Help me out with Energy system

HOMEWORK #1

MECH 432 - Energy Systems

Fall Semester 2015

Due Tuesday, Sep 8

Recent class lectures have exposed many pertinent topics relating to energy sources, energy

conversion, energy end-use, and energy security, e.g., climate change, population, carbon capture

and storage, the shale oil/gas revolution, the solar/wind energy surge, nuclear power future, and

the transportation problem, to name a few. Choose a specific energy-related topic that interests

you and pose a question that you believe is pertinent to our energy future. Research the topic and

write a short opinion essay (800 - 1000 words) that supports your answer to this question.

Here are some possible questions:

 Will some form of population control be necessary in the next century to have sufficient energy resources for all in the world (without widespread famine)?

 Is the threat of global warming and climate change over-stated by climatologists?

 Does ocean acidification (due to CO2 absorption) have more dire consequences for our planet than climate change?

 Can current solar, wind, and other renewable energy technologies save our planet from catastrophic climate change while meeting global energy demand for the foreseeable

future?

 Are new electric battery technologies essential for solar and wind energy to compete with non-renewable energy sources?

 Is some form of nuclear power the best option for a carbon-free energy future?

 Should the U.S. shale oil/gas windfall be exploited to the fullest?

 Should current hydraulic fracturing (fracking) methods be outlawed due to potential ground water contamination and other environmentally damaging effects?

 Should the U.S. lift the ban on crude oil exports?

 Is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), as applied to coal-fired power plants, practical and economically feasible?

 Can compressed natural gas (CNG) and synfuels replace gasoline and diesel to meet all our land transportation needs?

 Can electric and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles meet most or all of our land transportation needs?

 Is there a feasible alternative to carbon-based fuels for powering aircraft and ships?

 Do believe that national energy security is currently more important than the threat of global warming/climate change?

Format:

 Use 11 or 12 point font with 1.5 spacing

 Cite and list references

 Submit to BB Learn