The Debate on Energy Sources
Intermittent Power Sources are energy sources that are not always available for usage (Borenstein, & Bushnell, 2015). They include the renewable sources of energy. Moreover, the storage of the intermittent sources is nearly impossible. The sources are predictable but do not satisfy the requirements of power systems. When solely relied on, the sources take the place of other sources that can be stored for future use. However, intermittent power such as electricity can be stored for the future. The storage can be through batteries and coupling through the application of electrodes (Borenstein, & Bushnell, 2015). On the other hand, fossil fuels are energy sources that contain hydrocarbons (McGlade, & Ekins, 2015). Fossil fuels do not originate from flora and fauna.
Examples of fossil fuels include coal, gas, and hydrocarbons (Covert, Greenstone, & Knittel, 2016). The fuels assist in industrial set-ups that require an ample supply of consistent fuel. However, they are non-renewable as compared to the intermittent sources that are renewable. Fossil fuels are responsible for the increased levels of global warming (Boykoff et al., 2018). The world should turn from fossil fuels to the renewable sources of energy. However, the intermittent sources posses a difficulty in storage. Furthermore, they are inconsistent and expensive when used in large quantities. Therefore, the intermittent power sources cannot entirely replace the fossil fuels. This paper will support the fact that fossil fuels are irreplaceable. The essay will also explore contrary opinions.
The Intermittent Power Sources cannot replace the fossil fuels. Fossil fuels include natural gas, petroleum, oil, and coal (Hertwich et al., 2015). The fuels originate from flora and fauna that existed decades ago. The extinct animal and plant extracts occupy the bedrocks of the lithosphere. The combinations of the flora and fauna form materials that are combustible and are used as fuel in the modern era. The fossil fuels are used in almost every aspect of life. Replacing the fuels with renewable sources can only distort the daily running of human activities. Individuals heavily rely on fossil fuels to cook food in their residential areas (Hertwich et al., 2015). Moreover, the energy sources are essential in starting the cars and running corporate offices. The manufacturing industries also use fossil fuels to conduct their activities.
The numerous and unending application of fossil fuels creates an undesirable impact if renewable sources replace them. However, the continuous use of fossil fuels is responsible for the worrying trends of global warming in the United States and around the world. Therefore, individuals need to minimize the usage rather than replacing them with renewable sources. Renewable energy originates from natural means. Examples of the causes of renewable energy are wind and sunlight (Delman, Stephenson, Davis, & Diffenbaugh, 2015). Other reasons include bio-energy and hydropower. Geothermal power and ocean energy are also sources of renewable energy. The significant areas of application of intermittent energy include heating processes and electricity (Delman et al., 2015). Other uses are in the transport industry and the cooling sector.
Intermittent Power Sources and Non-renewable Energy
The intermittent sources yield six percent of total energy requirement in the world (Jacobson et al., 2015). Therefore, energy from fossil fuels offers the large chunk of the remaining ninety-four percent. Thus, replacing fossil fuels with intermittent sources would deprive the world of power. Without energy, the world cannot run its daily activities hence the fossil energy is there to stay. When industries burn fossil fuels to produce electricity, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The gas is the primary cause of global warming and the change in climatic conditions around the world (Jacobson et al., 2015). During global warming, the atmospheric temperature escalates thereby causing the suffering of the marine life. The animals and plants also feel the effects of global warming. However, a change from fossil energy to intermittent energy does not scale down the levels of global warming in the world. The industrial growth in the United States and population surge entirely depend on fossil energy (Jacobson et al., 2015). Without the non-renewable sources, the industries would collapse therefore leading to economic decline. A reduction in the total population would reduce the labor force leading to recession.
The importance of fossil fuels has made the members of the globe look after the sources thoroughly. The reserves of fossil fuels have been depleting since the beginning of the nineteenth century. The depletion is a significant concern since the energy is non-renewable and more than half of the world’s population depends on it. The fossil energy is readily available all over the world, and most people can afford them. However, intermittent power such as electricity is inconsistent and a significant population cannot access nor provide it (Kaplan, 2015). Intermittent sources are not viable, and humans cannot rely on them for all their energy needs. Most of them are expensive and not consistent in their applications. Therefore, renewable energy cannot replace fossil fuels. However, the intermittent forms should only complement fossil energy.
The switch from fossil fuels to intermittent sources is an uphill task. The process is cost ineffective and would have a significant impact on the economy of the United States (Vidal-Amaro, Østergaard, & Sheinbaum-Pardo, 2015). Therefore, the States should stick to fossil fuels in the large scale industrial processes. Intermittent power sources should only compliment the non-renewable source but not replace them entirely. Harnessing intermittent energy is expensive as the operation requires highly sophisticated equipment and technology. Moreover, skilled human resources is necessary for transforming from fossil fuels to renewable sources. Furthermore, the renewable energy is not consistent hence disrupts industrial functions and other economic activities. There are days when the weather calms and devoid of wind currents. Moreover, during the winters, the sun rays are weak and cannot be harnessed to yield energy. Therefore, during those occasions, human activities and industrial operations suffer setbacks.
Fossil Fuels and their Importance in Human Activities
The complete switch from fossil fuels to renewable sources requires massive capital investment and time to actualize. Therefore, the States has to continue to embrace non-renewable energy until the country can afford a complete transformation. Moreover, the technology of producing sufficient intermittent power is expensive, inconvenient and problematic in application. The intermittent source cannot provide enough energy that the world requires to run the industries, offices and the homes (Vidal-Amaro, Østergaard, & Sheinbaum-Pardo, 2015). When harnessed for forty years, the wind and solar energies cannot produce more than two percent of the globes’ energy requirements. The statistic is because the sun and wind are inconsistent natural resources. Therefore, the world needs non-renewable energy to complement the intermittent sources. Therefore, overdependence on the winds and the sun would make the globe to run out of power.
