Chautauqua County Energy Conference Scholarship Essay by Alice Reid > Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

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Chautauqua County Energy Conference Scholarship Essay by Alice Reid
Tuesday, November 02, 2010

What Should Power This In 2020?

by Alice Reid - !^st prize recipient

Mother Nature provided us with everything we need to create our own energy. Harvesting fossil fuels has led to contamination of our world, with the oil spill in the Gulf being the latest. With more public awareness and acceptance of renewable energy and its benefits, ideally within 10 years more residential energy consumers will be drawn to wind and solar energy.

Wind farms are springing up along the coasts and even in the Midwest here in America. This type of harnessed energy may not be aesthetically pleasing but in terms of energy produced and cost-effectiveness it is proving to be more practical than fossil fuels. The amount of electricity generated from wind farms in 2009 alone was enough to power 6.4 million households or the entire State of Wisconsin. America is not alone in harnessing the wind, much of Europe and the Asian countries have implemented this technology. Wind power capacity growth will reach 447GW in the next five years, A research company in New Hampshire has recently patented the Fuller Wind Turbine which uses no large blades and is assembled within a housing.

Lake Erie is being transformed in the Cleveland, Ohio area with wind turbines. When completed, the turbines will be able to produce 20 megawatts of power and are predicted to supply one gigawatt by 2020. Water-based turbines are becoming more noticeable and are still able to produce as much energy as land-based turbines.

Tax breaks and green pricing programs offer even more incentive to switch to wind power but seasonal variations need to also be addressed. If wind speed is not constant or fluctuates, greatly due to weather or location, another energy source is needed so as to not disrupt the flow of electricity. Yet even this is being addressed. As the earth's surface heats up, it determines the speed and flow of wind, for instance, at night the wind blows stronger. The extra energy can be stored into batteries and then tapped into, especially during peak times, when more electricity is in demand.

Solar energy is a positive renewable resource, and high cost has been a factor. Yet now there is an available program where an energy unit can be installed and coupled with net-metering laws, proving most cost efficient. The net-metering laws allow solar energy systems to connect to the power company while the consumer still pays per kilowatt. Initially the program has been incorporated by a company that "rents" the unit at a locked rate based on the previous years energy consumption with the local provider and is responsible for installation and maintenance. http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/solar-power/

Future homes also have a chance of becoming their own energy generators. Houses using solar energy or other small generators, could be connected to an electricity grid. When energy is in high demand within a household, extra energy is drawn from the grid, when energy need is low, surplus energy goes into the grid and is saved for when consumption needs are high. The fuel cells that could provide an entire household with energy, are about the size of a photocopier, and are powered with methanol. Methanol splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, and then is bonded back into water again, thus, generating energy. This contraption is expensive, but cheaper models will some day become widely available. (A Guide to Modem Science: Science and Technology in Today's World)

Solar panels are becoming more power efficient. An example of one of these inventions is a device called a polymer film sticker, which increases power output by 10%. A team at a California University has even come up with organic photovoltaic cells that are flexible yet economical. Tests have shown that efficiency of these new items increases energy output anywhere from 7% to 30%. http://www.alternative-energynews.info/technology/solar-power/

Perhaps the biggest obstacle would be the current power companies. While still supplying the bulk of their power to local industry, why not initialize a program where wind and solar energies would be made available to the general public. Both of these ideas combined would be beneficial. If the local power companies and government could work together to introduce the consumer to alternative energies while incorporating incentives along the lines of Energy Star and/or rebates then the financial repercussions would benefit the local economy. http://www.epa.gov/sectors/energy/

The world as we know it is changing, Fossil fuels are becoming obsolete and scarce. Now is the time to embrace the renewable resources we have around us. Utilize and support new technology in the pursuit of a cleaner, safer energy source.

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