Natural Resources and Energy Paper Essay Example for Free

Natural Re p arntages and strength Paper Essay move up concern leader and Global RoleThe world has been using rick faculty for over 100 years instantly to generate power. The first known use was in 5000 BC when people apply sails to navigate the Nile River ( alternate Energy, 2008-2012). starting signal in the early 1900s, rustle mills were used to pump groundwater in Midwestern portions of the country primarily. Today, aerogenerator technological climbs flip brought about the development of powerful wind turbines and sophisticated windmill farms across the country. In some(prenominal) cases, the development of these devises has caused a decline in generating cost resulting in wind zilch agonistical with several some otherwise conventional sources of electricity. Today, wind is unity of the leading sources of electricity beating out sear coal place cause health issues as wind does not. rove power has been the fastest maturation life force source and some p eople be saying that is the reasoning behind the Global melting Effect. thither is talk already that in the next thirty to forty years the worlds verve forget have to come from wind, solar or some other renewable resource. crown power is used globally and plays several different roles in different beas of the world. Most areas though are using the same causes of equipment for the nada resource, which are the windmills and turbines. In these different areas the climate manipulate will control the amount of wind power being produced. In the hotter areas that have less wind are definitely not divergence to produce the same amo Alternative energy, Capacunts of wind energy as places that are in the windy areas like Seattle and Chicago. So from a geographical stand point, if someone is looking to generate stilt quantities of energy from wind, then being in Arizona is not going to be a ingenuous choice. Growing Human PopulationThe population in terms of its affect on wind ener gy has very little effect on wind power harvest-feastion for one reason and one reason only. That is because winds are a direct result of the uneven heating of the earths come on by solar radiation. So technically they are just another source of solar energy. in that location are still some major deficiencies of Wind power. Wind is not a aeonian source of energy at a particular place. Wind cannot be concentrated in one location, so that it will take up an enormous amount of space to render an equal amount of wind energy. And finally, once the energy is produced by the wind storing the energy becomes a major concern, meaning how you disperse the energy gathered effectively to the population. Only recently has wind power spread across the country as a somewhat viable source of power with the global initiatives to create and produce alternative energies. The Wind Farms were primarily used in California and recently spread out across the United States. There are some benefits of thi s energy much(prenominal) as agricultural, rural land use, pastures as well as farmers to use wind power in land open areas. Winds are probably never going to be the main or considered as a major energy producer for this country or for the world for several reasons. The population uses a huge amount of its energies. Because the way that wind energy is created, it has a role in our energy cycle but is reduced because it does not produce the end product energy. The wind is converted into electricity and is a secondary source. Wind used with another source of energy, such as fission being the byproduct of another source of energy could generate several other improvements on different energy sources as well as decreasing the amounts of pressure on rate of flow energy sources may be a better and cost-effective approach to using wind energy. The problem with wind power and population is that wind power is not as efficient as our typic fossil fuels and has lower thermal dynamic potent ial to create the energy needed by the development population. Another reason is as stated earlier the vast amount of space needed to create the power already effects the population. Most wind farms are in land masses that have already been cleared away, which limits the location. There are pluses and minuses to these areas. The land is usually prepared and cleared in advance so it can be used for farming and other industrial uses. At the same cartridge clip of harvesting the wind power, some of the concerns would be the noise pollution that comes with a wind farm. Any type of populated area would be unbearable to endure. The population effects on wind energy are in reverse. The growing population does not have an effect on the production of wind energy other than the materials needed in its construction, the removal of large amounts of trees, and the loss of birds because of the blades over sentence. It seems as though we may be doing more damage than good for the return of energ y that would be needed to support the population.Risks and Benefits of renewable EnergyRenewable energy resources are sustainable resources that replenish naturally. Such resources are produced from the sun, wind, biomass, tides, and geothermal. The main advantage of renewable resources is that the source is readily available and would never last out. Other important benefits include cut contributions to global warming and with no polluting emissions. The disadvantages of using renewable energy is the expensive initial cost for setup, the difficulty to achieve the energy requirements needed, and the maintenance on the equipment. Depending on the application, the risks and benefits will vary when using the energy resource. Wind power is an electric energy obtained from surface air currents caused by the solar warming of air. Wind energy is a clean and cost-efficient way for energy. Wind power is placed in rural areas and requires constant wind (at least 15 mph) to operate. The wi nd turbines are most effective on high one thousand where wind speeds are greater. At times, the turbines may kill birds and bats that get in its way. Other risks and disadvantages of wind include the cost, the noise pollution, and the unreliability factor of wind (Clean Energy Ideas, 2012). Solar energy power converts sun for heating and generating electricity. Solar power is used in commercial and residential applications. In order for solar power to generate energy, an open area along with sunlight is a necessity to perform properly. The weather, the time of day, and pollution can affect the performance of solar panels. At times, space could be limited and trees would be cut to make room for placing the panels in areas for sufficient amount of energy. Because of lack of space, many solar panels are placed on top of the roof. Some people think the panels make the buildings and property unattractive (Clean Energy Ideas, 2012). Biomass fermentation is instal and animal materials u sed as fuel. Biomass produces ethanol from different materials such as corn, grains, wood, adage dust and wood chips, plants, and animal wastes. Biomass is easily available where plants and crops are grown. Most of the source is from plants that gather its energy from the sun. In addition, the source is used for heat production, electricity, and fuel for cars. Biomass requires burning of materials, which contributes to air pollution, but it produces less babys room gases compared to fossil fuels (EHow, 2012). Hydropower is created as water flows through rivers and streams, the dams convert the energy of water to kinetic energy as the water turns turbines to generate electricity. Hydropower is efficient with 90% of the energy consumed to electricity. The benefits include clean source of energy, availability, and the reservoir can be used for leisure (boating, fishing, and swimming) and irrigation purposes. On the other hand, the risks involve overflow which can destroy the plant veg etation in the process (Benefits of, 2012). Geothermal energy is extracted from the heat produced by the Earths core. For centuries, many places have been extracting the source for hot springs. Some areas have geothermal power plants to generate electricity. In other areas, ground source heat pumps are used to extract water for the home or business hot water supply, which helps to reduce energy costs. The disadvantage is that a large area is needed to run the piping system (Clean Energy Ideas, 2012).ConclusionAs the human population increases, the demand for energy will increase as well. There is much debate for the preferred choice of energy. Wind and other renewable energy resources are a clear alternative if we want to have a sustainable future day for our children. Comparing the factors, the advantages with the use of renewable energy outweighs the risks and disadvantages. Although the initial cost will be expensive, the energy used will pay for itself in the long run. Reducing air pollution, contributing less to global warming, and reserving nonrenewable energy resources are just a few benefits with the use of renewable energy as an alternative.ReferencesAlternative Energy. (2008-2012). Retrieved from http//www.altenergy.org/Benefits of (September, 2012). Benefits of Hydropower. Retrieved from http//benefitof.netClean Energy Ideas (September, 2012). Natural and Renewable Energy Sources. Retrieved from http//www.clean-energy-ideas.comEHow (September, 2012). Advantages and Disadvantages of Biomass Energy. Retrieved from http//www.ehow.com