Fossil Fuels And Renewable Energy In The United States

In the United States, the majority of the population consumes 85% of the energy we use today such as oil, natural gas, and coal which are known as fossil fuels. Since it is said that fossil fuels are harmful to the environment, the presence of renewable energy sources exists (ie. Wind farms, Solar Panels, and hydroelectricity) as they reduce the amount of climate change that is going on as of today. The main issue with renewable energy is that people are saying they want to switch from fossil fuels to renewables 100% complete when we can’t necessarily do that at an instant. By the 1970s renewable energy was introduced and has made some improvements, but they have not surpassed the usage of fossil fuels overall meaning that it does take a lot to manage these renewable energy sources. Many argue the idea that fossil fuels harm the environment, but we still need them to survive. On the other hand, renewable energy is being represented as the next big thing to take over fossil fuels, but what people don’t know is what has to be done to accomplish this goal to actually fulfill the needs of the people. Therefore, renewable energy cannot replace fossil fuels completely since they are costly, they require lots of land, and they are not reliable enough for people to depend on.

When it comes to going 100% based on renewable energy, people don’t understand how costly these resources can be. The infrastructure of each renewable energy generator will take up time and expenses to fulfill the needs of the people. There are various types of renewable energy. The main renewable energy sources that are going to affect people in a negative manner are wind farms and solar panels. According to the editors of “Real Clear Energy” wind and solar generate the most expensive energy as each kW/h can range up to $500. There are many people who aren’t as fortunate as others when it comes to money due to the fact that in different communities, some people can be struggling to pay their bills. In addition, in the article by Philip Rossetti,” What it Cost to Go 100 Percent Renewable,” he states that in order to go 100% based on renewable energy, it would cost “5.7 trillion in investments.” If 5.7 trillion dollars doesn’t seem to be a vast amount of money, according to the “US Federal Budget”, the US army as of the year of 2019 will be receiving $949.9 billion which is no match compared to renewable energy investments. These renewables can be large in scale which can cost more. In Trent Hamm’s article,” The Cost and Benefits of Installing a Windmill,” he explains the fact that windmills are normally larger in scale which do play a role in its cost. There are renewables that can be placed in one’s home, but it would still cost about “$8,000 to $12,000”(Hamm) depending on the area in which one would live. This is important to know due to the fact that these windmills would be located at homes rather than large deserted fields where lots of money would be put into.

Since the demand for renewable energy sources will over time, prices will skyrocket due to the amount of energy that is being used. For example, organizations are going to have to invest more for themselves and raise prices as everything they use will consist of energy. “Fossil Fuels,” is an article written by Ritchie Hannah, in which she contains a Ph.D. in Geoscience, and Max Roser, an economist from the University of Oxford, and they display all the information on the amount of consumption with energy the U.S, as well as other countries, have contained throughout the years. Since the business industry is an up and running economic source, they would have to pay for their renewable energy supply (Hannah and Roser). This would impact the way we see renewable energy sources because even though they protect the environment, people want to have enough money to pay their bills. When it comes to the idea that not only communities are going to be paying bills at high rates, industries are going to be struggling to withstand theirs, suggests Abhishek Shah in his article” Disadvantages of Renewable Energy- Drawbacks of Different Alternative Energy Sources.” Energy is always going to be used when it comes to industrial work, so payouts due to the amount of energy utilized are going to increase as well (Shah). For the most part, companies are going to be affected since items such as toys, cars, and food are always being processed to sell in different stores. “Joe Rogan- Elon Musk on the Future of Fossil Fuels” is a video uploaded to Youtube by JRE Clips that explains various amounts of situations when it comes to the future of renewable energy sources. Essentially not only will industrial companies be harmed, but electric cars specifically since having to charge them will end up costing more(“Joe Rogan- Elon Musk on the Future of Fossil Fuels”). New regulations as of implementing more charging systems are going to have to be enforced so that parking lots such as shopping centers will be able to sustain their battery percentage, but with a cost.

