Renewable and Clean Energy of the Future

A big issue facing humans today is the climate and how we can slow down global warming. One of the main focuses through this is finding new, clean ways to harvest energy that can produce less CO2 than prior sources of energy. We want to leave behind the age of fossil fuels, and enter an era where we create stars and keep our earth clean. This need for change is sparked by fear about our future and how it will come. The time for action is shrinking, and there appears to be no options to meet our questions. Rising demand for energy and a higher energy consumption, has led Americans to fear the future of technology.

An article by Big Think speaks about these fears, and what they are, from nuclear power to events of Terminator. But as we look into the future we realize that these fears may become a reality. We will need nuclear power if we wish to avert or slow our current climate crisis, robots will be needed to make the workplace more efficient, and medical technology will be developed to support those we can’t currently support. But for now, we can look at other options and routes, nuclear energy may not be the only answer, there are other sources of renewable energy so let’s utilize those.

Solar Energy:

Solar Panels (Jenson)

The market for solar is present however, the price per solar unit makes them unachievable on a large scale basis. The price per module in the US, is around 0.35 dollars a watt, making it competitive against other renewable energy forms, but still missing the mark on the US energy markets (Feldman and Margolis). This number is 25% lower than the previous year, and supports growth and development within the industry, but still 61% higher than the global market, leaving room for improvement (Feldman and Margolis). 

Solar Module price per watt in the US market vs the world market (Feldman and Margolis)

With these numbers, it may not seem that solar energy is a hope for the future, but just last year, 2018, the US had 22% of electric generating capacity from solar, and there were 2 million household systems installed at the end of the year (Feldman and Margolis). 

If solar energy were to become more efficient and have a lower kWh cost, kilowatt-hour, then it could compete with larger energy sources such as coal and natural gas. These sources of energy are about 7-10 cents per kWh, as of 2008, and now that statistic is looking to be closer to 2.5 cents per kWh for coal (Feldman, Stacy). Meanwhile solar lies at an average of 10 cents with a high of 24 cents per kWh, as of 2017, removing it as a competitor to the cheaper coal energy (Baran). 

Solar technology is always rising, and becoming more efficient, so we can expect to see changes within the industry to try and make it a likable, competing energy source for business and household scales. 

Nuclear Energy: 

(Nuclear Turbines)

The future of energy is heading towards green, eco friendly options with low carbon emissions. One of the most well known and viable options to meet this demand is nuclear energy. When the term nuclear energy is spoken, many think of atomic explosions, meltdowns, and barren wastelands of fallout. However, nuclear energy rarely results in any of these. Nuclear energy is a clean eco-friendly option, with little to no emissions, that can effectively deliver a high volume of power, to meet the increasing demand. On top of this, there are also two types of nuclear power. On one side we have fission, and the other, fusion. Both are very different processes that produce and require varied resources. 

Fission, the better known of the two uses of nuclear energy is what we have access to today and is viewed as one of the cleaner types of energy. This form of clean energy makes up 20% of our generated electricity and costs only about 32 dollars per MWh (1000 kWh) (“Nuclear Power”). In this reaction, uranium-235 atoms are used to produce an immense amount of energy that is transferred to heat in order to turn water to steam and turn turbines with no carbon emissions. The downside to this seemingly ideal energy source is that by splitting the atom, some waste products are produced, that are radioactive and need to be stored in a proper facility. 

Fusion, the less known type of nuclear energy is when we combine atoms instead of splitting them. Here, we use alpha particles, positively charged helium atoms, to collide with hydrogen isotopes. This reaction produces exponentially more energy than fission, and with little to no waste. The reaction that can be accomplished with one glass of sea water is equal to that of an oil drum. 

With this new energy source being so clean many may wonder why it is’ tin operation, this is because it is still being built for industrial and commercial use. Currently in France, there is a reactor, ITER, being built that will utilize this reaction to create vast amounts of energy. Though it isn’t yet operational, it is planned to begin operations and preliminary testing in 2036.

There is no need to fear about the future of energy and how it will work, because it is already here and looking safe.      

Works Cited

Baran, Kerim. "How Much Does a Solar System Cost?" Civic Solar, May 2017, www.civicsolar.com/article/how-much-does-solar-system-cost. Accessed 14 Nov. 2019.

Dickinson, Kevin. "Top 6 fears about future technology." Big Think, Sept. 2018, bigthink.com/technology-innovation/fear-future-technology?rebelltitem=6#rebelltitem6. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.

Feldman, David, and Robert Margolis. "Q4 2018/Q1 2019 Solar Industry Update." PDF file, May 2019.

Feldman, Stacy. "2.5 Cents per Kilowatt Hour: America's Cheapest, Cleanest Fuel 'Holds Steady.'" Inside Climate News, 30 Sept. 2009, insideclimatenews.org/news/20090930/25-cents-kilowatt-hour-americas-cheapest-cleanest-fuel-holds-steady. Accessed 14 Nov. 2019.

Jenson. Solar Panels. Science Alert, www.sciencealert.com/scientists-identify-a-key-flaw-in-solar-panel-efficiency-after-40-years-of-searching. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.

"Nuclear Power in the USA." World Nuclear Association , 2016, www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-t-z/usa-nuclear-power.aspx. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.

Nuclear Turbines . Mother Jones, www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/07/safer-cleaner-nuclear-energy-if-we-want-it/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.