Analyze the cause of the lack of development of renewable energy sources.
Analyze the cause of the lack of development of renewable energy sources.
For many years, renewable energy seemed to be the way out of the fossil fuel shortage, which will be hitting the economy within the next few years. However, when these alternative energy sources were invented, they were not being able to compete with the fossil fuel energy. So the hopes of the public for a fast turn-around of electricity production did not come true. The very slow process of improving these new techniques and adding them to the public power network has been an indication for some people that the dream of alternative, renewable energy sources has failed. Furthermore, many of the activists who wanted to shut down all fossil fuel plants when photovoltaic and wind power systems were introduced, are now the ones speaking against hydro- and wind-power because of the environmental impacts and the big number of birds who are killing by the windmill blades (Bradley 2). Although renewable energy is expensive and harmful to the environment and wildlife, it will succeed against fossil fuel energy sources and photovoltaic, wind- and hydro-power will be the energy source of the future.
Solar cells are thin wafers of silicon which, exposed to sunlight, produce DC electric current. Today, solar equipment for a normal household is about $15,000. For a lot of people this is too much keeping in mind that it takes many years to use electricity worth that amount. Modern photovoltaic modules are able to produce
Sebastian Seidel
2
electricity at 20 cents to 30 cents a kilowatt hour (Flanigan 2). In comparison in Texas , a kilowatt hour produced by fossil energy is about 7.6 cents (Linden 1). Therefore, solar
modules have to become cheaper and more efficient, which they continually have in the past. John Greenwald points out that "The price of the photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity has fallen precipitously from $500 a watt in the 1960s to about $4 today" (1). He continues, "[c]ompanies are now rushing to break the $2 barrier, which would reduce the residential cost of solar electricity from 30 cents per kWh to near the 12 cents average price of electric in California" (1). Although solar electricity seems very expensive, for many third world regions, it is a lot ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
modules have to become cheaper and more efficient, which they continually have in the past. John Greenwald points out that "The price of the photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity has fallen precipitously from $500 a watt in the 1960s to about $4 today" (1). He continues, "[c]ompanies are now rushing to break the $2 barrier, which would reduce the residential cost of solar electricity from 30 cents per kWh to near the 12 cents average price of electric in California" (1). Although solar electricity seems very expensive, for many third world regions, it is a lot cheaper setting up so called mobile photovoltaic systems than connecting those regions to the country's electricity grid. Keith Lee Kozloff writes in his report that, "[i]n fact, more rural households in Kenya get electricity from Pvs than from the national grid" (5). Pvs are electricity generators which operate away from the public electricity grid (5). Without doubt, photovoltaic systems are too expensive for a normal household nowadays. But as Steven Strong, a designer of solar homes, explains, "[e]ven Edison first electrified the homes of his wealthy investors, so the high-end client has always been fertile ground" (qtd. in Greenwald 1).
Unlike solar energy, wind power grown faster the last couple years and is today the environmentalists preferred alternative energy source (Bradley 1). Paul Brown writes,
Sebastian Seidel
3
"Electricity production [in the U.K.] from wind leapt by 31% last year, making it the fastest growing industry in the field of power generation" (1). Every year, the amount of electricity produced by wind power is increasing, especially in the USA, Germany, Denmark and Spain (Brown 1). The improvements made in wind power generators in the past years, has led to more efficient wind mills. James Flanigan describes, "[a] single windmill generator today is capable of doing the work of 10 windmills of the 1970s, when wind power experiments began" (2). He adds, "Wind generation can deliverer electricity at 3 cents to 6 cents a kilowatt-hour" (2). This is a lot less than the average electricity price paid in the U.S. today. But although wind power seems to be the ideal energy source, environmental activist who were promoting alternative energy in the past now have doubts about wind power. Robert L. Bradley reasons in his article, that "[w]ind blades have killed thousand of birds in the U.S. and abroad in the last decade, including endangered species" (2). Like any human made construction, wind blades are a threat to birds, but so is any electricity line. The Altamont Pass wind-power plant in California is a good example of a misplaced wind power facility. Hardly any research about the animal environment was done when the windmills were set up. But even if one project has a bad impact on the environment and wildlife, wind power has still countless good aspects (Bradley 2). Therefore Hal Harvey, president of the Energy Foundation, declares, "[w]e've found the holy grail: wind is now cheaper than any fossil fuel-based
Sebastian Seidel
4
power source" (qtd. in Linden 1). Hydro-Power means making electricity from water power. In his article, Stuart Baird declares, "Hydro-Power is currently the world's largest renewable source of electricity, accounting for 6% of worldwide energy supply or about
5% of the world's electricity"(1). It has been known to be one of the cleanest ways to produce energy, because it does not produce any exhaust fumes or waste of any kind. As Baird adds, "hydro-power is better than burning coal, oil or natural gas to produce electricity, as it does not contribute to global warming or acid rain" (2). Another benefit is that it helps to control water, for example with dams. But hydropower dams also have negative environmental impacts, such as blocking fish movements and decreasing water quality. Another disadvantage of this technique is "the flooding and destruction of entire ecosystems" (Baird 2) and the "increase of bacteria in the water due to decaying vegetation, which can be harmful to the fishes and to those who eat them" (Baird 4). Like solar- and wind-power, Hydro-Power has many good as well as a few bad aspects. The problems mentioned above result from unplanned, bad managed and oversized hydro-power systems. But, if a dam is well sited, well operated and kept reasonable in size, these environmental impacts can be reduced though not eliminated.
Renewable energy has many good as well as many bad aspects. Today most of the electricity comes from coal-, gas- and nuclear-plants. Still, the percentage of electricity made with renewable energy is growing every year. Canada for example adds "60%" of
Sebastian Seidel
5
energy made by hydro-plants to the national grid (Baird 1) and Denmark satisfies 18% of
electrical demand with electricity produced wind-power (Brown 1). Within the few next years, due to technical improvements and cheaper production methods, the percentage of renewable energy added to western countries demand will rapidly grow. But lots of research has to be done until then to limit the negative impacts on the environment.
Sebastian Seidel
6
Baird, Stuart "Hydro-Electric Power." Energy Educators of Ontario 1993.
5 Jan. 2002. <http://www.iclei.org/efacts/hydroele.htm>
Bradley, Robert L. "Dirty Secrets of Renewable Energy." USA Today Magazine May 1998. 14 Jan. 2002 <http://www.elibrary.com>
Brown, Paul "Wind power use grows by 30%." The Guardian 10 Jan. 2002.
7 Jan. 2002. <http://www.guardian.co.uk>
Flanigan, James "Getting serious about Earth-Friendly Energy." Los Angeles Times June 2001. 21 Jan. 2002. <http://www.web6.infotrac.galegroup.com>
Greenwald, John "Energy: Here comes the sun." Time 18 Sep. 1993.
5 Jan. 2002. <http://www.elibray.com>
Kozloff, Keith Lee. "Rethinking development assistance for renewable electricity sources." Environment Nov. 1995. 15 Jan. 2002. <http://www.elibrary.com>
Linden, Eugene "Selling the Sun...and the Wind Renewable energy has come of age-but it's mostly foreign companies that are making money on it." Time 16 July 2001.
5 Jan. 2002. <http://www.elibrary.com>
