Analyst

Travis Johnson 6/20/2010 SCI 275 Dr. Marlene Mahle Gordon Use of Nonrenewable Energies vs. Renewable Energies   One of the most relevant issues within the realm of our plant is energy conservation. It is and will forever be an issue that requires both attention and commitment by those who inhabit the earth. One major problem within this issue is the use of renewable energies vs. the use of nonrenewable energies. The difference between them is vast and the yet the reliance of each are great. In the following paragraphs I will depict the difference between the two energy types, the flaws and inefficiencies of nonrenewable energies, the benefits of using renewable energies, and the importance of conservation at a global level. Out of all our energy resources on the planet earth we have both abundance and scarcity. Unfortunately the scarcity regards our most utilized and the abundance, in regards to energy, has yet to be harnessed. By this statement I am referring to Nonrenewable and Renewable Energies. Nonrenewable energies are just like its name; nonrenewable. The most recognized nonrenewable energy would be oil or gasoline. The Natural Resources Defense Council states, “According to the Department of Energy, the United States currently uses nearly 20 million barrels of oil a day, importing 55 percent of it.” That amounts to approximately $800 million dollars a day. These figures not only mean that we are using an energy that we will one day not have any more, and consuming at a rate that is indescribable, but also that we are disposing an unimaginable amount of money towards its depletion. Additionally, the refinement process its self needs to be evaluated. Quoting John Suermann from the US Department of Energy, “Depending on the crude oil quality, the refining process, etc...About a ten percent yield in gas from crude oil is reasonable.” How many gallons of crude oil do you think it takes to produce just one gallon of gasoline' By the calculations reported by John Suermann from the US Department of Energy rounds it basically states that from one gallon of crude oil, 0.10 gallons of gasoline is created. That also means that it takes approximately ten gallons of crude oil to produce just one gallon of gasoline. In any other industry this would be looked at as ridiculous and a waste of time. The refinement process is a definite corner stone in the production and the foundation of our economy. Considering that it is that important, it is just as important to assure that the process to produce it is put through great scrutiny to be as efficient as imaginable. One of my approaches to this problem would be to educate the populace of the effects that are caused by such nonrenewable energies like gasoline. During the emission process of driving your car there is a number of harmful pollutants that are created. The following is a quote from the Electric Automobile Association, “Components of air pollution include1: Carbon Monoxide (CO) – reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, aggravates lung and heart disease, and causes headaches, fatigue, and dizziness. Sulfur Dioxides (SO2) – when combined with water vapor in the air become the major contributor to acid rain. Nitrogen Oxides (NO2) – cause the yellowish-brown haze over dirty cities, and when combined with oxygen becomes a poisonous gas that can damage lung tissue. Hydrocarbons (HC) are a group of pollutants that react to form ozone (O3), some HCs cause cancer and others can irritate mucous membranes. Ozone (O3) is the white haze or smog seen over many cities. Ozone can irritate the respiratory system, decrease lung function, and aggravate chronic lung diseases (such as asthma). Carbon Dioxide (CO2), although naturally occurring, can cause problems. In large quantities it allows more sunlight to enter the atmosphere than can escape – trapping excess heat that can lead to the “greenhouse effect” and cause global warming.” Hopefully with this information, all those with this knowledge would make an effort to reduce the amount of nonrenewable energies they use each and every day. It all starts with each individual because without participation on a global level, the sustainment will be unreachable. As the earth’s population grows so does the number of people contributing to the depletion of our energies as well as the contribution to the pollution associated to said energies. This makes it ever the more important to educate the population on a global level. That way all the new generations of people participating in the care of our earth have the information they need to make good decisions; the kind decisions that affect more than just the human race. For example, the dangerous pollutants created by our cars are created only by our cars. This means that anything affected by these pollutants are affected only because of our actions and nothing else. If that isn’t a strong enough messages to be portrayed then there must be bigger issues then the preservation of our planet. Most people do not think past the gas tank they pay to fill up each week when it comes to this topic. Focus needs to be on a small scale reaching individual communities, schools, and reach out through government assisted programs until enough people have spread the message. Fortunately, until then we have an alternative to the dangerous and harmful energies of the past. For electricity we have such resources as solar power, Hydro power, and Wind power. Solar power is a process that collects the rays of the sun and converts them into electricity that can be used in