Brianna's+Content+Essay

Sunbeam Systems is a Solar Energy company focused on bringing more aware the most adequate source of energy known as Solar Energy. Solar energy is defined as “the radiant energy emitted by the sun.” This energy is a tremendously green alternative to conventional sources of energy including fossil fuels and thermal energy because it does not leave behind waste products, and does not have the dangers of nuclear technology. According to statistics from Schott, a German company that makes solar thermal equipment “solar energy costs about 15 to 17 cents a kilowatt” with conventional energy including coal, natural gas, and petroleum costing up to 4 to 6 cents a kilowatt. The pros of this perpetual resource includes its ability to be installed into remote locations that are not linked to a national grid, its production of “quiet electricity” opposed to some renewable resources like wind turbines, and the fact that once installed they provide a free source of electricity. By getting more people interested in the use of Solar Energy we can efficiently begin to lower cost and the reliance of fossil fuels. Another known energy is wind power. This source of energy is more beneficial to farmers than to people living in suburban areas where wind turbines would ultimately be disruptive and inconvenient. The use of wind turbines allow for a substantial amount of income for poor rural farmers by allowing the use of their energy to local people in their area. Although this energy is a renewable resource it comes with its disadvantages including the wind turbines ability to be severely damaged or destroyed when faced with storms, “lack of constant energy production due to irregular wind speeds” says wind power researcher Kevin Connell, and the death of birds due to the fast rotation of the blades. After analyzing the use of wind power, this type of alternative energy does not help enough people outside of rural areas to be highly sufficient.

Biofuels are defined as liquid fuels derived from plant or animal materials. Although the use of biofuels is an exceptional replacement to the use of oil products like petroleum and diesel, “the increase use of them will lead to more and more land being used to produce crops to make these biofuels ultimately resulting in the loss of habitat for “various animals and plants” says environmentalist Mark Watson. Through studying the use of biofuels researchers are well aware that biofuels do not release enough carbon dioxide to set off the green house effect, but the burning of materials to produce biofuels emit enough nitrous oxide to create a greenhouse effect. With the knowledge of biofuel and how it is known for hurting more than helping our environment the process of biofuel production as been stationed as non suitable also creating negative effects on food production. As now no way of producing biofuels has been found that do not cause any environmental problems.

Nuclear energy also comes with its fair share of disadvantages. Nuclear Power is defined as the energy released by a nuclear reaction. One of the many problems of nuclear energy is finding a way in which to store or dispose nuclear waste. In turn the disposal of radioactive waste is a huge concern to the environment and landfills. The radiation released by nuclear energy is extremely harmful to human and animals. Nuclear energy also comes with the fact that “many companies and communities do not want nuclear plants near there communities” says construction contractor Michael Stoger “its inconvenient and unsafe.”

Although the simple design used for hydroelectric energy makes for inexpensive repairs and maintenance cost the production of hydro elective power requires flooding of entire valleys and sometimes some scenic areas. These inconvenient floods can disrupt seasonal natural river flows changes, and ecosystems. Dams for this energy source are extremely expensive and often times become useless due to drought or may end up producing less power than hoped for. Often times “dams break in massive flash floods, leading to plant decay and the production of greenhouse gases” says the head of Colorado River authority Don Park. These disadvantages prove the dams to be highly insufficient, especially in places that depend of the efficiency of resources.

Work Cited West, Larry. "The Pros and Cons of biofuels." // Http: // about.com //. Larry West, 22 Oct. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. [[file: // / [|fossil fuel information]

West, Larry. "The Pros and Cons of biofuels." // Http: // about.com //. Larry West, 22 Oct. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. // http://www.environment.about.com/od/fossilfuels/a/biofuels.htm [|enviromental information]

// Http: // www.energy-consumers-edge.com //. Energy consumers edge, 13 Oct. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. [|wind power information] //

Http: // www.clean-energy-ideas.com/articles/pros_and_cons_of_solar_energy.html //. Clean Energy Ideas, 20 Sept. 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2009. [|]|solar energy information]]

Hydroelectric Energy. J B Chaparal Corp, 10 Aug. 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2009. [|hydroelectric information] // Hydroelectric // .

// How Nuclear Power Works //. Marshall Brain and Robert Lamb, 14 Oct. 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. nuclear energy information  http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power5.htm