This country is in a quandary. On an almost daily basis Americans are chided for their dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil and yet the solutions offered are hardly assets for anything other than some politician’s pocketbook.
One of the most pressing problems in America in its effort to be green is finding an alternative source of energy that is renewable reliable and cost effective.
One of the earliest proposed solutions is solar power. Solar power uses light energy from the sun that falls on photovoltaic (PV) cells which then convert the energy into electricity.
It is a noble and feasible idea but one that so far has not been thoroughly vetted. Solar cell efficiency is determined by what percentage of the sun’s actual energy can be converted to electricity – for every square foot of optimal sunlight there is around 100 watts of energy. Unfortunately commercially available solar panels today are at about 15 percent efficiency at best.
This leads to another problem: space. The amount of space required to generate a viable amount of solar energy is outrageous. To produce an equivalent amount of energy to that of a standard nuclear power plant one would need to cover an area of around 6.5 square miles with solar panels. To put that in perspective picture placing an area of 17 Disneylands out in the middle of pristine desert covered with solar panels. That is not a solution; it is a logistical nightmare and a horrific detriment to the environment.
The next alternative brought up is wind power. Wind turbines are like solar panels a concept with good intentions but lacking on the follow-through. There were concerns within the aviary community regarding large numbers of bird fatalities from older turbines but newer technology handles the bird problem fairly well. However the number of bats and smaller flying creatures killed by the turbines is still an environmental concern for researchers.
Besides wind turbines’ not-so-friendly relationship with the fauna the science of the machines raises questions to their viability. The amount and speed of wind cannot be predicted nor maintained – even if that were possible the technology we have isn’t quite up to snuff. A wind turbine achieves efficiency by how much kinetic energy it can take from the wind and convert to electricity. In 1919 German physicist Albert Betz said that a wind turbine by nature can achieve no more than 59 percent efficiency mainly because some wind must pass through to keep the blades spinning. This idea is now a standard law of physics. While that limitation is unfortunate by itself it would not be as deterring if technology was anywhere close to that high of an efficiency.
After discussing two prominent ideas that are not sufficient it is time to move on to those that are better. These include tidal power solar thermal and geothermal. However a few common problems exist in that the sources are either too inconsistent the locations are not numerous enough or the concept by its very nature simply cannot produce enough power. This is where the idea of nuclear power comes into the picture.
In an area smaller than the Malibu Bluffs nuclear energy can produce a massive amount of power. The average nuclear power station supplies enough power consistently and reliably to supply more than a million homes with electricity. More importantly nuclear power plants operate at their highest efficiency when they are at full load meaning the more energy that is being drawn from them the more efficient the reactors will be.
The country of France receives 78 percent of its power from nuclear energy and has enough supply to bring in $3.75 billion from exporting energy. Critics of nuclear energy commonly cite issues like safety and waste management. But countries like France have been using American developed technology for more than a decade to re-enrich and renew nuclear fuel rods. Also safety and security measures for nuclear plants have never been better thanks to efforts and research by groups like the U.S. Navy which uses nuclear energy to power many of its ships and submarines.
The technology to have plentiful renewable and reliable nuclear energy is available today. Yet the mainstream political movement is vying towards so called solutions like solar and wind; they give taxpayer-funded subsidies
to companies who use such technology even though
the installation of such energy devices still does not
pencil out.
America has been told what to think and
believe about the environment. Anyone who disagrees is virtually branded a heretic. The funny thing is America is a country of individuals who do not like being told what they should think especially by people like Al Gore. Maybe it is time for Americans to stop letting politicians do all the thinking. It is time for the public to get informed and do some thinking of their own.