Describe the energy sources and how they are being used or can be used today as a viable energy source.

Dicussion Question:

The U.S. and other countries are taking steps to develop domestic renewable production to address the stresses put on the energy infrastructure. This week you will choose and discuss two alternative energy sources from the readings that will further reduce our dependence on traditional fossil fuels. Describe the energy sources and how they are being used or can be used today as a viable energy source. What are the pros and cons of its use? What technological changes, if any, will further advance its progress in becoming a primary source of energy?

Response Questions
Question 1:
The U.S. and other countries are taking steps to develop domestic renewable production to address the stresses put on the energy infrastructure. This week you will choose and discuss two alternative energy sources from the readings that will further reduce our dependence on traditional fossil fuels. Describe the energy sources and how they are being used or can be used today as a viable energy source. What are the pros and cons of its use? What technological changes, if any, will further advance its progress in becoming a primary source of energy?
As a real estate agent, I’ve noticed a growing interest in solar power. This alternative energy source is a great way to reduce your electric bill and electricity costs, and doesn’t cause pollution. When it comes to solar panels specifically, one downside is they can be expensive to purchase and install. Also, if your electricity bill is already low, solar panels may not make much of a difference. According to Freedom Solar Power, “solar-powered vehicles may be the future, with existing applications including buses, trains, airplanes, and race cars built by students in Australia and the US.” Solar-powered cars will solve the inconvenience/problem of battery recharging with electric vehicles and also reduce our carbon footprints.
Geothermal energy is another alternative energy source that doesn’t cause pollution. However, it can emit sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide. According to Power Technology (Unwin, 2019), it is described as “the most location-specific source known to man” as it is limited to certain areas/countries. Aside from these disadvantages, geothermal energy provides a “continuous, uninterrupted supply of heat that can be used to heat homes and office buildings and to generate electricity” (Unwin, 2019). Overall, geothermal energy is renewable and cost effective.
Freedom Solar Power. (2018, July 12). 7 Uses of Solar Energy. https://freedomsolarpower.com/blog/7-uses-of-solar-energy
Unwin, J (2019, June 18). What is geothermal energy? https://www.power-technology.com/features/what-is-geothermal-energy/

Response Question 2
The U.S. and other countries are taking steps to develop domestic renewable production to address the stresses put on the energy infrastructure. This week you will choose and discuss two alternative energy sources from the readings that will further reduce our dependence on traditional fossil fuels. Describe the energy sources and how they are being used or can be used today as a viable energy source. What are the pros and cons of its use? What technological changes, if any, will further advance its progress in becoming a primary source of energy?

Based on our class readings titled, “What are Alternative Energy Sources?” and “New High-Rate Drilling System Could Revolutionize High-Temperature Power Electronics for Geotherman Industry and Beyond.”, I have decided to discuss two types of alternative energy sources including wind energy and geothermal energy. “Wind energy has been in use for awhile and has made it possible for explorers to power their sails. This is a simple form of wind energy. Today wind power is powered by windmills that are used to generate required energy mostly for industrial uses. Many of the wind turbines can capture much power all at once before feeding it to the power grid. This is commonly known as wind farms and has been in use for many years all around the world. It is only the United States that is going slow in terms of accepting this alternative energy source. Wind power is a renewable source of energy and reduces our alliance on foreign countries for supply of oil and gas. It does not cause any air pollution and has created several jobs in the last few decades. Advancement in technologies has brought down the cost of setting up wind power plants. Wind energy can only be used in areas which experience high winds which mean that it cannot be used as a source to extract energy anywhere on earth. They sometimes create noise disturbances and cannot be used near residential areas.” This limits the use of wind energy because it can only be used in certain regions. Geothermal energy is another type of alternative energy source that draws energy from the earth. “Currently, it is time consuming and expensive to drill through the hard, hot rock formations typically found at geothermal sites. Conventional drill bits penetrate such formations slowly and wear down quickly, leading to an average drilling rate of 125 feet per day. NREL has joined forces with Tetra Innovation Institute to advance a high-rate drilling system that could transform the geothermal industry. This game-changing technology has the potential to increase geothermal drilling rates tenfold and reduce well drilling costs by 75%. The new drilling system under development uses electric pulses to blast the rock and bore deep geothermal wells. It leverages technology in development by Tetra for oil and gas drilling in hard, abrasive sandstone formations.” Geothermal energy is clean, renewable, and has been used for several years. The process for harnessing this energy begins deep in the earth. “It contains a molten rock called magma where heat is continually produced. Water makes its way deep inside the earth and hot rock boils that water at about 10000 meters below ground. The boiling water then produces steam which is captured by geothermal heat pumps. The steam turns the turbines which in turn activates generators. Geothermal energy can be found anywhere on the earth. Most countries tap this energy to generate electricity, using thermal mass flowmeters, and power millions of homes. The areas which have high underground temperatures are the ones which are prone to earthquakes and volcanoes. The United States produces more Geothermal electricity than any other country in the world. Most hot water geothermal reservoirs are located in the western states, Alaska, and Hawaii. Geothermal energy is totally renewable as the earth will continue to produce heat as long as we are all are here. If these resources are tapped and are utilized effectively, they can provide solution to the world’s power problems. Geothermal energy produces no pollution, reduces our alliance on fossil fuels. It also results in significant cost savings as no fuel is required to harness energy from beneath the earth. These advantages make geothermal energy one of the best alternative energy sources. The negative aspects of using this type of energy includes only using it in certain regions. Geothermal energy cannot be harnessed everywhere. The earth may also release some harmful gases while releasing the heat which may prove adverse from mankind. Lastly, the areas where this energy is harnessed are prone to earthquakes and volcanoes, and geothermal power stations require huge installation costs.” Although these types of renewable energies can only be used in certain places, I believe they are great resources for the energy needed to power things in the United States. If the government were to invest in these types of alternative energies, it could truly change the air quality in the United States and possibly other countries. I think our government should lead by example and encourage other countries to try to make the world a better place by using renewable energy and reduce the amount of fossil fuels used on a daily basis.

References:
Rinkesh. (n.d.). What are Different Alternative Sources of Energy? Conserve Energy Future. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/different-energy-sources.php
NREL.2020, August 11. New High-Rate Drilling System Could Revolutionize High-Temperature Power Electronics for Geothermal Industry and Beyond. NREL Transforming Energy. https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet02-xythos.content.blackboardcdn.com/5d431a8c824bd/4772210?X-Blackboard-Expiration=1632117600000&X-Blackboard-Signature=4Yin%2FtzH2GzAmepxXl%2BU%2FY0HuJu9UJ5PtfZSbjNspXs%3D&X-Blackboard-Client-Id=179101&response-cache-control=private%2C%20max-age%3D21600&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27Drilling%2520Technology%2520Could%2520Make%2520Geothermal%2520Energy%2520More%2520Feasible.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20210920T000000Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=21600&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAZH6WM4PL5SJBSTP6%2F20210920%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=81c7e6ed42f283afc377f1db044644aaee635765a0c5692452cf0e88fbafc6bb

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