Blog 8: The limits of a renewable energy

While the efforts to strive toward a cleaner and more efficient Earth to inhabit, we still come across our limits as described by Matthew Stepp. Across the world, coal has been used rather a primary resource as opposed to solar and wind energy in a one to eight ratio last year. China is the leading country in wind farming. Although China is rapidly growing in renewable energy, it is still not sufficient enough to run their industries. In 2011 China created plants in Texas and Ohio to mine coal for their industries. With the production of natural resources such as oil and coal continuing and further thriving, a fear of our climate changing is a big risk. Within the last couple years carbon emissions have dramatically increased, worrying the environmentalist. It was recorded that 2012 was the warmest year ever recorded by a grand difference. As the carbon emissions are out growing the earth's vegetation to convert it back to oxygen, the emissions as said to be eating through our Earth's O-zone layer. Change is required to keep sustainability on this earth. Researchers say that through a combination of energy efficiency and renewable technologies, we can solve the problem of climate change. “Renewable electricity generation from technologies that are commercially available today, in combination with a more flexible electric system, is more than adequate to supply 80% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2050 while meeting electricity demand on an hourly basis in every region of the country.” Physicist Amory Lovins, exclaimed as he was speaking with others relating to the field of study. Although this licensed Physicist felt so strongly about his hypothesis, he was indeed proven wrong in later studies. It was researched that more than just wind energy and solar energy are needed to make anywhere close to these claims. Other means of renewable energy sources play a big part in water. In lakes and rivers, dams are created to harness the energy gravity plays on the ever-flowing water downstream. In oceans and seas, wave power is used. Though generators placed floating on top the water, anchored to the sea floor, or built on the bank of the ocean, these different schematics use the energy given out by the force the moon pushes on the water creating waves of power. It was proven that even half of the energy of the US consumption could not be feasibly nourished by just solar and wind energy. The alternative hydropower referred to earlier will play a big part of future renewable energy usage around the word.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/matthew-stepp-overlooking-the-limits-of-renewable-energy/2013/04/04/d6df6666-9adf-11e2-9a79-eb5280c81c63_story.html