Olivia's+Essay

=Olivia's Energy Essay=

Central Power is a hydroelectric energy company. Hydropower uses hydroelectric dams which use the natural flow of the water to produce energy. The dams can store rain water or water from the river inside. So, in case of a drought the dam would still be able to make energy because it would have saved water to run on. The hydroelectric dams can control flooding and make reservoirs for recreational activates. The dam has a very simple design, if there were to be damage the cost of repairs are very inexpensive. The dams can also be shut down instantly. If there were to be an emergency the dam could be shut down within minutes, whereas nuclear plants take days. The fish are able to pass through the dams safely with a fish ladder (Goldman 11). This allows the fish to swim safely through the dam without getting injured.

Wind Power is also another type of clean energy, but not efficient. The wind turbines can be damaged very easily from lightning. The blades kill many birds who attempt to fly in-between them. The wind is not always constantly going at the speed that it needs to, to power the turbines. Therefore the energy is not constantly being supplied. This means that the wind turbines won’t work in many places because there are low wind speeds or random wind patterns. They also interfere with the view “local concerns over how wind turbines will affect landscape views may have some merit”. Many people rather not have big loud turbines near them. The noise isn’t the only think that would affect them. The turbines can mess up radio signals and phone signals.

Bio-fuels are very easy to use, but they are not easy to find in nature. There are many machines that can now be ran on biofuel, but there are no biofuel gas stations. Biofuel comes from organic materials such as plants and crops. There is a widespread demand for biofuels, but are there enough crops to support the demand. When making biofuel we are using up our food source. Also, to make the biofuel out of the cellulose has to be broken into small oxygen rich molecules (Scientific America 55). This means that it takes more energy for the production of biofuel then biofuel can actually produce.

Solar Energy seems like a good clean energy source, but in reality it’s not. The costs of the solar cells are very expensive and usually exceed $1000 dollars. Many households and buildings will most likely need more than one panel. Solar Energy is only able to produce energy during the day when the sun is shining directly on it. This means that for almost half of the day, you are not getting energy. The weather can play a big part in effecting the cells. The cells can be damaged in weather. Pollution levels can affect the efficiency of the cells, so therefore they could not be used in cities, where electricity is most needed. In order for the solar power to advance a high volt energy grid has to be built to transfer energy to various places (A Solar Grand Plan 67). Nuclear energy can produce high amounts of power, but it produces dangerous waste. The waste is radioactive which is very dangerous to human beings. There can be “leakage of radioactive gases or fluids in an accident” (Next Generation Nuclear Power 4).If a terrorist were to attack a nuclear plant the aftermath would be devastating, wiping out millions of people. The waste can be taken and made into dangerous weapons which make the running of this very dangerous. Uranium is what runs the power plant, and this resource is very scarce.