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Four different forms of alternative energies
The new smaller nuclear reactors
A scientist works on alternative energy samples in his lab
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Alternative Energies
Four different forms of alternative energies
Not Gunna Happen
New energy technologies are coming that will shrink our use of fossil fuels and cut emissions of greenhouse gases. But they will not be here soon. That's partly because of the sheer size of the energy market. Global power consumption is estimated to total 150 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2010. The utility industry in the U.S. produced an estimated 3.7 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2009. Nearly half of that was produced by coal, while solar power contributed less than 0.1%. Wind power is one of the fastest-growing sources of renewable energy in the world. This article reports on the reasons why alternative energy sources have little impact on energy development now.
Small Reactor=Big Hope
A new type of nuclear reactor smaller than a rail car and one tenth the cost of a big plant is emerging as a contender to reshape the nation's resurgent nuclear power industry. The news comes just as President Barack Obama announced more than $8 billion in loan guarantees this week that would pave the way for the first nuclear power plant in the U.S. in decades. He has proposed accelerating nuclear development by tripling the amount of federal loan guarantees for reactor construction to $54 billion. This article discusses new nuclear reactor technology in the wake of President Obama's announcement to provide funding for new nuclear plants in the United States.
Clean Energy Moving Forward
"More than 30 energy ministers and delegates from 32 Western Hemisphere countries spent two days in Washington discussing collaborative approaches to a low-carbon future and new partnerships that will help address clean energy and energy security concerns in the region." This article discusses the meeting of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, and details the efforts made towards clean energy development and cooperative efforts to minimize greenhouse gases.
www.windaction.org | facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts
Nuclear Power
The new smaller nuclear reactors
Scientists are Moving Forward
A scientist works on alternative energy samples in his lab
Maybe it's just my computer, but I don't see any hyperlinks and stuff. As for the summaries, I didn't know Barack Obama was supporting nuclear development. I would've figured a liberal would be against nuclear power.
ReplyDeleteThe lings are right below the pictures: Moving Forward, Reactors, and Not Now. And yes he is I think it is to gain some support from republicans. Or because he is finally realizing the wind energy is not very effective
ReplyDeleteI think Obama should be more worried about gaining support from his own party first. But at least he'd doing something effective. Even though Nuclear reactors create a lot of radioactive waste, the power they generate is more than enough to justify it.
ReplyDeleteIsn't a nuclear power plant bad for the environment? I think that by Barrack supporting the plants he would lose a lot of support by many of the environmentalist that he has now. Wind energy may not be very effective right now but i think he should spend money on improving the capablities of it.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that wind power is ineffective is because that it requires an uncontrollable source: wind. Without wind, the windmills are just pretty scenery. So, nuclear power is a better option, simply because we can control the production more easily.
ReplyDeleteYes we may not be able to control wind but with today's world, we should do anything to try and help our earth or we won't have one in the upcoming future. Nuclear power plants hurt our environment so in my opinion we should have it. It may be a longer process for wind power but it is healthier to the earth.
ReplyDeleteThat is why this is an issue. Do we help earth out or do we help ourselves out by making energy cheaper and more effective?
ReplyDeleteWe may not be helping ourselves immediatly but by saving the earth we're helping ourselves in the long term. If we don't take care of our earth we may not have one which means no us.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true for the future generations but that is another problem with us today and that is the fact that we dont look far enough into the future and concentrate on the up coming generations.
ReplyDeleteIt is something that needs to be looked into. A huge argument right now is if there is any way we can dispose of nuclear waste without completely damaging our environment.
The problem with nuclear waste is that it's too radioactive. True, uranium, plutonium, and other nuclear materials are available naturally, but they're diluted and buried in the earth's surface. When they're mined, they are purified, making them more radioactive, and the waste they produce is a modified form of the original material, again increasing the amount of radioactivity. Plus, fission reactors split the atoms in half, which is where the energy comes from. The problem is though, atoms aren't meant to be divided. So, the useless remains of the atom in addition to the radioactive byproducts are left over. We still don't have a way to dispose of it safely. One idea is jettisoning it into space. We can't rebury it, though, because we'd have to bury it deeper, and we get these materials close to or at the deepest threshold that our mining machines can dig. Plus, we'd have to reintroduce the amount of rock pressure previously imposed on the materials, which we can't do. It took millions of years of pressure to lock away the radioactivity, and we can't even get close to matching that.
ReplyDeleteIt is all very interesting and it is cool to think about the fact that this issue will surely have to be dealt with in out lifetime
ReplyDeleteLee... do you think that there is any way for us to come up with the technology to get rid of this waste in the near future? or even at all?
ReplyDeleteA nother side note to this would be the third article and how energy is such a big issue that countries have their own energy ministers and that they actually try to meet and plan ways to improve carbon levels and such.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that we'll ever be able to properly rebury radioactive waste, so jettisoning it into space is really the only viable option that I see. And by the time the government decides to do that, we'll have way too much to easily dispose of. Plus, launching ships into space is ridiculously expensive.
ReplyDeleteI think the only reason that governments have energy ministers is to pacify the people. Most governments in the modern world are democratic and/or parliamentary, so keeping the people happy is necessary for politicians to keep their job. So, to keep the people happy, they make departments to conserve the environment, like our EPA. However, if you look at the budgets for environmental departments, you'll notice one of two things: they're either underfunded, or aren't making the most of the funding they are given.
Ben...Allegany is researching a wind farm. I would like you to research this and post some information on. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat I found Mrs B was very interesting. The fact that these Windmills are affecting us so close to home shows how the world is truely pushing for alternative energy. I found that at a town meeting on April 22 there was quite an event.
ReplyDeleteThe event was conducted by the Allegany Planning Board to gather comments from the community regarding the draft environmental-impact statement for the Allegany Wind LLC Project. A 29-turbine commercial wind farm has been proposed for the Chipmonk and Knapp Creek area by EverPower Renewables of New York City.
Those commenting during the meeting included Erick Laine, a resident of Olean and chairman of CUTCO Cutlery Corp. Mr. Laine described himself as an engineer by training and an environmentalist by heart and said the more he has read about the issue, the less certain he is about the wind-turbine farm’s appropriateness in Allegany. Mr. Laine questioned what other energy options may be available in Allegany.
When it comes down to it I feel the town has truely thought ablouyt it and I do not beleive it was happen there are too many what ifs for the windmills to be put up.