Everyone’s seen it. It’s on the shelves in super markets, in newspapers, in blogs, on our televisions, and even between the pages of Generation. Whether you call it the green movement or environmentalism, and whether you agree with it or not, it’s hard to deny the cultural phenomenon that it has become. One particular aspect of the movement that is of concern is renewable energy, so much so that it was even a major platform difference between John McCain and President Barack Obama during the debates.
According to Emily Bauer, a junior biology major, environmental design minor, and student assistant representative for the environmental stewardship committee, “Renewable energy is carbon neutral, self-sustaining, and left in the same condition it was found in.”
Currently, the most frequently used energy sources are products of the petroleum, oil, coal, and nuclear industries. Making shifts to renewable energy sources that can be naturally replenished such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass energy can end our reliance on foreign fuels and create a sustainable future. The production, manufacturing, distributing, and sale of alternative, renewable fuels can provide jobs, and energy independence could have a tremendous impact on the United States.
When renewable energy sources are used, the dependence on fossil fuels decreases. These renewable energy sources also do not directly emit greenhouse gases like their depleting and expensive counterparts.
Currently, these energy sources only make up seven percent of the United States energy supply. It’s location and high cost that have prevented this energy from being harnessed on a grand scale. The Energy Information Administration reports that these resources are usually located in remote areas, and it has been ruled that it is too great a cost to build expensive power lines to the metropolitan areas where they are most needed. This, however, is about to change.
Solar Energy
The first renewable energy source comes from the sun. Solar electricity, or photovoltaics, involves generating solar power by converting sunlight into energy using solar cells packed into photovoltaic modules. This form of electricity doesn’t deplete any of earth’s resources and is renewable because the sun is consistently shining down on the earth’s surface.
According to James Simon, Associate Environmental Educator of UB Green, “Google has solar panels on the roof of its headquarters and countless other companies are investing in renewable energy for their properties.” Corporations aren’t the only ones jumping on the renewable energy bandwagon; solar panels are being installed atop residential homes as well. Installing solar panels decreases the cost of heating homes and also comes with tax break incentives, according to Hughesco. Inc. of Buffalo, a local company that specializes in this field.
Solar power, however, isn’t perfect. According to electricityforum.com, a negative aspect of this power source is the vast expanses of land that solar modules require to produce large amounts of electricity.
Wind Power
Another popular source of renewable energy is wind power. Wind power may be the cheapest up-and-coming electricity source by 2020, says Powerscorecard.com. Wind power is created solely through the use of turbines, which are machines that have a rotor and are driven by kinetic energy. The kinetic energy is converted into mechanical power by impulse of the reaction—in this case, blades driven by wind. A small, single wind turbine can be used to power an individual home, or many large turbines can be used as a substitute for a power plant.
This doesn’t mean that wind power doesn’t lack any environmental downfalls. According to Powerscorecard.com, wind turbines cause no air pollution, but do create noise pollution as well as impacting the visual landscape of the environment. Additionally, USA Today reported in January of 2005 that wind power is responsible for thousands of bird deaths annually due to the lethal rotating blades, specifically affecting endangered birds of pray such as eagles and hawks.
Buffalo already has a wind farm of its own at the former Bethlehem Steel Mill overlooking Lake Erie. Today the wind turbines are “capable of producing enough energy to power 75 percent of the city of Lackawanna,” says Fox News. According to Bauer, wind turbines are very valuable resources because wind is everywhere and it’s free.
Hydropower
Another source of renewable energy is hydropower, which is the oldest and most widely used source. The Energy Information Association reports that hydropower works by creating mechanical, or kinetic, energy through “directing, harnessing, or channeling moving water.” The vast amount of water flowing from a high point such as Niagara Falls is an example of a prime location for a hydropower facility. The water flows through a pipe, or penstock, and then pushes against and turns blades in a turbine to spin a generator to produce electricity. New York State is the fourth largest provider of hydroelectricity. “Hydropower is a vast and popular resource of Western New York because of Niagara Falls,” says Bauer.
