Assess The Potential Of Three Sources Essay Example

investment in infrastructure while creating employment opportunities.

Volker (2005) suggests that regions dependent on fossil fuels for electricity and heating can benefit from renewable energy options such as solar energy, which is abundant. Franchi (2005), on the other hand, believes that solar energy cannot be considered unlimited due to the eventual end of the Sun's lifespan after millions of years. Despite this disagreement, solar energy is now regarded as a renewable source since it will remain available for future generations.

Even though solar power holds great potential as a future energy source, its high costs and advanced technology may pose challenges for implementation in certain developing countries. Despite efforts to lower expenses related to solar thermal plants, the expensive cost of solar cells hinders their adoption, especially in less developed nations. Nevertheless, solar energy has already demonstrated its potential through its abundant availability and minimal environmental impact. The Energy Information Administration reports that effective harvesting of energy can be hindered by variations in sunlight reception.

Solar energy holds promise for developing nations despite its reliance on location, time, and weather conditions. The Middle East is the most advantageous region due to governmental objectives and potential outcomes. Mexico, India, and Egypt are also striving to implement this technology. Experts such as Aringhoff et al. (2005), Seitz (2002), and Middleton (2003) predict a future reduction in expenses which makes solar energy an attractive investment option. Wind power has been used for electricity generation since ancient times as an indirect result of uneven heating caused by the sun's rays on the earth's surface according to Volker (2005).

Although infinite sunlight is often associated with renewable energy sources, wind power heavily relies on

high technology. This poses a challenge for many developing nations as they lack the necessary expertise to develop a wind power system. Even developed countries like Denmark face a shortage of skilled engineers in the wind industry. The engineering difficulties involved in creating an efficient wind turbine that can convert wind energy into electricity present significant obstacles, particularly for less-developed nations. Furthermore, facilitating technology transfer, training and practical experience for the industry and related supporting organizations in developing countries is a daunting task. Despite these challenges, however, wind energy offers numerous benefits such as reducing environmental impacts.

The report "Wind power and the environment- benefits and challenges" (2006) highlights that wind power is a significant means of decreasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This assertion is supported by a previous study (Volker, 2005), which identified wind energy as an essential alternative to combat global warming. Therefore, wind power can offer a considerable amount of energy while not harming the environment. Nonetheless, evaluating the expenses linked with transitioning to wind power is a more complex and controversial process.

As wind farms require larger areas with abundant wind, wind turbines are now being made larger and taller to generate more energy. However, this poses environmental concerns such as the impact on wildlife and the appearance and sound of the turbines. Middleton (2003), Volker (2005), and Wind power and the environment - benefits and challenges (2006, p31-33) provide evidence supporting these views. Even though wind power has great potential in developed countries, technology issues remain and hinder the developing countries from fully utilizing wind energy.

Biofuel has a promising future as a sustainable energy source. According to Seitz (2002), Middleton (2003),

and Hunt et al (2006), unprocessed biofuels like wood, animal dung, and agriculture and forestry residues were once heavily used in more developed countries. However, cheap fossil fuels took over and these biofuels are now primarily used in less-developed nations. In these countries, biofuels show enormous potential. For example, in some developing nations like China and India, fuels for villages are generated from methane gas created from crop, animal, and human waste. Brazil makes use of sugar-cane residues to create alcohol for fuel for automobiles. Biomass is commonly used in developing countries because it requires minimal technology to operate. While there are some who believe that biofuels could replace fossil fuels over time, others including farmers, energy companies, and consumers believe that biomass fuels are impractical or too far-fetched for the foreseeable future.

While protests may still arise, coalitions of support can be formed among groups such as oil executives who prioritize long-term business management and farmers who aim to expand their markets. Active communication is key to achieving such coalitions (Hunt et al, 2006), an idea also backed by Middleton (2003). However, rising populations in developing countries have led to increased biofuel consumption and unsustainable energy use, resulting in firewood shortages across large areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Seitz, 2002). Great benefits can be gained if biomass fuel is managed sustainably, as proposed by Middleton (2003).

Considerable progress is expected in improving the environment quality with the achievement of zero net CO2 emissions. The absorbed amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere will be processed through photosynthetic fixation by plants, leading to a biological energy cycle that transforms into biomass which can be

converted into fuels through microbial processes. Precisely identifying appropriate plants and their optimal growth locations is key to realizing their full potential (Middleton, 2003). In conclusion, the developing nations will experience a significant increase in energy demand as they embark on industrialization and urbanization similar to that of developed countries.

Moreover, introducing advanced technologies to underdeveloped nations necessitates considerable energy consumption. The prevailing opinion is that renewable energy sources may surpass fossil fuels in competition. It is indeed persuasive to recognize the proposal of replacing fossil fuels with solar and biomass energy as an experiment in emerging countries. However, in these nations, it appears that solar power and biofuels are better suited to become leading players in the market than wind power.

The following reference list includes "Concentrated Solar Thermal Power- Now!" by Aringhoff, Brakmann, Geyer, and Teske, published in 2005 by Greenpeace Press, as well as "Social Problems", 9th edition, written by Eitzen and Zinn and published by Pearson Education in 2004.The Energy Information Administration of USA published an online article in 2006 on solar energy, which is the energy derived from the sun. The article can be accessed using the following internet address: http://www.eia.doe.The Energy Information Administration provided information on both solar and wind energy through their website, including a page specifically dedicated to renewable energy sources. The page for solar energy was accessed on March 6th, 2008 and the page for wind energy was published in 2006. Both pages are available online through the given URL.The url doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind.html was accessed on March 6, 2008 by Hunt, S.U and Sawin J.The information source titled "Cultivating Renewable Alternatives to Oil" by L ; Stair within the

publication State of the World, published in the UK by The Cromwell Press in 2006, is cited by Greenpeace on their website. The page number for this source is noted as pp. 1-77.

Renewable Energy and Climate Change can be found online at ;http://www.greenpeace>.

On March 13th, 2008, a report on global wind energy outlook was published by the organization. Fanchi, J.R. also wrote a book in 2005 titled "Energy in the 21st Century."

Seitz, J. (n.d.). USA: World Scientific Company. Middleton, N. (2003). The Global Casino: An Introduction to Environmental Issues (3rd ed.). London: Oxford University Press.

In the text, both L's book "Global Issues: An Introduction" (published in 2002 by Blackwell Publishing) and an online resource on "UK Renewable Energy" provided by Sundance at http://www.sundancerenewables.org are cited. The and their contents must be maintained in the combined and rephrased text.The United Nations Environment Programme published a document called "Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings" in June 2007, which can be found online at http://unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=512&ArticleID=5. This information was last accessed on March 6, 2008 at uk/learn/energy/reimp.html.

html> [13 March, 2008] Two sources have been cited in this text. The first is a book titled "Understanding Renewable Energy Systems" by Q. Volker, published in Toronto by Earthscan in 2005. The second source is an article titled "Wind power and the environment – benefits and challenges", published in Wind directions in 2006 and spanning pages 26-40.