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Chart on the renewable energy being utilized in the world in 2005.
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RENEWABLE ENERGY
IT'S TIME!
I've done a lot of research in the past few weeks about the proposed wind farm on Nantucket Sound by Cape Wind and it's very hard to come to a decision; for, or against. On the one hand you have the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) from The Army Corps of Engineers stating that there will be little or no impact aesthetically or environmentally, and on the other hand you have evidence from around the globe that says that wind power is not a viable source, that it will cost the consumer more in the end, have a negative impact on the environment, look terrible, and kill the tourist trade. Will people, at first, flock to see it? And then eventually be sick of it? Who's to know? How Americans adjust to change varies, but change is inevitable....
After looking at all the evidence, for, and against, I came up with some ideas of my own. First off, wind power in Nantucket Sound, can be, if done wisely, a very good renewable source. The problem is, that by itself, it can't do the job that is projected, it has to be supplemented with some other renewable source(s), one of which is solar energy. If people were to install photovoltaic solar panels on the roofs of their homes the electricity generated during a sunny day could generate enough power to cool their homes in the summer and heat them in the winter, and on days that nether are needed the energy produced could actually be sold back to the grid. Cost at this time is an issue, but some companies in the U.S. are offering incentives that make it worth while, and grid parity, the point at which photovoltaic electricity is equal to, or cheaper than grid power is something George W. Bush is hopping to be achieved by 2015.
Other sources of renewable energy are: "kinetic" (wave, tidal, hydro, [and wind]) which are the cleanest; biofuels and biomass, which take a lot of energy to make; and geothermal, heat from the earth. But unfortunately all those mentioned are not viable sources, the wave and tidal would not work well in this area, not enough energy; bio sources are to expensive and need fossil fuel to make, producing CO2's; and for geothermal we'd have to dig pretty deep to tap into the warmth of the earth around here--not!
So here we stand, a need to cut back on our dependency on imported oil, a need to cut back on greenhouse gas, and a need to cut back on the ridiculous amount of money we spend ($400.00 a month in my house on heat alone!), what's up with that? I realy want that HDTV!
Now we come to aesthetics, do we have the right to preserve the beauty of our home? Yes we do, but we also have a responsibility to help Mother Earth in any way we can to protect her, and if we can cut emissions by at least 500 tons annually can't we put up with a little eye sore? OK, so there is some risk to the environment, but it is very small, there has been very little environmental impact at any of the off shore wind farm sites that exist now, and isn't it much better to have them far out in the Sound (they really aren't that close) then in your back yard as some people do?
Before we go any further I think you should know a few things about renewable energy sources. First off, "kinetic energy", the second most abundant renewable resource on earth has been utilized by man since the beginning of time. Through the use of moving water, wind and tide. From the ancient Greek word; (kinëtikos) "one who puts in motion", it has given man the means to transport, build and destroy. It has shaped the powers of this world--long before fossil fuels ever came into being! But now they play a very small part in the scheme of things, their potential is something to be reckoned with.
Look at the facts: If harnessed aggressively, kinetic energy could potentially reach 60% of the world's energy needs in less then 40 years--60%! That is hardly something to sneeze at. Wind power alone could supply 100% of the worlds energy needs but in the next 40 years it could be up to 30%; hydro power (tidal, wave, dams & streams), could power up to 40%, more then half of the 16% it supplies the world with now (the U.S. is only utilizing 6.4% of it's potential water energy); then there's geothermal, potentially another 10% (but geothermal can be depleted with continuous extraction); and last, but not least, the "Sun". The Sun, the most abundant renewable energy source of all! If harnessed to it's full potential it could supply 89,000 TW, world demand only calls for 15 TW, and working with other renewable energy sources, together they could supply the worlds energy needs till the end of time! That includes biofuel and biomass production for combustible applications. We could be fossil free in the next forty years! Forty years! But we have to be aggressive, we have to push for it at all levels, political, industrial, civil--that means home, place of worship, work and play; to fight for what is right; and what is right is to stop the use of fossil fuels--it's destroying our world and killing us!
We've known that we've been hurting our Earth for a long time; rivers, oceans, earth and air; the cutting of trees, polluting water, destroying habitats. Now is the time to take a stand! Kinetic & Solar energy is the wave of the future, let's embrace it with open arms and fight for it at every level! For peace of mind, for our children, for our Earth!
| For: | and | Against: |
|---|---|---|
| American Wind Energy Association | | | Aweo.org |
| Small Wind | | | Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound |
| c|net News.com | | | WindStop.org |
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