homes and for cordless devices. This process is very efficient, but the hurdle is that it requires funding that isn’t available to the average person. In order to implement a small scale project to generate solar power for a single household it would require nearly $30,000 which is a figure that most people would not humor. Unfortunately a less expensive and more efficient version has yet to be created. This is where research and development is happening, but focus needs to be directed to the advancement of similar technologies to ensure the conservation of our energies. Hydro power is also efficient and is a process that utilizes the natural current of flowing water to turn a generator to create energy. This process is done on a large scale through structures like dam’s and is a very costly effort. However, when done collectively by the government and or large utility companies, it is a very efficient and pro earth preservation way to reduce pollutants and the use of nonrenewable energies. Currently there are approximately 850 hydroelectric power plants in the United States alone. The largest hydroelectric dam on US soil is the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in Washington. However, the Three Gorges Dam due to be completed in 2011, located in China, is almost three times bigger with the capacity to generate 22,500 Megawatts. Dam’s like these are revolutionary steps towards the sustainment and conservation of our energies Lastly there is wind power. Wind power is something that in my opinion is vastly underutilized. For example, in the city where I live there is consistently ten to twenty mile an hour gusts of wind; night and day. I would say that this would be an area that should be utilizing wind turbines on a very large scale. Perhaps follow in the footsteps of Blue H, a firm registered in the UK that has developed wind turbines that will be placed in the ocean in the path of natural wind channels. Their plan is to build a “wind farm” approximately 12 miles off the coast of Italy capable of producing a steady flow of 90 megawatts. For referencing purposes, 90 megawatts could provide enough power for a city with a population of over 60 thousand people. If something similar was duplicated in my town, we would be able to power the entire city as well as the 3 neighboring cities as well. This is just on a small scale, with enough assistance and initiative from the government and or large utility companies, there would be ample power that is clean and sustainable. These 3 alternative energies are some of the current ways that the human race has developed to aid the preservation of our dear planet. Also, on a commercial side we have created everyday appliance that are “more energy efficient” than older appliances. These items are things that we use often and are offered to require less energy. Making them available to everyone, and affordable, is a small and easy way to add to the sustainment plan. We still have a large portion of the population that needs to follow in the footsteps of these offerings and once we have that, we will have a taken a huge step towards energy sustainment. In order to gain the aid of our population it is necessary to educate. This may be possible through the use of public service announcements. Rather than commercials supported by a large company, these public service announcements would be used only for the education of our populace. Inform them of the alternatives available, and how they can find more information. With the aid of the government it may be possible to offer incentives in such forms as taxation. Also a more structured aid would be to implement regulations that require reduced usage and require improvements. We already have similar concepts in place through such government departments like the Department of Motor Vehicles that requires motorists to meet emissions requirements to help reduce emission pollutants. Once the population is educated the focus can be redirected to research and development to always be improving refinement processes and creating alternate forms of energies such as the solar power, hydro power, and wind power stated earlier in this paper. Then the focus can be spent on the further development and implementation of Wind farms, hydro powered generators, and solar panels. This focus is one of the challenges to my plan. Finding funding is never easy and will be a great obstacle. Even with proper funding, the distribution and implementation of these energies on a global level would be very complicated and hard to coordinate. Global involvement and cooperation would be needed in order to reach true sustainment. We have the tools and the resources, now we need educated decisions to be made by each individual to take advantage of them. Reference Citing David Adam. (2008). Floating wind turbines poised to harness ocean winds. Available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/16/windpower.renewableenergy. Last accessed 06/20/2010. Energy Quest. (2002). Energy Story. Available: http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/index.html Last accessed 06/20/2010 info@eaaev.org. (2005). The Truth about Auto Emissions.Available: http://www.eaaev.org/Flyers/eaaflyer-autoemissions.pdf. Last accessed 06/20/2010. John Suermann. (2000). Oil to Gasoline. Available: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen99/gen99675.htm. Last accessed 06/20/2010. NRDC. (2004). Reducing America's Energy Dependence .Available: http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/gasprices.asp.Last accessed 06/20/2010.