Energy is essential to our lifestyles, but many environmental problems exist as a factor to the process of creating our power. Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) currently supply most of the energy used in the United States and worldwide. Unfortunately, this resource is depleting rapidly and creates several negative environmental impacts: including significant air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions contributing to global warming.
Although there are serious environmental, public health, and national energy security issues related to today's patterns of energy consumption, there are beneficial opportunities for change that can lead to a healthier, safer environment through the development and use of energy efficiency and technologies. We need to seriously consider the alternative; the following is a listing of today’s clean resources as well as our renewable energies and an overview of these innovations. I have also included assets and drawbacks for each section of generators of energy.
Section One: CLEAN FUELS
Two examples of alternatives to Fossil Fuels classified as clean fuels include natural gas and nuclear power
NUCLEAR ENERGY
Nuclear power plants are similar in operation to fossil plants. The difference is the fuel. In a nuclear power plant, uranium – a natural ore that has been enriched is used, and steam is generated through fission instead of burning oil, gas or coal. Nuclear power plants do not burn any fuel, so there are no pollutants released into the air. Wisconsin has several Nuclear Generators on the Lake Michigan shorelines we have Point Beach Two Rivers, as well as Kewaunee and then on the Mississippi region based at La Crosse.
a.Advantages of nuclear power generation
Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide. The emissions of green house gases and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little. This technology is readily available, it does not have to be developed first. It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single plant.
b.Disadvantages of nuclear power generation
The majority of problems lie with the disposal of spent fuel waste product from nuclear generators being that its considered highly dangerous to all life and thus where to safely store the radioactive waste for about 10,000 years. Although, despite a generally high security standard, accidents can still happen. It is technically impossible to build a plant with 100% security. A small probability of failure will always be a factor. The consequences of an accident would be absolutely catastropic both to human as well as to the environment. The more nuclear power reactors and nuclear waste storage pools built, the higher is the probability to a disaster.
Also Nuclear power plants as well as nuclear waste could be preferred targets for terrorist attacks. No atomic energy plant in the world could withstand an attack similar to 9/11 in Yew York. Such a terrorist act would have catastrophic effects worldwide, even worse than Ukrains Chernobyl accident.
Last the main energy resource for nuclear energy is Uranium. Uranium is a scarce resource, its supply is estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60 years depending on the actual demand. Also to note the planning and construction for a secure facility is around 2 decades so the idea is futile for any rapid construction.
GEOTHERMAL POWER
In geothermal reservoirs deep beneath the earth's surface, water and hot rock naturally interact to produce steam. This steam reaches the earth's surface through deep cracks and can be captured for use in turbine generators. The supply of steam from geothermal reservoirs is limited and this resource may become unusable without management and preservation efforts. The most common method of dealing with steam depletion is recharging the reservoir with water that previously escaped as steam. This limitation of geothermal power has raised questions about its status as a renewable energy resource.
a.Advantages of geothermal or natural gas
Geothermal energy is a domestic energy resource with cost, reliability and environmental advantages over conventional energy sources. It contributes both to energy supply, with electrical power generation and direct-heat uses thus a solution to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
b.Disadvantages of geothermal or natural gas
This is another energy resource not exempt from environmental harms. One concern is the potential contamination of groundwater with sulfides and other pollutants if well casings are not done properly. The natural gases of Carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are released as a bi-product of geothermal facilities despite the absence of fuel burning processes. Another drawback is the availability for this resource is restricted to regions where tectonic plates are active or along areas of hot spots, sorry
WI is not one of the areas. Finally, many geothermal reservoirs are located in sensitive and pristine wilderness, maybe not the best option for energy generation.
Section Two: RENEWABLE FUELS
HYDROPOWER(Small and Large reserves)
Large Reservoirs are created from the damming of rivers or streams within a localized topography such as canyons and valleys. Using gravity, the trapped water is allowed to freefall onto the blades of huge turbines, which connect, to a generator with a shaft. There’s 25 operating Hydroelectric Power Plants on the Wisconsin River alone. The small hydroelectric dams cascade over 645 feet of the river to generate nearly one billion kilowatt hours of electricity every year. Fun fact the first Hydro dam was constructed in 1882 located in Appleton
WI on the Fox River.
a.Advantages of large Hydropower
Manufacturing of the machinery, materials and construction, hydroelectric power does not produce any emissions. Creation of large reservoirs may also present recreational opportunities, but the impacts more often outweigh the benefits.
b.Disadvantages of large Hydropower
Development and operation of hydroelectric plants cause extensive environmental impacts, including changes to natural river flows, degraded water quality, blocking of seasonal fish migration, and widespread ecosystem damage from flooding large areas of land. The most recent case of Hydropower failing is Canyon Lake Dam on the Guadalupe. The result of disastrous overflow has scoured out the newest Texas geological addition dubbed Canyon Lake Gorge. 2002 torrential rainfall raised the reservoir water levels to the breaking point thus catastrophic flooding washed out a section of pristine wilderness and carved out a large limestone gorge. For this reason, some experts do not consider large hydropower a renewable energy resource and question it as a viable option for our energy future.
