Our+Ideas!


 * Kellen Kane: **

We are in a world full of technological advances, providing us with almost whatever we need within a rather quick timeframe. However, in order to provide an energy source, the environment may have to suffer. A variety of the very useful sources can heavily damange the environment. On the contrary, the ones that are safe for the environment do not quite produce the quota set to fit the needs of an advancing world. Without keeping the future in perspective, the most useful sources of energy within the next two to five years include: fossil fuels, coal, and biomass.

Fossil Fuels: Currently, the world is run basically with the energy created by fossil fuels. Cars are run on fossil fuels, as well as house heating. The fuel used to perform these tasks is derived from the fossil fuels. In order to use the energy from these fossil fuels, it needs to be heated or burned, which creates gasses which are then released into the air. The air pollution released from the gasses is credited to be responsible for global climate change and the hole in the ozone layer. They severely harm the envrinment, however, they are the most used fuel sources due to their availability and convenience. They also are cheaper to produce and take a lot less time to do so.

Biomass: One type of alternative energy that may be a good choice to use as a substitution and a reliable energy source is biomass. Biomass is renewable, consequently meaning that it is very reliable and could form a sturdy base to a constant energy source. They are very easily produced and may be used on a more rapid basis compared to the other energy sources. One of the major downfalls of biomass is the releasing of the green house gases into the environment. Also, is it very costly in order to make available to the general public of the world.

Coal: Coal is a very good candidate in order to provide energy within the next two to five years. Coal is already commonly used, especially in the winter, to heat houses. It is already providing energy and there is a rather abundant source of it. Despite the abundant source, coal is nonrenewable. This means that if the coal reserves are used up, we would need to find another source of energy. However, since this is mainly focusing on the two to five year period, it is a very reliable source because the likelyhood of running out by then is very slim. It is in no way a reliable long term energy source that can be counted on for hundreds of years, however. A downside to coal is that it pollutes the air. It is the reason that we have acid rain. Coal needs to be burned, therefore it releases pollutants into the air.

There are many different types of alternative energy that can be easily used by the entire world in the next twenty to fifty years. In my opinion however, the most effective solutions to the problem of finding alternative energy sources are the use of solar energy, wind energy, and hydro electric energy. I believe that these are all efficacious renewable energy sources and they can all be generated fairly easily. Unfortunately, producing them is very expensive at this time. In the long run however, the price of the equipment used to create these types of energy will go down as production becomes more frequent. Solar energy is very good for the environment. It is a very "green" form of energy. Solar energy comes from collecting energy from the sun by the use of panels that are placed in placed with a lot of direct sunlight. It emits the least amount of waste and is clean and healthy. Also, solar energy is renewable and can be stored in solar panels for short amounts of time. The only down side to this method is that it takes a great deal of sunlight in order to collect enough solar energy to run all the equipment in a house or a building for extended periods of time. Thankfully, there are ways that this can be solved. With more testing, solar power can become a more efficient way to produce energy. Another alternative energy source that can be mass produced and used widely is wind energy. Wind energy is created when wind turbines collect the energy from the wind and either use it right away or store it for use at a later time. Wind energy is safe on the environment but is still very expensive to produce because the turbines are so big. This specific type of energy is not very popular, which causes the prices of the turbines to greatly increase. However, once the economy starts to heal and the country has the money to invest in cleaner energy sources, it is a very likely candidate. With the mass production of these turbines, the cost to make them will increase due to the decrease of the demand for them. The third candidate to be used as a future energy source would be hydroelectric. This is energy that is produced by the movement of water. With hydroelectric, there is no pollution, which is a very good feature to have equipped. There is also not a lot of noise with the hydroelectric turbines. Much like the others, it is very expensive to create. However, it will become more cost efficient in the future, which makes it a very good candidate for a possible source in the future.

