Alternate sources of energy - effectively replace the use of fossil fuel

Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies

Module: Academic Writing 11

Module Code: COM2014

Lecturer: 

Students: Delroy Garrison

Id#: 

Date: April 10, 2017

Topic: Alternate sources of energy cannot effectively replace the use of fossil fuel

Narrow topic: Alternate sources of energy cannot effectively replace fossil fuel as Jamaica’s primary source of energy.
Audience: Jamaica’s energy consumers that are considering the prospects of using alternative sources of energy and are optimistic that its implementation will reduce the cost of energy and the environmental impact of producing this energy.

Purpose: To convince Jamaicans and energy consumers in general that their optimism towards the use of alternative sources of energy will solve neither their financial problems nor the world’s environmental problem.

Thesis statement: Despite the need for more environmentally friendly and cost effective sources of energy, a lot of people fail to believe that alternate energy sources can effectively replace fossil fuel as Jamaica’s primary source of energy because alternative sources of energy are erratic and the transition to alternative sources of energy may incur an innitialvery high cost.

Claims

I.                   The implementation of alternate sources of energy is hindered by its technicality and unreliability/intermittency which are not factors which affects fossil fuel.

A.    Our government neither has competent technical staff nor capacity to address the national energy sector issues concerning implementation of alternate energy on a comprehensive basis. (Luton, 2014).

B.     Essentially, alternate sources of energy are unreliable due to its inability to produce energy at a constant rate. (The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010).

C.     Intermittency is a characteristic of alternate energy sources which requires a large amount of additional infrastructure in order to counter the large fluctuations in energy output. (Schalk, 2013)

II.                The implementation of alternative sources of energy will prove very expensive, especially as it concerns the energy and transportation sectors.

A.    Alternate sources of energy generally requires capital intensive installation costs and their sometimes higher-than-desirable operational costs. (Twidell & Wier, 2013).

B.     An increase in the use of alternate energy sources would result in higher electricity prices. (Luton, 2014).

C.     The automotive industry would pose the greatest financial challenge as almost everyone has a vehicle that is powered by gasoline or diesel which are by-products of fossil fuel. (Ayers, 2011)

Counter Claim

III.             There are those who argue that alternate sources of energy can and should replace the use of fossil fuel as it provides substantial benefits in terms of environment and lowering the import bill.

A.    Alternate sources of energy are not hazardous to the environment since they produce nearly no pollution. (Shahzad, 2015).

B.     The implementation of alternate energy will reduce dependence on imported fuels which will overtime spur economic development. (Twidell & Wier, 2013).

Refutation

IV.             Although alternative sources of energy produces little pollution and reduces the importation of fossil fuels, its implementation will negatively impact the physical environment and cause sluggish economic growth.

A.    Many of the alternative energy systems destroys animal habitats and release pollutants or toxins into the environment. (The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010).

B.     “The need for rapid economic growth makes it unlikely that the world will give up on readily available fossil fuel. Currently, fossil fuels provide 81% of the world’s commercial energy supply” (Lackne, 2015, p.8).

References

Ayers, J. (2011) “Sustainability” Limitations of 'Non-Renewable' Energy Sources. (1^st ed.). USA: Chapter 7, retrieved February, 20, 2017 from: www.sage.org/journals

Caribbean Council for Science and Technology. (1999). Renewable energy in the Caribbean         , where we are; where we should be. CCST99 report. Pdf version retrieved February, 20,                     2017   from: www.sage.org/journals

David, L. (2012). Energy sources pros and cons. Online article, accessed February 18, 2017          from; www.readinga-z.com

Helen, C. (2009). 'Can alternative energy effectively replace fossil fuels?’ MBBS Greenpeace             International: online articles accessed February, 20, 22017 from:  www.ProCon.org.

            February, 20, 2017 from:  https://www.journals.elsevier.org/renewable.

Haymes, A. & Byrnes, G. (2011). “Sustainability Limitations of 'Renewable' Energy. Pdf version               retrieved February, 18, 2017 from: www.sage.org/journals

Lackne, K. (2015). Comparative Impacts of Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy Sources.,             Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, page 8, Pdf version, retrieved February, 20,          2017 from: www.rsc.org

Lenzen, M. 2008. "Life cycle energy and greenhouse gas emissions of renewable energy: a            review." Energy Conversion and Management. Pdf version, retrieved February, 18, 2017             from:www.sage.org/journals.

Luton. D, (2014). JPS Cautions That Alternative Energy Drive May Push Electricity Prices,          online news article retrieved February, 20, 22017 from: www. The          gleaner.com/archives/alternative energy/

Royal Society of Chemistry. (2010). Comparative Impacts of Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy Sources. Issues in Environmental Science and Technology. USA: Published by          the Royal Society of Chemistry, Pdf version, retrieved February, 20, 2017 from:        www.rsc.org

Schalk, C. (2013). “The Fundamental Limitations of Renewable Energy”. Online article:                                    accessed February 18, 2017 from; www. The usmessageboard.com/energy                 

Smith, L. (2012). Electrical sciences. (1^st ed.). EBook accessed February 18, 2017 from;                                    www.googlebooks.com

Shahzad. U. (2015). “The Need for Renewable Energy Sources” Pakistan: International Journal                 of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Department of Electrical        Engineering, Riphah International University, Faisalabad. Pdf version, retrieved February, 20, 2017 from: www.sage.org/journals

Timmons. D., Harris. J. & Roach. B, (2014) “The Economics of Renewable Energy”. USA: Tufts University Global Development And Environment Institute, Pdf journal, retrieved      February, 20, 2017 from: http://ase.tufts.edu/gdae.

