My research topic was the cost and availability of wind and solar power. Here I'll just summarize some of the information I talked about during my presentation Monday.
With fossil fuels polluting our planet and causing alarming climate changes, many people are looking for alternative, more Earth-friendly sources of energy. This is where wind turbines and solar panels come in: they're sources of clean, renewable, abundant energy that doesn't rely on carbon-emitting fossil fuels.These technologies are constantly improving and becoming increasingly affordable. The set-up cost can still be off-putting to some people, but solar and wind energy has never been more affordable. Residential wind turbines powerful enough to power a large home can cost upwards of $50k to $80k, but residential solar panels are a bit cheaper at $15k to $40k to provide power to a home.
However, these forms of energy are not without their downsides. For example, many people cannot afford to setup solar panels or a wind turbine for their home. Also, the sun is not always shining bright and wind is not always blowing, so there are times when these technologies are not as effective as others. Also there are some safety concerns concerning turbines, as there are several stories of turbines falling over and hurting somebody, or of somebody falling off while maintaining the turbine.
I don;t have much experience with solar panels, but is there a way they could make them smaller and therefore more affordable. They say they can produce enough energy to power a house for over a day, so if they make them a little smaller, could they still power a house for a day? I know in my yard at home, we have yard lights that are solar powered. Even small steps like this can make a huge impact if we can continue to change the energy source of old and new technologies.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really cool, from an engineering perspective, is the new battery technology being rolled out for homes. Imagine having the sun and wind charge up your house's battery all day and then using that power to keep the lights on and the refrigerator running at night. Even if these batteries only pose as modest improvements when paired to the renewable energy it will be a good step towards weening ourselves off of fossil fuels.
ReplyDeleteI think that these sources of alternative energy are something we definitely need to pursue integrating into our daily lives. Solar and wind energy seem to be the best option for going into the right direction of helping decrease our footprint on the earth. While it may prove to be expensive in some aspects, overall it will prevent problems from becoming worse due to fossil fuel emissions, which would probably be a lot more expensive.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 4 of Eaarth, Mckibben mentioned that we need to focus on communities more in order to provide what we need. I think that this really rings true for energy. He mentioned how people believe that for in order for something to be effective, it needs to be made in the large scale, however this is not true. Mckibben brings up the energy lost in transmission. While it may not be realistic, I visualize homes in the future (as wind power and solar power becomes more accessible) to have their own wind turbines and solar panels, and thus being able to supply almost all of the energy that they need.
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