From Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy
From Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy
The gas pump. As of late, it has been the bane of drivers everywhere. With the prices of crude oil skyrocketing combined with the prices at the pump and nearly everywhere else, many people are looking toward renewable energy sources to supplement or replace the use of fossil fuels. This interest in renewable resources has generated new energy policies around the world, has spawned new energy technology and has produced ideas on a different way of living. Adding to the interest is the awareness on humanity’s impact on our environment, there is so much interest that the United States and many other countries have started to explore the option of producing power by the cleanest sources possible. However, it may not be enough. With the threat of oil reserves being used up and the energy crisis unresolved it is imperative that the United States begins to utilize solar, wind, and hydroelectric power in an effort to decrease the dependency on fossil fuels. Many people notice the rising costs of just about everything. The rising costs are due to the rising cost of energy. Nearly everything in our economic system requires energy to create, to ship, to stock, or to provide and the energy costs are passed down to consumers. The price for energy has not been terribly high in the past, but now the price is rising. One look at your electric bill will tell you that energy, however inexpensive it is to make or obtain, does not come cheap; at least, not anymore. The price of fossil fuels, not just in a monetary sense, but in an ecological sense is taking a toll on the country and the world. Acid rain, carbon dioxide and global warming are all consequences of cheap acquisition of energy. Coal supplies a large part of the energy needed to produce power in US and is one of the largest sources of energy in the world (Energy Perspective, Walter Deal 2006), but strip mining ruins the landscape, destroys ecosystems,
The gas pump. As of late, it has been the bane of drivers everywhere. With the prices of crude oil skyrocketing combined with the prices at the pump and nearly everywhere else, many people are looking toward renewable energy sources to supplement or replace the use of fossil fuels. This interest in renewable resources has generated new energy policies around the world, has spawned new energy technology and has produced ideas on a different way of living. Adding to the interest is the awareness on humanity’s impact on our environment, there is so much interest that the United States and many other countries have started to explore the option of producing power by the cleanest sources possible. However, it may not be enough. With the threat of oil reserves being used up and the energy crisis unresolved it is imperative that the United States begins to utilize solar, wind, and hydroelectric power in an effort to decrease the dependency on fossil fuels. Many people notice the rising costs of just about everything. The rising costs are due to the rising cost of energy. Nearly everything in our economic system requires energy to create, to ship, to stock, or to provide and the energy costs are passed down to consumers. The price for energy has not been terribly high in the past, but now the price is rising. One look at your electric bill will tell you that energy, however inexpensive it is to make or obtain, does not come cheap; at least, not anymore. The price of fossil fuels, not just in a monetary sense, but in an ecological sense is taking a toll on the country and the world. Acid rain, carbon dioxide and global warming are all consequences of cheap acquisition of energy. Coal supplies a large part of the energy needed to produce power in US and is one of the largest sources of energy in the world (Energy Perspective, Walter Deal 2006), but strip mining ruins the landscape, destroys ecosystems,