peer review 5 questions

Huge amounts of energy are used to power automobiles, factories, electrical appliances, and other modern life features in the United States and other countries where mechanization is the order of the day. Renewable energy and fossil fuels are two key sources of energy for these processes. Katrin Jordan-Korte defines renewable energy as “energy that is derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly. In its various forms, it derives directly or indirectly from the sun, or from heat generated deep within the earth” (11). Non-renewable energy sources, on the other hand, are depleted once they are mined from the earth and burned. Examples of substances comprising non-renewable energy include natural gas, oil, and coal, all of which are formed as a result of matter that has decayed over millions of years. Opponents of renewable energy argue that sources of nonrenewable energy are well established, hence they are capable of supplying energy at low costs compared to renewable sources. There is need for the critics to focus on the positive aspects of renewable energy and note the diversity of its sources including solar, biomass, hydropower, wind, and geothermal energy.

Proponents of renewable energy argue that the global supply of non-renewable energy is restricted and will be ultimately depleted. Thus, they assert that development of renewable sources of energy is the only way to create a reliable and secure energy solution for the generations to come. Burning of fossil fuels emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, causing greenhouse effect and air pollution, and cause climate change.

Hydropower is one of the most prevalent source of renewable energy (in 2016, it accounted for 6.5 percent of total energy produced in the United States) (U.S. Department of Energy a 3). Globally, hydropower accounts for a whopping 71 percent of the total renewable energy generated and about 16.4 percent of the power produced from all the sources. This energy is harnessed through flowing water in big rivers. In a characteristic hydropower plant, pipes are used to channel water that flows through a dam to turn huge turbines thus generating power. Hydropower, just like other sources of renewable energy, does not pollute the environment. In addition to aiding in the generation of clean energy, dams can also be used to manage freshwater resources and control floods.

Wind is another source of clean energy. Kinetic energy produced by wind is captured through massive turbines and then converted into electricity. After production, the energy is then supplied to the power grid by the utility firms. In the United States, there is an upwards of 15,000 GW of energy that can be generated from wind, both offshore and land-based (U.S. Department of Energy b 2). Wind power has several economic and environmental advantages. Being a renewable and clean source of energy, wind power supports public health and helps to maintain quality of air.

Biomass energy is a form of renewable energy that is derived mostly from plants. Plants accumulate energy from the sun which can then be emitted through burning. The energy in biomass is usually obtained by transforming the biomass into gas or liquid biofuel fuel. Alternatively, the energy can be obtained by combusting it to produce electricity or heat. The most popular sources of biomass include agricultural byproducts, wood waste, as well as solid wastes from the municipal. In the year 2015, power produced from biomass accounted for about 1.6 percent of the total amount of electricity produced in the United States (U.S. Department of Energy a 4).

One of the most frequently produced biofuel is ethanol. This type of fuel is as a result of the sugars found in farm products such as corn, potatoes, sugar cane, rice, and wheat. Ethanol is often mixed with gasoline and used in the transport sector. Close to 13.2 billion million gallons of ethanol were produced in 2010 alone in the United States. This accounts for roughly 87 percent of the world’s total ethanol supply (Renewable Fuels Association 10).

Solar energy is a type of renewable energy that occurs as solar radiation from the sun. This radiation is then directly or indirectly transformed into power or other forms of usable energy. In his article published by Greentech Media, Mike Munsell observes that “In total, solar accounted for 39 percent of new capacity additions across all fuel types in 2016”. Two key techniques which are used to produce electricity from solar radiation are known as photovoltaic and thermal. The latter technic uses the rays from the sun to turn liquid into steam, which is then used to generate power while the former method directly transforms sun rays into power directly. These methods can be used either in large or small scale to produce energy for the national grid or additional power for use in schools, homes, and businesses.

Geothermal power is generated using the heat that is formed under the earth’s crust. When water infiltrates into the ground and comes into contact with molten rocks within the earth’s crust, it becomes hot and forms steam that can be used to harness electricity or can be used directly. Geothermal power is produced and used in many parts of the world where there are active volcanoes, or where tectonic plates converge. Parts of the world such as Iceland have geothermal energy as their main source of energy (accounting for over 25 percent of the total electricity produced). This form of energy generation are also widespread in several states in the western half of the U.S including Nevada, California, and Alaska. About 90 percent of installed geothermal power capacity is in California (Sifford and Bloomquist 441).

Those who oppose the use of renewable energy claim that entities dealing in fossil fuels are deeply established and have the ability to supply power at cheaper rates. Further, they argue that if too much focus is put in generating energy from renewable sources, there will be loss of jobs in the firms producing energy through fossil fuels. However, it is estimated that the rate of job creation in the renewable energy sector is higher than that is the non-renewable sector. In addition, investing in renewable energy brings other benefits such as protection of the environment.

Other critics are of the opinion that renewable energy is too expensive to generate in terms of the machinery and the skills required. Such people, therefore, contend that generation of energy from renewable sources is not feasible. The truth is that the initial investment required to start a plant to generate energy from renewable sources is very high. However, the fact that the industry is rapidly growing and the technology is advancing really fast means that the process will be cost effective with time.

A section of environmentalists have come out to disapprove hydropower, claiming that it negatively affects the immediate natural environment. According to them, constructing hydroelectric dams significantly changes the ecosystem of the river. Further, they argue that such water reservoirs leads to the displacement of humans, animals, and threatens plant life. Nevertheless, these effects are not anything compared to the environmental degradation caused by use of fossil fuels to generate energy. Further, measures are being taken when constructing dams to ensure least disruption is caused in the process and that displaced people are fairly compensated or relocated.

Renewable energy has the potential of providing the world with most of its energy solutions. This type of energy has a great advantage over nonrenewable energy; the ability to be used without being exhausted. This, together with other benefits such as being harmless to the environment, and the fact that it can be harnessed from a range of sources (solar, biomass, hydropower, wind, and geothermal energy), makes renewable energy a superior option of power generation.

Works Cited Jordan-Korte, Katrin. Government Promotion of Renewable Energy Technologies: Policy Approaches and Market Development in Germany, the United States, and Japan. Berlin, Germany: Springer Science & Business Media, 2011. Web. Renewable Fuels Association. "Acelerating Industry Innovation - 2012 Ethanol Industry Outlook." 6 March 2012. Renewable Fuels Association. Web. 5 March 2018. Sifford, Alex and R. Gordon Bloomquist. "Geothermal Electric Power Production In The United States:." Proceedings World Geothermal Congress (2000): 441-454. Web. U.S. Department of Energy. "U.S. Hydropower Market Report 2017 Update (April)." April 2017. U.S. Department of Energy. Web. 5 March 2018. —. "WindVision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States." 2014. U.S. Department of Energy. Web. 5 March 2018.