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Donaven Dekuiper

MR Droski

English 11B

12-17-21

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is a growing source of energy throughout the world. It is difficult to

transition from a stable source of energy to a new source that people are skeptical of. With the

rising problem of climate change and pollution around the world, this transition is crucial in the

future of the world. Fossil fuels are a good source of energy but are harming the earth. The

pollutants and other problems that come from this are not worth the amount of energy it

produces. Something has to be done. Renewable energy can help solve climate change, its

cost-efficient, and creates jobs.

The world uses a lot of power, to produce this power 3 main sources are used. These

sources are fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear power. The industrial revolution is the

start of the use of fossil fuels instead of heating with wood. Starting in the twentieth century the

world has started the use of renewable energy as a way to reduce climate change. A lot of

criticizers have made the claim that fossil fuels are cheaper when in fact the price of renewable

energy dropped on average about 60%. Regardless of the cost supporters of fossil fuels have

denied this and say that they produce the most amount of jobs in the US. Joe Biden has declared

that he will try to get rid of all carbon emissions from electricity production by 2035. Since the

1940’s the US has made many decisions to help guide the production of energy in a good

direction. The increase in electricity usage during WWII made this problem a huge topic of

discussion in 1973. In retaliation, the US has passed many bills and created many organizations
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to help solve this problem. In 2005 the US passed many acts to provide subsidies and funding for

alternative energy. With the increased funding and investments, renewable energy has made 78%

of the added energy sources that were made in 2020. The transition to renewable energy has been

highly politicized and has been a driving issue between political parties in the US. Hydroelectric

power dams can provide an energy source as well as flood control. It is harnessed through the

energy in rivers and lakes. They have also been working on a way to capture the energy from the

waves from the ocean. Wind energy uses wind to turn turbines and produce kinetic energy which

is then turned into electricity. Biomass is the production of heat or electricity from the use of

organic matter. Biofluid is another form of biomass energy. In 1978 an act was enforced that

gave funding to biomass energy plans. Solar energy takes the radiation from the sun and

produces energy from it. While it is a clean source of energy it takes up a lot of space.

Geothermal energy uses heat from the earth to produce steam. The US has more geothermal

energy production than any other place on earth. Hydrogen energy is used by taking hydrogen

molecules and taking the chemical energy and transferring them to usable energy.

Climate change is a problem that renewable energy can solve. We have double the

amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than in 1950. The earth has also got 1.18 Degrees C

hotter since the late 19th century. Renewable energy can help cut those carbon emissions and

help bring the world back to what it was before climate change. The biggest idea for this change

is the use of solar power; there are also other options including hydroelectric, biomass, wind,

nuclear, and more. Solar power has no atmospheric emissions or greenhouse gas emissions. With

the technology out a normal size, a home can produce more electricity than it uses on an average

day. While using a typical home’s roof size of solar panels for a year saves the same amount of
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carbon dioxide that a car would produce in that year. In 2001 73% of voters in san Fransisco

voted yes and supported a bond that gave 100 million dollars of funding to solar panels.

renewable energy is also a cheaper source of energy in the long run. For example, The

cost of solar panels has more than halved in the last 10 years going from $10 a watt to $2-$3 a

watt. Wind energy has also dropped in price. Since the 1980s wind energy has been 2.5-5 cents

per kWh. Fossil fuels have a lot more upkeep costs to keep them running. A lot of renewable

energy sources power themselves and make extra power making it beneficial. The pollution this

also prevents saves the money from future pollution clean-up projects. The US gives over $300

billion dollars for fossil fuel energy while renewable energy gets about $20 billion dollars; this

number is rising every year for renewable energy. Fossil fuel cost is very dependent on mining

and transportation costs. For example, one fossil fuel plant can cost up to $2 billion dollars while

one hydroelectric dam costs about 1k-5k to install, and then it is hands-off.

Renewable energy also creates many job opportunities. In 2020 alone over 264,000 jobs

were created in India. Renewable energy can also make the energy field more diverse. This

creates a monopolistic competition economy to form in the energy field. The diversity makes

many companies battle for consumers. In return, the companies will create better products and

lower costs to attract customers. This will force renewable energy companies to create more jobs

and produce more energy. In the past few years solar and wind energy has risen 24.5 and 16

percent in cob creation. Not only are there building renewable plants there are also

transportation, storage, management, and other jobs that get created from investing in renewable

energy sources. In 2019 the US had about 2.2 million jobs in renewable energy and this number

is growing.
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There are many arguments against renewable energy. Renewable energy can be expensive

at first when installing it but, it is cost-efficient in the long run. People also say renewable energy

also doesn’t get rid of existing greenhouse gasses. Wind turbine pants also take up a lot of space

and can make a buzzing noise that can be heard around the area. People also say wind turbines

are ugly and would make tourism decline in the area. While renewable energy has its downsides

it is very important to think about the future of the earth. Renewable energy is also a very good

thing for the economy, while being expensive at first, the power it creates outweighs the price of

building it.

Climate change is hurting the environment and everything around us. Renewable energy

can be a solution. Renewable energy cant get rid of pollution but, it can prevent future pollution

and climate change. renewable energy can help prevent pollution, is cheaper than fossil fuels,

and it creates jobs for people. With the rising problem of climate change, we need to do

something before it’s too late. Or is it already too late?

Works Cited

Al Ghussain, Alia. "We Can't Offset Our Way Out of the Climate Emergency." Gale Opposing

Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/UODEIE996972299/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=bookmark-

OVIC&xid=14208b82. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021. Originally published as "The biggest

problem with carbon offsetting is that it doesn't really work," Greenpeace, 26 May 2020.
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Barnard, Christopher. "If Climate Change Is a Dire Threat, Why Is No One Talking about

Nuclear Power?" Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/KARAQX775535671/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=bookmark

-OVIC&xid=ba133e48. Accessed 9 Dec. 2021. Originally published as "If Climate

Change Is a Dire Threat, Why Is No One Talking about Nuclear Power?" Foundation for

Economic Education, 29 Apr. 2019.

"Biomass Energy Is a Prime Replacement for Fossil Fuels." Energy Alternatives, edited by

Sylvia Engdahl, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010220412/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=bookmark-OVIC

&xid=5a4d0add. Accessed 9 Dec. 2021.

Shwartz, Mark. "Wind Energy Is Reliable." Wind Farms, edited by Amy Francis, Greenhaven

Press, 2015. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010941207/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=bookmark-OVIC

&xid=a1bb15e2. Accessed 9 Dec. 2021. Originally published as "Wind Farms Can

Provide a Surplus of Reliable Clean Energy to Society, Stanford Study Finds,"

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/march/wind-farm-energy-032014.html, 20 Mar. 2014.

Hamer, Glenn. "Solar Power Can Help Fuel the Future." Energy Alternatives, edited by Barbara

Passero, Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010220250/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=bookmark-OVIC

&xid=985b080d. Accessed 9 Dec. 2021. Originally published as "Solar Power 2002,"

World & I, vol. 17, June 2002.