Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Alternative Energy Sources: Energy for the
Future
But times do change and move continually.
—Edmund Spenser,
The Faerie Queene
, 1589
Numerous sources of commercial energy other than fossil fuels are avail-
able, but only recently have they received more than scant attention from
the government because of the ready availability and low cost of coal,
natural gas, and oil, and the low cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity
produced from power plants fueled by these fossil fuels. However,
because of environmental concerns about coal and the rapidly rising
prices for oil and natural gas, it is apparent that substitutes for these
venerable fuels are needed. The Department of Energy forecasts that
renewable alternatives will provide 21 percent of America's energy by
2030, with wind and biomass enjoying the greatest growth.
1
Most pub-
licity has been focused on biofuels, wind power, and solar power, but
other energy sources will compete with them in certain areas because of
geological and geographical constraints.
In the United States as of June 2009, twenty-eight states and Wash-
ington, D.C., had established renewable energy portfolios and mandates,
but not the federal government. Another thirteen states were considering
joining the group. Meanwhile, Germany, Spain, and Japan have erected
far more alternative energy installations, despite the fact that these coun-
tries are much smaller than the United States and have fewer options
than we do. In 2008 more renewable energy than conventional energy
was added in both the European Union and the United States.
Alternative Energy and Geography: Where Should We Put It?
Solar power is not the best energy source in Maine; wind will not be the
mainstay of power in South Carolina; hydrothermal energy is not a good
