Alternative Energy

Fossil fuels are source that formed when prehistoric plants and animals died and were buried by layers of rocks, water, and mud over time. The overtime the prehistoric plants formed coal, the prehistoric organisms in the ocean formed natural gas and the prehistoric microscopic plants and animals from the ocean formed oil. Today, humans extract these resources through coal mining and the drilling of oil and gas wells on land and offshore.

There are 3 main fossil fuels:

-         Coal

-         Oil

-         Natural gas

Burning fossil fuels leads to a large amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air we breathe. These gases trap heat, leading to global warming and climate change. The pollutants from the greenhouses contribute to smog, acid rain, respiratory diseases, and other health problems. Extracting these fossil fuels from the environment can damage ecosystems through habitat destruction, water pollution and soil contamination. Fossil fuels are a resource that takes millions of years to form, extracting fossil fuels can deplete these resources.

Solar energy uses the energy of sunlight to create electricity.

Solar energy requires sunlight and solar panels to work, so it is best of you keep solar panels in an area with minimal shading. A large open space is needed for using solar panels, they can be placed on land, water bodies such as lakes and reservoirs and even on the roof of your house. Solar panels need accessibility to necessary roads, electricity grids and water for panel cleaning. There are also policies and regulations for where you can keep solar panels.

With the research I have completed, I believe that solar energy is a more sustainable source than fossil fuels because…

You can use solar panels constantly if the sun is out, fossil fuels will eventually be depleted. Solar panels do not produce greenhouse gas emissions like fossil fuels do. Fossil fuels produce air pollutants that we breathe in, solar panels do not produce these pollutants. After installing solar panels they have low operating costs, the sun is free!

Alternative energy sources reduce greenhouse gas emissions by generating electricity without burning fossil fuels, which are major sources of carbon dioxide and other pollutants that trap heat this causes climate change and global warming. If we use alternative energy sources, we can help reduce the climate change because we won’t have as many greenhouse gases in the air.

Challenges and limitations associated with transitioning from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources may include...

The inconsistency of solar and wind, energy storage limitations, structure requirements and the need for supportive policies.