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Energy Drawbacks
Because every energy-producing source has some drawbacks and negative issues, it is important for society to choose wisely when it comes to developing electrical generating sources. This paper reviews those issues.
Wind Energy: there are many advantages to wind energy, including: a) it is non-polluting (no fossil fuels are burned in the process); b) less space is used than by building a big power station (and windmills can be built in agriculture areas because crops can be grown around the base of a windmill); and c) wind energy can bring electrical power to remote areas (Clean Energy Ideas).
Wind Energy: the downside of wind power: a) wind is not always reliable and consistent; b) birds and bats fly into the turbines and are killed; c) there is noise associated with the turbines; and d) rural residents don't like big wind turbines in their previously agrarian environment (Clean Energy Ideas).
Geothermal: the advantages are obvious with this power source: when located away from neighborhoods, geothermal provides consistent and clean energy. But geothermal generating stations entail complicated design issues that are costly, and the area that is actually needed for the piping and other technologies is "quite large" and not...
First of all, damning rivers destroys fish habitat and in the case of salmon, damned rivers are a disaster. Also, hydroelectric dams "…produce significant amounts of carbon dioxide and methane," according to New Scientist (Graham-Rowe, 2005). Large amounts carbon "…tied up in trees and other plants are released when the reservoir is initially flooded and the plants rot…plant matter settling on the bottom decomposes without oxygen, resulting in a build-up of dissolved methane" (Graham-Rowe).
Nuclear Power: Accidents from nuclear plants cause serious radiation poisoning in humans and even small released of radiation can cause cancer. Radioactive waste is highly radioactive for thousands of years and even the process of mining uranium leaves "mill tailings" which exposes radon to the public (Cohen, 2004).
Fukushima nuclear disaster vs. Chernobyl: Following the massive earthquake and deadly tsunami in Japan in 2011 -- that killed an estimated 20,000 people -- the Fukushima nuclear plant lost electrical power and suffered a catastrophic meltdown. The company that operates the plant…
Works Cited
. Clean Energy Ideas. (2009). Geothermal Power / Advantages & Disadvantages of Wind
Retrieved October 25, 2012, from http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com. .
Cohen, Bernard L. (2004). Risks of Nuclear Power. University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved October
25, 2012, from http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/np-risk.htm.
Retrieved October 25, 2012, from http://www.newscientist.com.
Higson, Don. (2012). Don't compare Fukushima to Chernobyl. New Scientist. Retrieved October 25, 2012, from http://www.newscientist.com.
Admits. The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2012, from http://www.guardian.co.uk.
Energy in the United States In terms of total use in the year 2010, the United States was the second largest consumer of energy (Barr, 2012). After Canada and a couple of small nations, the United States comes at the seventh position in the per capita energy consumption (World Resources Institute, 2001). In this energy consumption, the energy that is used overseas for the production of the retail goods used in
This can merely be helpful on local level but not at all on the global level. Radioactive materials in low quantities are present in fossil fuels, chiefly in coal and using them in heavy amounts can have more hazardous effects on the environment causing radioactive contamination globally. This is a much more pressing concern when compared to the radioactive contamination within a nuclear power station as the noxious waste in
Nuclear energy possesses perhaps the largest potential for growth over the next few decades. The reason for this is the simple fact that it creates a relatively small amount of environmental pollution and can be adapted for use in nearly any part of the world. It certainly poses some security risks if it this technology is misused or mishandled, but the benefits certainly outweigh the costs. This type of energy
Energy Efficiency and Environmental Justice… Policy Energy Efficiency Energy Efficiency and Environmental Justice: From Incentive only to Mandate with Incentive Policy Plans Energy Efficiency and Environmental Justice: From Incentive only to Mandate with Incentive Policy Plans Energy Efficiency and Environmental Justice Policy Barriers Under the provision of 12 U.S.C. § 1701t: U.S. Code - Section 1701T, Congress has reaffirmed the right of all U.S. citizens and especially those who cannot provide housing accommodations for
Nuclear Energy: Risks vs. Reward Every source of energy has its own drawbacks. This is more so the case taking into consideration the recent energy source related accidents including but not limited to coal-mining mishaps, the nuclear crisis in Japan, the B.P. oil spill, etc. In this text, I will amongst other things concern myself with nuclear power and the consequences associated with the development of the same. As I have already
Hydrogen power is a little harder to understand than other power sources that one is used to experiencing every day such as the sun and wind. Hydrogen power results from the reaction of hygrogen gas and oxygen gas to create water (Karim and Strickland, 2000). This reaction creates a lot of energy that can be harnessed by fuel cells and used to produce electricity. There are several advantages to hydrogen power.