Since most expenses would be upon the states and then the cities, not every city is capable of affording renewable energy sources. Brian Murray, director of the Duke University Energy Initiative, in his article “The Paradox of Declining Renewable Costs and Rising Electricity Prices,” Murray explains the reasons why renewable energies are expensive. Although it is said to be that “solar panel prices are dropping” (Murray), the installation is still going to be expensive, and electricity bills are going to be soaring higher which defeats the benefits of having renewable energy in the long run. The main reason solar panel prices would drop is to get more consumers at a faster rate. “Barriers to Renewable Energy Technologies,” is an article published by UCSUSA which explains the main factors on how much capital would invest for each resident. In the article, they state that “the average cost in 2017 to install solar systems ranged from a little over $2,000 per kilowatt” when “[a] new natural gas plant might have [cost] around $1,000/kW”(“Barriers to Renewable Energy Technologies”). The cost of renewable energy costs more than natural gas plants which can impact communities that cannot afford to pay. In the article “Benefits of Renewable Energy Use,” published by UCSUSA they assert the fact that renewable energy sources would have stable prices. Although this can be true, the prices would have a high limitation since these renewable are not inexpensive.

As the number of renewable energy sources that would be replacing fossil fuels, much of its terrain should be well considered. In the article published by HelloInspire,“ What is a Wind Farm?” they reveal basic info such as where these renewable are placed and how much electricity they can generate. In addition, most “wind farms are located by the shores of beaches, rivers, and lakes to receive a good amount of wind to generate power”(“What is a Wind Farm?”). This is important as wind farms need consistent wind to generate a sufficient amount of energy. Cris Carl, a member of the Native American Journalists Association and the Society for Environmental Journalists, in her article” How Many Solar Panels Does it Take to Power a House,” Carl explains the costs and as to how many solar panels are needed to power a house alone. When it comes to solar panels, there are some that are placed in deserted areas yet, they would still be high use for houses since some houses are spacious. In order for a house to have sufficient electricity, it would “need about 16 solar panels” (Carl). With 16 solar panels, the people who install them would have to make sure that there’s actually enough space as well as making sure that nothing is blocking them from receiving sunlight. In addition, in communities, one may have to consider the fact that there cannot be any shade around the solar panels because electricity rates will drop. Not to mention, “depending on what direction your house is situated – north/south or east/west, you will have more or less sunshine available to you to convert into solar power”(Carl). If there is no space for these solar panels, then your use of electricity would be limited.

Renewable energy sources, for the most part, are not in small compact compartments which the area has to be measured beforehand. The article published by the NationalWindWatch,” FAQ-Size,” they reveal specific details on various types of windmills such as industrial and ones that can be placed nearby homes. Many “[industrial] wind turbines are a lot bigger than ones you might see in a schoolyard or behind someone’s house”(” FAQ-Size,”). They can be up to “410 feet”(” FAQ-Size,”). Since these parts are at larger scales, more space is required to actually place these windmills without any concern of them hitting each other. Richard Gaughan, a specialist in managing the development of advanced optical technology, he describes in specifics the regulations on how much space wind farms need to be efficient in his article,” How Much Land Is Needed for Wind Turbines.” Gaughan claims that “a 2-megawatt wind turbine would require a total area of about half a square kilometer” just to minimize the amount of turbulence there is so that the wind farms are stable. Since these farms need lots of space, most of the farms would rather more be located in distant areas where not many communities are within range for a stronger connection. In the article,” Commercial Solar Power FAQs,” published by NWWind&Solar, they explain key points when it comes to the placement of solar panels on homes. They stated that “[a] good rule of thumb is that you need 100 square feet of roof space for every 1 kW of conventional solar panels,”(”Commercial Solar Power FAQs”)which explains as to how much space these panels really need in order so that there aren’t any problems. Although 100 square feet might not seem as much space, considering the fact that there would have to be at least 16 of them so that a house can sustain the amount of energy people use today might need a bigger house.

Fossil fuels are way easier to manage when it comes to their use and space since most of these substances are 410ft objects. In the article by Rinkesh,” Advantages of Fossil Fuels,” he states multiple explanations on the main factors of fossil fuels such as their importance and value. For example, he states that “[fossil] fuels contain carbon and hydrogen molecules, making them highly stable,”(Rinkesh) which is important to know since we wouldn’t want fossil fuels being a hazard when transporting. According to the article by Savin Magda,” Fossil Fuels Pros and Cons – AEN News,” she states how fossil fuels can generate more power with less cost compared to renewable energies. In addition, she states that “fossil fuels are still considered today the main energy source on the planet because they are affordable and widely available” (Magda). This is important to know because renewable energy sources can lose lots of money if they can’t generate enough power when all they depend on is the weather. According to the article published by wikiHow,” How to Conserve Fossil Fuels,” explains many variations as to how people today sustain fossil fuels levels. The most common variation worldwide is “[reducing the] use of plastics”(” How to Conserve Fossil Fuels”) since plastic is made from petroleum. This is important because, in order to conserve it, all people have to do it be clean and help the environment.

