreased by a large margin. On the other hand, renewable energy is

Renewable resources can be used as things that come naturally within Earth and will not run out; including but not limited to solar power, wind power and hydroelectric power. According to Document B, “BP’s (British Petroleum) intention to step up investments in solar energy.” , “WIth twice the fuel economy and half the CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions of conventional cars.” (talking about the world’s first hybrid electric car), and finally “Denmark now generates (some) of its electricity from wind power and ... from the combustion of agricultural waste.”. Using any and all of these renewable resources can be the start to a new beginning of the end of fossil fuels.

We should invest in cleaner alternatives that will not only be better for us but the environment. Although coal is used for electricity, there are other ways to produce electricity like water power, wind generators, and solar energy. Water power, or hydropower is power that is derived from the weight of the water. Hydroelectric power plants use dams or rivers to store water to then release the water through turbines that spin it that produces electricity. Wind generators are like water power but instead of water its wind. Wind turbines converts the wind’s energy into electric energy. Solar energy is similar but the energy comes from the sun. Some people use solar energy for their homes so they save money and will not have to pay an electric bill. Instead of burning coal, there are other alternatives as stated

We want instant gratification and coal fits the bill. I noted in my book review of Crude World that Peter Maass didn’t present a balanced picture of the oil industry; it was all bad. He was intended to highlight the negative aspect of our oil dependency. Big Coal is the same in that respect. It is hard to argue that coal hasn’t improved the lives of a great many people around the world, and we know a number of people who would argue that these improvements outweigh the negatives. Further, it is fair to say that the coal industry has come a long way in cleaning up their emission profile over the past few

Nowadays, coal is still one of the greatest used energy to generate power in so many countries. Using coal in electricity generation is 93% in South African, 87% in Poland, 79% in China, 78% in Australia, 45% in USA, 41% in Germany, 58% in Israel etc. (Coal & Electricity) From the data above, even the developed countries use coal to generate power as the main source. In many developed countries, energy generation is still based on coal as a long-term source. In recent years, although there is an increasing number of equipment using gas and wind to generate the power, it is still lower than the proportion of coal-fired power generation. The reason why most countries choose coal as a main source to generate electricity, is that there are many advantages in using coal to generate electricity. First of all, coal is the

Renewable energies may cost a little more than fracking but the difference is that they cause less damage to the environment and our health. Funnily enough renewable energies have stopped being researched in the past few years because of fracking.

The main argument against switching to the alternative energies is that not everyone is willing to switch. People don't wish to switch because of the cost factor and that it may take a lot of time. That is foolishness. The reason no one wishes to switch is because they don't truly know how beneficial switching would be. Some even say they don't wish to switch because the American government won't either. The people who won't switch have not been completely informed. There is the savings benefit. Consumers can save a lot of money by making a switch. Consumers help the environment by switching and you help the economy. Most people would be willing, maybe even eager, to switch if they were well informed and knew the benefits of switching.

Jason Hayes, communications director for the American Coal Council says “the industry over the past few decades had invested over $100 billion in cleaning up emissions and it’s already been effective. All of the important noxious pollutants have decreased markedly over the last 30 to 40 years. We’ve been doing all of this on top of dealing with everything else.” Coal may not be green, but it is a source of energy American needs. It is cheap and efficient. Without coal, America wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is today. The coal mined here isn’t just used for energy. America’s

For many years, energy has been a need for people everywhere. What has become of the world today is due to the revolution in energy use. There are two types of energy non-renewables and sources-renewables. An example of a non-renewable is coal and it is a great type of fossil fuel the reason being is because it is a reliable source of electricity. Examples of renewables are wind,water and solar power. Renewables can be recovered and reused while on another hand a non-renewables can not be used again. Coal has been used for thousands of years archaeologists discovered that coal was used even in the second and third centuries by the Romans. Solar power is a renewable source since it’s powered by the sun. It can be changed into other forms for example both heat and electricity can come directly from the sun. The sun’s power has been used for a lifetime to heat up our homes, water (to drink and bathe), and our food as well. Both energy sources-coal and solar-are quite reliable resources, and are used very much. As worldwide energy sources, coal and solar power share similarities and differences when it comes to having a huge impact on the environment the world's economic status within how much money we profit from them and human health such as increased lung cancer rates.

Another great factor that makes solar energy better than coal is it is renewable unlike coal which is non-renewable or limited. If you don’t know what renewable energy is, it is energy that comes from a limitless energy source. Solar energy is so renewable because it comes from the sun which is always giving off energy. Since solar energy comes from the sun it an unlimited energy source. While many countries and regions have access to coal not all do but nearly every town has access to sunlight. For those who do not have access to coal have struggled to make economic development. “Each day more solar energy falls to the Earth than the total amount of energy 6.1 billion inhabitants would consume in 27 years” (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). That means that the energy we get from the sun exceeds 35,000 times the amount of energy used by man.

In this day and age, we have new energy sources that could be used to power our homes and transportation. Wind and solar power are used all over the world, but are still used far less than fossil fuels. Most would say it’s not reliable or it doesn’t make any profit. While both statements are true, it doesn’t mean we can’t make a better future using renewable energy. In fact, the only reason we don’t use renewables for everything is that we don’t want to change. The hard truth is we need to change. Fossil fuels are great right now, but if we run out, humanity must have another source of energy.

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 transition from fossil fuel to renewable resources would take a lot of time, money, and politics. However if we use a multi-source energy network and add in the renewable resources as we slowly take out the fossil fuel ones then it will help the transition better. “Powerful political skirmishes over energy sources and increasing awareness of the environmental impact of pollution are necessitating a transition to a renewable energy network.” Western States being large in population and using the most resources should be first to start this transitioning stage.

The U.S. should replace fossil fuel with renewable energy. There are many reasons that the U.S. can use renewable energy to improve the economy. First of all, renewable energy can have a more stable price. Unlike fossil fuel, renewable energy is a continual source of energy that will not be as demanded, and will not cause inflation. Next, using renewable energy is a key to having a clean and green environment. It will not cause pollution to the environment and will keep cities clean. Finally, the United States can provide more efficient jobs for unemployed workers. People will have more opportunities for jobs like installing or building any source of renewable energy. Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy can be more efficient because it will have a stable expense, it is a clean way to help the environment, and it can provide several jobs.