FREE ESSAY ON ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SUPPLIES MUST BE IMPLEMENTED

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SUPPLIES MUST BE IMPLEMENTED

The U.S. oil supply is rapidly diminishing. Alternative energy sources must be implemented
because oil is a scarce and non-renewable resource. Each year the U.S. consumes 6.2
billion barrels of oil, equivalent to 17 million barrels of oil each day (Coastal 67).
The undiscovered U.S. OCS and gas resources combined with onshore reserves would amount
to only 81.5 billion barrels of oil, enough to last for 5000 days (Coastal 75). So the
oil crisis is not entirely bad news, the U.S. still has time to implement alternative
energy sources such as nuclear energy, hydroelectric energy, solar power, wind power, and
geothermal energy, as well as alternative fuels which may be used in existing power
plants. 
Alternative fuels can be used in existing power plants to conserve the oil supply. Many
small plants in the United States, Canada, and some European countries now regularly
produce power this way in coal burning power plants using alternative fuels such as
garbage, tires, sawdust, and animal dung (Energy 87). Alternative fuels may be used as a
temporary relief to the massive consumption of oil in the U.S. Although alternative fuels
are not a pollution free choice, they require no new power plants to be built. This
method of oil conservation can be used during the transition from oil to alternative
energy sources, using existing power plants as new technologies are being developed and
deployed. 
The first step towards implementing energy alternatives is efficiency. Technology exists
for electric trains, high gas mileage, efficient light bulbs, and efficient appliances,
even electric cars such as the Hyundai Solara are hitting the market as of 2000. The U.S.
is moving towards efficiency, and the oil shortage has caught the public's eye.
Efficiency is a primary concern because most of the U.S. energy consumed is created by
oil. If the U.S. were to become as energy efficient as Japan, by the year 2020 we would
save the equivalent of 45 billion barrels of oil (Energy 24). That is 7 additional years
of energy that could be saved for the U.S. In essence it is a year saved, and a year
earned, similar to the old adage a penny saved is a penny earned. 
Recently a number of projects have been approved for the development and implementation
of alternative power sources. For example, there are 35 bioenergy plants, 3 hydroelectric
plants, and 15 photovoltaic plants currently in use by the state of Florida providing
1,069,917.1 kilowatts (State F). The most prominent examples of how the government has
begun this quest for efficiency is the regulation of fuel efficiency standards. The
transportation sector is the biggest consumer of oil in the country demanding nearly 4
billion barrels of oil each year (Coastal 113). Any regulation in the transportation
sector creates massive reductions in energy consumption, amounting to less oil
consumption. Massive research has been put into developing electric cars and consumers
are beginning to see the resulting fuel/electric hybrids coming to the market. Consumers
need to make a movement supporting this alternative to ensure a bright future.
Electricity is an excellent alternative to gasoline in automobiles, because by may be
generated using any of the following methods. This is a starting point and definitely
indicates the government is beginning to understand the need to venture onward to new
energy sources, thus implementing regulations to extend the amount of time our oil supply
will last for. 
A prominent alternative energy source the government has been implementing is the Nuclear
power plant. By 1989 18 percent of the U.S. energy consumed was generated by nuclear
power (Energy 39). Nuclear power is generated by fission which then creates heat to boil
water, releasing steam and then powering a turbine, creating no hazardous pollutants.
Nuclear power plants cause no harm to the environment and are highly accepted by green
organizations. Nuclear plants generate high amounts of electricity from a relatively
small amount of uranium, but uranium is also a non-renewable resource, thus eventually
creating the same problem as the oil shortage. Nuclear power will become a more
widespread form of generating electricity, but in time like the oil supply the uranium
supply will eventually be depleted. Another major drawback of nuclear power is the
potential risks involved. Should a meltdown occur a whole nation could be threatened with
radioactive dust, which causes many sicknesses and abnormal defects in birth. There are,
however, renewable resources which may be used to generate electricity.
Renewable energy is generated by sources that are essentially inexhaustible. These energy
supplies can be endless resources such as the sun, the wind, and the heat of the Earth,
or they can be replaceable fuels such as plants. Technically oil and natural gas are
renewable resources but form so slowly that it is consumed it faster than it can form.
The sun's energy can be converted to electricity either directly through photovoltaic
cells or indirectly by concentrating the sun's heat and using it to run a steam turbine
(State R). The sun is virtually an inexhaustible resource and would provide many more
centuries to come with power. Currently some photovoltaic cell plants are in use, but it
is a very uncommon form of generating electricity. New innovations must be made in this
area because solar energy looks to be a promising fuel of the future. In the present time
solar power is a widespread form of energy production in space because it requires no
refueling, only light from the sun, as well as creates no pollution. As long as the sun
is present solar power will be continuously available.
Geothermal energy must also be explored. Geothermal energy uses the earths core
temperature of 700 degrees Fahrenheit to create steam, then convert it into heat or
electricity. Geothermal energy has much potential because as long as the sun remains
burning the earth is being heated. U.S. geothermal resources alone are estimated at
70,000,000 quads, equivalent to a 750,000-year supply of energy for the entire nation at
current rates of consumption (State G). Geothermal energy should be a more widespread
form of energy production because of its great capacity. All basic functions of the earth
operate from solar power, and perhaps a lesson from nature is in order. 
Hydroelectric plants generate energy from flowing water, a limitless trait of the earth.
The water cycle phenomenon is what keeps earth's water flowing and its energy can be
harnessed as well. Hydroelectric plants date back for centuries of creating power,
winding churns, or mixing meal. Hydroelectric production for the U.S. is limited though,
due to the amount of flowing water in the nation. Another factor to take into
consideration is that the water cycle cannot continue without the sun being present.
Hydroelectric depends on solar power as well. 
In actuality, yes we do have an oil crisis, but we do not have an energy crisis. The
world's energy production potential remains almost completely untapped, leaving many
centuries of energy to come. As long as the sun exists the earth has massive energy
production potential. The energy production technologies must be used in harmony with
each other to harness the full potential of the sun. For billions of years nature has
operated on the sun, and the forces it creates alone. This basic fact of life will be
apparent in times to come. The sun must power our earth so that emissions are kept to a
minimum and oil supplies rejuvenate to levels once seen. A major aspect the U.S.
government and world need to look at is the transportation sector. Developments must be
made for new engines which run on renewable resources, namely electricity. Currently the
electric hybrid car is relatively new and seems unaccepted as slow and awkward. Gas
engines are a tool of the past, and should be replaced by newer rechargeable motors which
can be recharged by these renewable resources, rather than filling up the tank with the
non-renewable resource available today. This is a landmark that once it is achieved the
U.S. and the world's reliance on oil will disappear, and the oil crisis will come to an
end. Nature has adapted to a way to power itself, and man too needs to adapt to a new
way. Burning oil is an outdated technology and must be phased out of use, as new energy
sources are deployed. 
Bibliography
Works Cited
Advanced Alternative Energy. http://www.aaee.corp.com/ 2000 
Holing, Dwight. Coastal Alert: ecosystems, energy, and offshore oil drilling.
Island Press, Washington, D.C. 1990
Keeler, Barbara. Energy Alternatives Lucent Books, San Diego, CA 1990
State Energy Alternatives Homepage. http://www.eren.doe.gov.state_energy/ 2000