Alternative Energy

Description:

“Right now more energy passes through the windows of buildings in the U.S. than flows through the Alaska pipeline.” ~K. Bidwell and P. A. Quinby

Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels e.g biofuels, solar power, wind power, wave power, geothermal power and tidal power.

Conventional sources of energy are diminishing and many experts have already pointed out a time horizon for their depletion. This implies that current oil and carbon reserves that remain for future generations will not suffice for their needs. It is possible that the future generation might find better uses for these energy sources as raw materials, rather than using them as energy and pollute the environment. The technology already exists for the use of renewable and alternative energy and this will slow the rate of consumption of fossil fuels and reduce the pollution.

Since energy sources are diminishing, common sense says that humankind should contemplate two different but complementary options:

Reduce fossil fuel consumption in order to extend the life of existing reserves, not only by lessening the dependency in fossil fuels, but also by using them more efficiently.

Switch to alternative sources

The first option has been in force for decades, and now there are ‘fuel efficient’ aircrafts and car engines, power plants and manufacturing processes. Even so, it appears that these advantages are offset by population growth, with its demand on services, and the consequent creation of more consumption.

Therefore, it is reasonable to think that society’s options point to the second alternative, to alleviate the load and demand on fossil fuels.

Enablers:

• Rising energy prices. Rising energy prices, which will increase in the oil bill, has been severe for some countries, especially those which combine high energy intensities with a heavy reliance on imported oil as the main source of energy. This will encourage these countries to reduce reliance on oil by developing alternative energy sources. For example, the cost of imported oil had been around 2% of US’s GPA, as shown in the graph below. In the 1980s, with the prices of oil reaching new heights, 6-7% of US’s GPA was spent on oil. This was when US started to investmore money into the development of alternative energy to reduce its reliance of oil.

• Education: Environmental education programs can create children who are enthusiastic about nature. School’s curriculum could include learning expeditions that require students to be actively engaged in nature. Wilderness trips and in-class environmental lessons could be tailored for each grade. The thinking and logical behind these activities is that the more the children know about and appreciate the environment, the more likely they are to protect it.

• Worsening condition of the environment: Abnormal weather conditions with unusual torrential rains and flooding, global warming, increased greenhouse gases, heavy pollution, unnaturally heavy rains and increased frequencies of hurricanes worsen the environment that human lives in. It would encourage human to treasure the environment more by protecting it. The use of fossil fuel energy would cause more harm to the environment and cause these abnormal weather conditions. Thus, people would be more willingly to turn to alternative energy.

• Government policy: Governments can encourage the development and use of alternative energy by giving tax breaks or subsidies. Serious attempts have been made by governments to switch partially to non-conventional sources of energy: countries such as the UK, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Austria, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium and the US have taken great strides toward using non-conventional sources of energy. This will increase the use of alternative energy.

• Economics Benefits: If the economic benefits of using or developing alternative energy outweigh the costs of using or developing alternative energy, more corporations and individuasl would be turning to alternative energy.