Energy is something that we will always need, but the different types of energy sources that are out there have expanded a lot in recent years. Energy is used to power so many of the things that we use in everyday life, so it’s extremely important that we take advantage of these resources while also keeping the environment in mind. Within the next two to five years, our energy sources will continue to deplete in size, so it’s important to use the right kinds of energy sources in this two to five year time frame.
 * Katherine Kauffman: **

I believe that these better energy sources include: oils, synfuels, and coal. Oils, such as natural gas or fossil fuels, are one of the most common current providers of energy all around the world. I would have to say that oils will continue to be our most important energy source in the next two to five years. These oils come from nature, being made over the last millions of years deep in the ground. Once oil is welled, it is used to create fuel, which is then used in transportation, heating, and electricity. Oil is turned into gas, which fuels modes of transportation like cars, trains, and planes. Without these forms of transportation, our society would be very different and people wouldn’t travel as much, which is one reason why oils are so important in transportation. It is also used to heat homes because heat is essential to all households. For example, kerosene heaters are run on kerosene, which is a type of oil. Oil then affects electricity because some forms of oil power some electric appliances. Unfortunately oil is non renewable because it comes from decayed plants and animals that have been in the ground for millions of years. Because of this, we should be weaning off of oils to use other forms of renewable energy, but for the next two to five years, oil is still a good source of energy to use.

Another form of energy that I believe is important to be used in the next two to five years is coal. Coal comes from the ground, where plants and other things have been for millions of years, which makes it non renewable. Even though it is nonrenewable, it still can be used for the time being because there’s still a lot of it. Coal affects transportation because some trains still run on coal. It also is used for heating because it can provide a great amount of heat and it’s easy to burn and to be used for heat. A lot of people still use coal to heat their homes because it isn’t expensive. Coal is used in power plants as electricity too. When coal is burned, it creates steam, which in return generates electricity for power plants to use.

Synfuels are another important energy source to be used in the next two to five years, in my opinion. Synfuel is another type of fuel, but it is synthetically made of coal, oil shale, natural gas, and biomass. It then has to be converted into an energy source. Synfuels are then used to help coal, which means that it can be used for heating houses and buildings. Synfuels can also be used for some forms of transportation since it is used with coal, meaning that it can be used do provide electricity. The downside is that it is very expensive to create synfuels.

In the next twenty to fifty years, a lot of our natural resources that are nonrenewable will be running out. This provides a problem, so we must find alternative forms of energy. In my opinion, I believe that the best energy sources to use during this time frame would include: hydropower, wind, and solar power. Hydropower energy is generated from the water in dams and then is run through power plants to create electricity. Hydropower energy is renewable because the water is reused over and over again to continue to create electricity. It then can be used to create electricity to fuel other power plants. It isn’t really used for transportation, but it can use its electricity to provide heat to homes and factories. It can be expensive to build dams, but they quickly make enough money to pay back the initial start up costs.

Wind energy is another renewable energy resource. It uses the wind to spin turbines that then create power, so this means that power can be generated whenever the wind blows. Since it creates electricity, it can be used to power factories or buildings. It’s not really used for transportation or heat, but it’s still very useful when it comes to generating electricity to power other electric machines. The only bad thing is that the price to build wind farms can be very expensive, but it’d still be a good source of energy.

Solar energy is the final energy source that I think would be good to use in the next twenty to fifty years. Solar energy comes from the sun and it uses solar panels to capture the heat of the sun and convert it into power. It is a renewable resource since the sun shines almost everyday, aside from cloudy days, which makes it good to use. It is then used in heating because it uses the heat that the solar panels capture to provide heat to houses and buildings. Its heat also can be used to harness electricity. Finally, the power that comes from solar energy isn’t really used in transportation. Solar panels can be expensive to buy, but in the long run, they’re beneficial because they don’t need much maintenance to keep them running efficiently.

In my opinion, my dream kind of energy resource would be any of them that are renewable. I want to help protect the environment, wile also helping people to receive energy and power. I think that it's important to treat the planet right because essentially it is what creates all of these renewable resources that we use. The better we treat the earth, the healthier it will be to then create more of these renewable resources. At the end of the day we need energy, so we have to make conscious decisions now on how we want to create energy in the future.