Small Hydropower
In many cases this technology is the same as large hydropower except for the scale of operation. A small hydro system called "flume diversion" involves diversion of some water flow from a stream or river, using it for power generation, and then returning it to the river's flow. "Run-of-the-river," another type of small hydro system, uses the energy in the river's flow to turn the turbine and generate electricity; no water is diverted from the river or stream. Although their smaller scale does reduce some environmental impacts inherent to large hydro, small hydro facilities block fish migration, reduce productivity of fisheries, degrade water quality, and diminish some recreational opportunities.
PHOTOVOLTAICS(PV)
PV modules convert energy from sunlight directly into electricity.
Advantages of Photovoltaics
PV systems or "arrays" can range in size from a single PV module to several thousand modules and can be varied to create any desired power output.
Disadvantages of PV
Environmental harms from PV systems include air emissions during installation of large systems and module manufacture, and commercial-scale arrays may cause negative aesthetic effects from the covering of large land areas with PV modules.
People dedicated to helping the environment through renewable energy may buy a rooftop PV system for their home or business. Doing so will reduce dependence on system power and help to promote PV technology, but there is no economic benefit to small residential systems unless local governments provide rebates or subsidies.
SOLAR THERMAL POWER
Parabolic troughs or mirror arrays focus sunlight onto a contained working fluid, usually a special oil or molten salt. The superheated fluid is then routed to a boiler and the steam is used in turbines to generate electricity. Like PV arrays, solar thermal systems are modular. They can be sized to meet any power requirement and modified to meet changing energy needs.
Advantages of Thermal Power
Solar thermal systems produce relatively few environmental impacts, mostly from manufacture of modules and construction materials, and from equipment used during assembly of large systems.
Disadvantages of Thermal Power
Solar thermal systems are very land-intensive and have inherent aesthetic impacts similar to those of PV arrays. Some systems can reach heights of over 200 meters, which may be another aesthetic effect and a cause of public opposition.
WIND TURBINES
Energy originating from wind spins large turbine blades, which are connected to generators. Turbines are placed to use the best wind resources; hillsides, hilltops and open plains are the best locations. Pollution results only from the manufacture of materials and machinery and from the use of heavy equipment during the erection of towers. During the course of a year, each wind turbine will generate approximately 1,726 megawatt-hours of electricity. If that power were produced using conventional fossil fuels, there would be 1,956 tons of carbon dioxide emissions; the equivalent of 260 people driving sport utility vehicles for a year.
Advantages of Wind Turbines
The Environmental Resources Trust says that about 5% of the land at wind farms are actually occupied by turbines, equipment, and access roads. The land between and beneath towers can be used for farming, ranching, and other activities.
Disadvantages of Wind Turbines
One environmental concern about wind power is bird mortality. Turbine blades normally spin at high speeds and are difficult to see. Birds that drift into turbine blades are killed instantly in most cases birds of prey are especially vulnerable. Proposed solutions to this problem include changing the tower design to eliminate beams used as perches, painting the turbine blades in colors and patterns to visually emphasize their presence, and reducing the populations of the raptors' prey by changing or removing vegetation.
The aesthetic effects of wind turbines are a special concern for people living close to wind farms, who have complained about the high visibility of turbines and the noise from the huge spinning blades.
BIOMASS
Organic matter is burned to produce heat energy. Biomass decomposes, producing methane gas, which can be burned in gas turbines, and a liquid fuel called ethanol is also derived from biomass.
A more familiar use of biomass is the burning of wood for home heating. Biomass fuels include wood, wood wastes, agricultural wastes, animal waste, municipal solid waste, and food processing wastes, aquatic plants, and algae. Generating electricity from landfill methane turns a source of greenhouse gas into green power. Mayville, Berlin and Janesville are all locations of Biomass electricity from the local waste units.
Advantages of Biomass
The ways of producing energy from biomass seem limitless.
Disadvantages of Biomass
Carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) is produced in the burning of biomass. Depending on the source of the biomass, emissions may contain a wide variety of air pollutants. Ash produced by burning biomass often contains concentrated amounts of pollutants, creating a disposal issue.
Renewable Energy Development
Thanks to plentiful wind, solar, and bioenergy resources, Wisconsin actually has the technical potential to generate more than 2.7 times its current electricity needs from renewable energy and clean energies. Upon reading the brief of the Pros and Cons to these technologies of energy discussion what is your feel to the topic? Which direction do you see Wisconsin utilizing with the least environmental impacts? Briefly describe how your community is reacting to the change.
"Wisconsin's residents, businesses, and farmers depend on having reliable and affordable sources of power," said Charlie Higley, director of Focus on Energy's Renewable Energy program. "Renewable energy offers tremendous potential for helping meet the state's future energy needs while helping protect our environment for future generations. The projects supported by these grants will gather information and develop new technologies that could help wind, solar, and biomass meet a bigger portion of Wisconsin's energy needs."
