Securing a Green Future

In our world today, countries are working hand in hand to attempt to reduce emissions into the atmosphere. By doing this, they hope to slow the effects of climate change, and to create a greener planet. We can see this taking place on both a global and local scale, across all platforms.

UNH (Ross, Mike)

On a local scale, the Union Leader reports, that our small state of New Hampshire, has received a government grant for 1.9 million dollars.

This grants mission is to provide funding to UNH and Brayton Energy, to research solar energy, specifically on how to cut costs of solar energy so it can compete amongst larger sources of energy such as coal and natural gases. This research has also targeted heat exchangers, a piece critical to the cooling during mechanical processes at solar-thermal power plants(Feely). With a future aimed towards a majority of energy being renewable and overall green, this research would be critical and much needed for the future of solar.

Capital Hill (Sheehy)

Currently the solar industry is on the rise within the US due to these types of research, making it more affordable and efficient. In our state there are initiative programs to make people want to use renewable forms of green energy.

Many countries have taken necessary actions to aid the international goal of lower emissions, and two that stand out are the United Kingdom, specifically Scotland and China. Scotland has lead the charge against climate change, making up 68.1% of its energy from green scenes, making it 26% higher than the previous year (Dalton). Last year in 2018, 75% of Scotland’s energy came from green sources, and export the rest of the UK doubled (“Scotland set”). Along with Scotland, many other nations have led the way within the EU, and are waiting for others to follow their lead. 

(China's Solar Panels)

On the other hand, China is working towards a similar goal of cutting emissions of Carbon Dioxide, but struggling with their current economic situation. Officials in China argue that they can’t meet the deadline, due to having to reshape the economy to accommodate for this added cost of green energy and for an ever growing population. With a population of 1.386 billion, there is a high demand for power in mainland China. This past year, 2018, China ended with an energy consumption of 6,900.200 kWh in December (“China’s climate”). With this, we can see how they rely on cheaper coal power, to supply their country. However, even facing these odds, China has found a way to lead the world in green energy production, yet still hold onto coal consumption. One way they have been able to be this successful in green energy is due to the efficient use of solar panels as seen in the image above.

With this trend being followed throughout the world, we can begin to see a change in how we get power and in how our Earth is reacting. 

Works Cited

"China's climate paradox: A leader in coal and clean energy." MarketWatch, Marketwatch, 3 Dec. 2019, www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-climate-paradox-a-leader-in-coal-and-clean-energy-2019-12-03. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019.

China's Solar Panels. 3 Dec. 2019. MarketWatch, www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-climate-paradox-a-leader-in-coal-and-clean-energy-2019-12-03. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.

Dalton, Jane. "Scotland produces record amount of energy from renewables as green schemes generate two-thirds of electricity." Independent, Independent , 31 Mar. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/renewable-energy-electricity-wind-wave-scotland-climate-change-oil-gas-a8283166.html. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019.

Feely, Paul. "New Hampshire Will Receive $1.9M for Solar Tech Research." Governing, Union Leader, 13 Nov. 2019, www.governing.com/news/headlines/New-Hampshire-Will-Receive-19M-for-Solar-Tech-Research.html. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019.

Ross, Mike. UNH. nhpr, www.nhpr.org/post/university-trustees-vote-move-forward-unh-hotel-and-housing-proposals#stream/0. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.

"Scotland set for green energy revolution under SNP plans." SNP, 13 Nov. 2019, www.snp.org/snp-will-propose-a-new-green-energy-deal-for-scotland/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019.

Sheehy, Ryann. Capital Hill. University of Virgina, news.virginia.edu/content/texas-charlottesville-capitol-hill-transfer-student-brings-his-game. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.