 * Ashleigh McKinney: **

Energy is all around us. It makes our appliances work, heats our homes, and makes it possible for us to do many everyday activities. The only problem is, finding the best energy source for everyone. So far, there is not one known source of energy that does affect the environment in some way. But as of right now, I believe the best energy resources are: wood and coal.

I believe wood is a very good resource for the current environment. It is the easiest and most available form of energy as of present day. It burns completely, and it leaves a considerably small carbon footprint compared to other sources of energy. It does not cost millions to produce either. But like any form of energy, it has its drawbacks. Wood is a renewable resource, but if everyone in the world were to use wood energy at the same time there would be a serious case of deforestation. It would be because trees do not grow as fast as consumer demand. Also, fires can become unstable rather fast, and that could create a structure fire. So wood is a very considerable and great source of energy for the present day.

Coal is another resource that can be considered a good source of energy. It is a cheap resource, and in times where money is tight it can be considered the best resource. There is also no need for any special high-tech machinery to burn coal. Not to mention, there is a great abundance of the resource as of today. Unfortunately it is not a renewable resource. So when all the coal has been burned up, there will never be anymore. When it is gone, it is gone. Also, if one were to be around the fumes exhibited by the burning coal, they could develop a case of lung cancer. Coal releases about twice as much carbon dioxide than any other source of energy. It makes it one of the least environmentally friendly energy sources in existence.

A more environmentally friendly resource would be geothermal energy. It does not use fossil fuels, and it does not release as much carbon dioxide gas as most power plants. It is a renewable resource because it uses the heat from the earth’s core. The problems with this resource are that they cannot be built wherever. There needs to be a geothermal reservoir nearby. Also, wastes are created in bulk, and they can be toxic. Other than that, it is a great resource for the present day.

So the world seems to be set for the next decade on energy sources, but what happens when some of our sources start to drastically deplete in 40-50 years? Scientists are already developing new ways for us to become accessible to new forms of energy. They are experimenting with atoms and drawing the energy from them. Some of the potential sources for the future are: wind, nuclear, and biomass energy.

Wind energy is already in use today, but it is not used on a great scale. It is still in a testing stage. Wind energy does not pollute the environment in any way. Since it captures the wind that is renewable it does not affect nature. They use less energy than they need to function. After an initial starting cost, wind turbines cost little money. The two major issues concerning wind energy are noise pollution, and a slight environmental impact. There is noise pollution because the turbines create a loud noise when in use. The sound can be described as a jet taking off next to you. And the small environmental impact is if a bird were to fly through the turbines. They would get killed by the blades. Otherwise, it is a very good potential source for the future.

Nuclear energy is another example of a form of energy in a testing process as the future energy source. It is a low costing source. It also is good for the environment in the way that it releases very few greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide. The waste that it makes can be recycled and then reprocessed. The biggest problem concerning nuclear energy is the waste it makes. The waste can remain toxic for anywhere from 200-500 thousand years. This makes the towers that hold the waste a prime stop for terrorists to target if they were planning an attack. There are also many unknown risks revolving around nuclear energy.

Lastly there is the biomass energy resource. It is a good resource because it uses the garbage and waste that have absorbed the sun’s energy. It also uses material from plants and animals. The resource is renewable because plants can be re-grown and there is always waste in the world. The use of this source reduces the need for others such as foreign oil, which is non-renewable and expensive. It does produce an amount of carbon dioxide from the burning material into the atmosphere. If the process was done sloppily then it could possibly pollute the water and air. Otherwise, it too is an acceptable candidate for a potential source of energy for the future.

So all in all, there is abundance in the amount of resources available for uses of energy. Not all of them are environmentally friendly, but some of them come really close, like wind energy. Others are not so friendly, but they are ready to use now, and they work great, such as coal. Energy sources can be formed from practically anything around us, as long as we come up with a way to concentrate it. There are an infinite amount of possibilities of things to be used for energy. One day, scientists might start to harvest energy form other planets let alone earth. Maybe 200 years from now, all of our energy will come from the planet mars. Then our environment will not be effected at all in the process.


 * Taylor Fazzini **