While many regard hydropower as the ideal fuel for electricity generation, because it is essentially free, has zero waste products, and causes no pollution of water and air, it is often criticized because it does change the environment by affecting natural habitats. The National Energy Education Development Project published the Intermediate Energy Infobook 2006-2007, which describes one instance in the Columbia River. Salmon have to swim upstream to their spawning grounds to reproduce, but a series of dams now obstructs their path. Different approaches to fixing this problem are being implemented, including the construction of “fish ladders,” which help the salmon “step up” the dam to the spawning grounds upstream.
Geothermal Energy
A more isolated and expensive renewable resource is geothermal. Geothermal energy, like something out of a 1950’s science fiction pulp, uses heat from the earth’s core and converts it into electricity. It uses magma as a heat source and the earth makes magma almost limitlessly—thus renewable. Geothermal energy comes as highly pressurized water vapor released from underground. For example, the geysers in Northern California are the world’s largest geothermal plant. An up-side to geothermal energy is that, unlike solar and wind energy, geothermal plants can run 24 hours a day. According to Simon, “Renewable energy sources generally have a higher up front cost, but will have a good payback in the long run.” Geothermal plants have very low maintenance costs and no fuel costs like those of coal plants. Though, according to Powerscorecard.com, geothermal plants also emit traces of CO2, methane, hydrogen, sulfide, nitrogen, and hydrogen from the earth’s core into the atmosphere and may also lead to possible groundwater contamination. Geothermal energy is also the most limiting of the sources because it can only be harnessed in selected volcanic areas.
Biomass Energy
The final renewable energy source is biomass, which currently makes up a large portion of the renewable energy used today. Biomass energy is derived from burning wood, crops, manure, and garbage. This source also helps to empty landfills as wastes are continually being produced by society. The materials are burned in boilers that supply steam for electric generators to burn fossil fuels converted into methane. Biomass emits carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. According to Bauer, because biomass energy burns plants and trees that convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, the entire biomass energy process as a whole is carbon neutral.
Like every renewable energy source, it doesn’t come without its disadvantages. Sustainable Energy Ireland reports that, much like solar power, biomass would require a lot of land to produce the wood or cane for burning. Because of this, it is unlikely that biomass could ever be generated in quantities to supply current energy demands. Furthermore, the large land used in biomass can ultimately strip the earth of essential organic matter that is burned up rather than being returned to the land for soil improvement.
The pros and cons of each source must be scrutinized and each method needs to be developed further, which would ultimately be a costly endeavor. Many proponents of renewable energy stress that money would be well spent becuase renewable energy sources can help decrease human impact on the environment and our carbon footprint. “Our generation is going to be the one most impacted by climate change so it is very important to prepare for the future,” says Bauer, who also says the reason these sources aren’t used more often is because of our culture. In order to broaden the horizons of renewable energy we need to offer tax incentives and research. “Invest in big ways to be green,” says Bauer.
While it may initially seem like a strain on our pockets, especially in light of the recent financial crisis, renewable energy sources and plants can actually reinvigorate the economy by creating green collar jobs. “Green collar jobs are jobs that focus on the creation of a green, environmentally friendly economy. These jobs can’t be exported to China or India, and they have a lasting impact on the environment and the economy,” says Simon.
According to Bauer, renewable energy sources could bring many jobs to Western New York in fields such as maintenance, design, factory jobs, and student research. “Going green and bringing renewable energy sources to campus can help make UB a carbon neutral and self-sustaining campus,” says Bauer. Self-sustainability is vital to being environmentally friendly, and the promise of jobs would be a plus for Western New York’s notoriously declining economy.
All of this knowledge, while overwhelming, can be empowering. As renewable energy becomes more and more relevant to our every day lives, the need for an active community surrounding the issue will become increasingly vital to the movement. As Bauer says, “Get involved, and get educated.”