Wind and Solar sources of renewable energy are unreliable and depend on the conditions of weather. In the periods of calm weather, the wind is a limited resource thereby interfering with the activities of people who over-rely on it (Krieger, Casey, & Shonkoff, 2016). On the other hand, there are insufficient sun rays during autumn and winters. Therefore, individuals have to wait for the summer to utilize the radiation energy. Thus, there is need to store renewable sources to curb the unpredictability of the conditions of the atmosphere. The storage of the renewable sources is expensive and less effective. Therefore, non-renewable sources are necessary to complement the intermittent energy. Countries cannot use intermittent power sources in solitary.
The usage of intermittent power sources such as electricity costs a fortune as compared to the utilization of the fossil fuels. The government has to heavily invest in electric supply to cut the costs that the citizens pay for the power. Moreover, large parcels of land are required to produce sufficient electrical power. The massive amount of money that the national executive spends can be channeled into the other sectors of the economy (Krieger, Casey, & Shonkoff, 2016). Moreover, the large pieces of land minimize the space for agricultural activities. On the other hand, fossil fuels require little space and low capital investment. Therefore, fossil fuels are better than intermittent power sources. There is an increasing demand for fossil fuels in the world. The number of people who require the natural gas to prepare their meals is increasing on a daily basis. A significant world population is also using coal in their homes (Krieger, Casey, & Shonkoff, 2016). Intermittent sources cannot help in running the office, homes, and the industries.
Negative Impact of Fossil Fuels on the Environment
The fossil fuels release carbon dioxide with causes global warming and change of climate. Carbon dioxide has not more than two chains of carbon. Compounds that have up to two strings are the most lethal causes of global warming. The effects of global warming are dangerous to the existence of humans, animals, and plants (Ellabban, Abu-Rub, & Blaabjerg, 2014). If human beings desist from harnessing fossil fuels for energy, the chances of global warming reduce by half. Moreover, the fossil fuels are non-renewable sources of energy. Once they have been exploited, they cannot be replenished. Therefore, utilizing the fossils for fuel leads to land degradation. The world should hence switch to the renewable energy to save the world from the undesirable effects of global warming.
When harnessed and appropriately utilized, the intermitted sources are sufficient to cater for the energy needs of the world. Moreover, the power from the intermittent sources is reliable and safe. The exploitation of fossil fuels leads to environmental and air pollution due to the emission of dangerous gases into the atmosphere. However, the production of electricity is pollution free hence preventing the spread of pulmonary diseases and other airborne complications. The national administration should spread the renewable sources on a large scale (Murakami, Ida, Tanaka, & Friedman, 2015). The renewable sources that require committed attention are wind, solar, and biogas sources. Moreover, the government can also invest in geothermal, biomass, and ocean energy.
The government should use modern technology to manage and track the patterns of energy utilization. The same technological advancement can offer both flexible energy and storage facilities for the renewable sources. Therefore, there is no need to use fossil fuels when intermittent sources can serve a wide area. The sunrays in a day have enough energy to last for one whole year. Therefore, the power engineers should use the relevant methods to convert sunlight into energy and presence the fossils. Over the past five years, the costs of electricity and other renewable energy sources have reduced significantly (Sovacool, & Drupady, 2016). Fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas are now expensive than electric power. Therefore, people should opt for renewable sources to sustain the economy.
Fossil fuels are expensive due to their environmental and health impacts. The pollution due to the exploitation of fossil fuels causes human diseases. The government spends a fortune in the healthcare department due to fossil fuels. The national executive can cut on its health budget when it invests on intermittent sources. The technology for producing renewable power is affordable for the government. Moreover, renewable energy does not affect the plants and animals like the exploitation of fossil fuels. The mining activities to retrieve coal deprive the natural land of its fertility. Therefore, the pants experience stunted growth due to insufficient nutrients, and they die off. The animals depend on the plants for feeding. Once the plants die, the animals also die. Humans consequently lack food; thus, fossil fuels have far-reaching effects (Noori, Kucukvar, & Tatari, 2015). The governments should switch to intermittent sources to prevent food shortages.
Renewable Sources of Energy and their Potential
The demand for electricity is increasing in the developing countries. The states require electricity to run their industrial operations. Electric power is also needed at homes for lighting purposes (Vasileiadou, Huijben, & Raven, 2016). The world governments should embrace renewable energy to enhance industrial growth (Strachan, Cowell, Ellis, Sherry?Brennan, & Toke, 2015). Moreover, the heat from fossil fuels cannot compliment electricity for lightning. Finally, renewable sources are safe to the environment.
Conclusion
The intermittent power sources should not replace fossil fuels. Preferably, the renewable sources of power should complement the non-renewable ones. The impact of intermittent power sources over fossil fuel would decrease energy supply to the world. Fossil fuels are in high demand as they are needed in homes, offices, and at industrial set-ups. Moreover, the fossil fuels are constant whereas the renewable ones are inconsistent. The costs of exploring fossil fuels are cheaper than that of acquiring the intermittent power sources. The exploration of fossil fuels goes on regardless of weather changes. Moreover, the energy sources can serve a large number of people.
The fossil fuels have few shortcomings when compared to the renewable sources. The fossil fuels are non-renewable hence their exploitation leads to environmental degradation. The fuels also lead to global warming due to the emission of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere. The exploration of fossil fuels leads to environmental and atmospheric pollution. The effects of the pollution lead to pulmonary diseases and other complications. Intermittent sources are renewable and safe. The renewable sources can be stored for future usage. Finally, sunrays for a day provide sufficient energy that can sustain a country for the whole year.
References
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