Issue Identification: Renewable Energy

            Whether we are ready for it or not, the world’s oil supply is finite, and will eventually run dry. Nobody will deny that. Very little wide-scale action however, is being put into effect to try to find a sustainable alternative to oil. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to feel safe and know for a fact that we have a reliable source to fall back on by the time the oil wells run dry. Quite possibly, the hardest part of this process is that there are simply so many different forms of renewable energy alternatives to pick from.  There are the more obvious types, such as Solar (sun), Hydro (water), and wind energy, but there are also a few lesser-known types of energy. There’s biomass energy, which essentially derives its energy from dead plants and other things that we often label as garbage. There’s geothermal energy, which takes it’s energy from the immense heat and pressure found under the earth’s surface. Also, lets not forget the slightly more controversial alternative to fossil fuels: Nuclear Power.

            According to Renewable Energy Focus, the best alternatives that are suitable for large-scale energy production are Wind energy, and solar energy. They address the issue of intermittency, or reliability, and decide that a solar system that is supplemented with wind energy would be the most reliable source of renewable alternative energy. Due to this problem of intermittency that surrounds renewable sources, it is unlikely that there will be a stand-alone renewable alternative to fossil fuels.

            Though solar has been accepted by most as one of the most viable source of renewable energy for our future, it does not come without its drawbacks. According to the article “Assessing the Risks in Solar Project Development,” found on Renewable Energy World, solar development comes with multiple hazards and risks. Solar parks, vast amounts of solar panels, can be extremely hard to build, and operate. The expense of building these systems may also out way the benefits.  Solar energy plants are also more fragile, and more susceptible to vandalism, or even terror attacks, than your typical power plant. A damaged solar park would not be able to export an adequate amount of energy. And most surprising of all, there are environmental issues. The building of these large-scale solar parks requires a large amount of open space. An open, undeveloped field would be the perfect place for their construction.

            While the article from Renewable Energy World does bring up some good points, most of the drawbacks that they list seem to me like they would come along with any sort of power plant construction. I’m sure if we set some intelligent minds on it, they could figure out ways to protect the solar panels, and as for being hard to operate… Well I’m sure all power plants are hard to operate. That’s why you would need to make sure you hire qualified and competent employees.