Having the idea of going 100% renewable resources does sound scary especially when events we can’t control happen to make these renewables unreliable. Throughout the year there are four seasons which does affect the amount of energy we gain from each of them. “ Barriers to Renewable Energy Technologies,” an article published by the Union of Concerned Scientists, have claimed the fact that there are misconceptions with its reliability. They stated that “[solar] and wind are highly predictable, and when spread across a large enough geographic area” it may seem that these renewable will have no problem creating energy. However, every day will not be the same such that for solar power, there will be days where it’s cloudy, reducing the amount of heat omitted. Then, for wind power, although there can be wind farms along shores, those at homes will not make enough power to be as efficient as those by the shores making them unreliable. Solar panels specifically since they are going to be placed above or nearby houses, questions arise when different weather conditions come into play in which explains everything more into detail with the article published by EnergyInformative,” Are Solar Panels Affected by Weather?” In this article, they state that “[solar] panels can be damaged from heavy hailstorms” (” Are Solar Panels Affected by Weather?”) which is important to know because those in these types of conditions where the weather isn’t the best can impact them greatly. In the article by Lauren Dabrowski,” Solar Panel Preparation,” she lists 6 steps that one may need to consider when buying solar panels. She explains as to how “[trees] are beautiful assets to your property,”(Dabrowski) but they do decrease the amount of energy that the solar panel needs to consume so that there is no power loss. For further assurance, energy cannot be created without the use of light according to the article published by NationalGeographic,¨Solar Energy. ̈

Fossil fuels have always been a resource every country looks forward to buying for reasons such as its reliability and efficiency. In the video uploaded by PreagerU, published onto Youtube,” Why You Should Love Fossil Fuels,” explain the basics of what fossil fuels are being used in today’s world. In the video, they state that fossil fuels are good sources so that our “homes are heated up and cooled down when it comes to the different seasons”(” Why You Should Love Fossil Fuels”), not to mention, the use of transportation. This is important because most of the cars today are using fossil fuels since people have to put gas into them. In addition, fossil fuels are mostly used for cars and factories, but they are also good resources for causing a “decrease in the diseases”(”Why You Should Love Fossil Fuels”)that spread around the world. As the many years the United States has been using fossil fuels, they tend to be more efficient than renewable energy since they are being “burned at faster rates”(Magda). Many industries depend much on the reliability as well as the efficiency of fossil fuels in which renewable energy cannot compete with the amount of consistency fossil fuels have.

The amount of time it will take to go completely based on renewable energy will be a problem. Earl J. Ritchie, lecturer, part of the department of construction management, in his article, “The Shift To Renewables: How Far, How Fast?” explains the possibilities of the future since shifting to renewables from one day to the next isn’t quite as possible. The article states how “all electrical generation and ground transportation internationally could be supplied by wind, water, and solar resources as early as 2030,”(J. Ritchie) which is essentially 10 years from now. Ten years may seem like it’s not much, however, even though this is being said, people need to consider the fact that it can take longer due to the fact that everything has to be set up well. If each of the renewables isn’t set, then there can end up being power outages or even malfunctioning generators.

In conclusion, fossil fuels as of today are widely used to generate power when on the other hand, renewable energy sources are coming to rise. However, going 100% based on renewable energy will seem like an overload of power due to the fact that many homes are going to need sufficient energy. In any case of an uncontrollable event, solar panels, and even wind farms can be destroyed and that can potentially cause hundreds or even thousands of homes/ cities to be powerless. Not to mention, the weather is always changing, such as the amount of time the sun is out or if the clouds are blocking the sun’s rays from hitting the panels, which causes a sense of inconsistency of power presenting solar panels to be unreliable. The United States has always relied upon fossil fuels due to the fact that they work the best rather than renewable energy sources. Therefore, fossil fuels will continue to be used more often in which renewable energy sources will not surpass fossil fuels completely.

Works Cited

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