Turkenburg. W. (2008). “Renewable Energy” The Netherlands: Utrecht University, Pdf journal; accessed February 18, 2017 from; www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/research

Twidell. J. & Wier. T. (2011). “Renewable energy resources” (3^rd ed.). England: CRC Taylor &    Francis. EBook accessed February 18, 2017 from; googlebooks.com

Essay

Introduction

Does your idea of forward thinking and environmental protection include; wind farms that chops birds from the sky… or solar parks that murders trees… or even dams that destroy the salmon population by cutting off their route to breeding ground upstream?... I did not think so.  Today, fossil fuels are by far the dominant energy source in industrial economies, and the main source of energy production growth in developing economies. However, the twenty-first century has seen focus being directed away from conventional sources of energy which are fossil fuels towards renewable/alternate energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal energy.  This is motivated by many factors including; concerns about environmental impacts, limits on fossil fuel supplies and prices. Irrespective of the need for more environmentally friendly and cost effective sources of energy, alternate energy sources cannot effectively replace fossil fuel as Jamaica’s primary source of energy because alternative sources of energy are erratic and the transition to alternative sources of energy will be very expensive.

1^st body paragraph

        The implementation of alternate sources of energy is hindered by its technicality, unreliability or intermittency which are not factors which affects fossil fuel. While the technology already exists to implement alternative energy, the technicality of these system makes wide scale utilization difficult and unattractive. In addition, Luton (2014) posits that the government neither has competent technical staff nor capacity to address the national energy sector issues concerning implementation of alternate energy on a comprehensive basis. By their nature, alternative energy cannot be conjured up in each moment that we need energy; some days the wind does not blow, the sun does not shine and Hydropower may be unavailable during drought periods. Essentially alternate sources of energy are unreliable due to their inability to produce energy at a constant rate. (The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010). The reason that fossil fuels are so widely used is that they have large amounts of conveniently concentrated energy, readily available to perform work while alternate sources are considered intermittent.  Intermittency is a characteristic of alternate energy sources which requires a large amount of additional infrastructure in order to counter the large fluctuations in energy output. (Schalk, 2013). For example, a gallon of gasoline contains about 37 kWh (kilowatt hours) of potential energy while A typical 3’ x 6’ solar panel can generate about 0.2 kWh in one hour of bright sunshine (Haymes and Byrnes, 2011). The sun would need to shine on such a panel for 185 hours (about a month, assuming six hours of bright sun per day) to provide the same energy as a gallon of gasoline.

2^nd body paragraph

The implementation of alternative sources of energy will prove very expensive, especially as it concerns the energy and transportation sectors. The issue of costs is central to the question of whether or not alternative energy sources can replace fossil fuels. As stated by Twidell & Wier, (2013) Alternate sources of energy generally requires capital intensive installation costs and their sometimes higher-than-desirable operational costs. Additionally, it is not true to say that electricity prices will reduce with the implementation of alternate sources of energy. In fact, while countries such as Germany have decided to rely primarily on solar power, mainly for environmental reasons, that decision has pushed up the price of electricity for Germans due to the cost of solar generation and storage equipment. In essence, at some point, adding too much alternative energy becomes expensive, proving true Luton (2014) point that; Increased use of alternate energy sources would also result in higher electricity prices. With higher energy costs, buildings, manufacturing and transportation networks would have to be redesigned to use less energy. The automotive industry would pose the greatest financial challenge as almost everyone has a vehicle that is powered by gasoline or diesel which are by-products of fossil fuel (Ayers, 2011). Transition to alternate energy can only be accomplished by replacing existing infrastructure to accommodate these new energy sources and this will incur a very high implementation costs which will translate to higher cost of alternative energy.

Counterclaim

There are those who argue that alternate sources of energy can and should replace the use of fossil fuel as it provides substantial benefits in terms of environment and lowering Jamaica’s import bill. As is known by all; alternative energy helps in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, reducing Jamaica’s carbon footprint, and compliance with international conventions on environment protection. Additionally, Shahzad (2015) in his article “The Need for Renewable Energy Sources” alluded to the fact that alternate sources of energy are not hazardous to the environment since they produce nearly no pollution. Over the period of 2008- 2016 Jamaica spent approximately 12 billion US dollars on oil imports. Alternative energy taking the place of fossil fuels is expected to yield the benefit of a reduced importation bill. Twidell & Wier (2013) agrees that the implementation of alternate energy will reduce dependence on imported fuels which will overtime spur economic development.

Refutation

Although alternative sources of energy produces little pollution and reduces the importation of fossil fuels, its implementation will negatively impact the physical environment and cause sluggish economic growth. There is some merit to the argument that alternative energy is expected to yield the benefit of better environmental conditions but on the contrary, there are concerns about the sheer size of the windmill and solar parks necessary to replace fossil fuels. Many of the alternative energy systems destroys animal habitats and also release pollutants or toxins into the environment. (The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010). Rational scientific analysis shows conclusively that renewable energy cannot ever deliver on the very basis that it has been sold to the public. It is against this backdrop that one can agree with Lackne (2015) that “the need for rapid economic growth makes it unlikely that the world will give up on readily available fossil fuel. Currently, fossil fuels provide 81% of the world’s commercial energy supply” (p.8).

Conclusion

Regardless of what the world is made to believe, the reality of the issue is simply this. Because alternate energy sources are erratic and expensive to implement, they alone cannot meet demand in areas of the First World with high population density and energy consumption, hence, their inability to effectively replace fossil fuel. Alternative energy is crucial in mitigating the impact of energy production on the environment. Notwithstanding the myriad challenges of their development; technicality, intermittency and expense, society will eventually adopt alternate energy, since fossil fuels are limited in supply. Current economic activity depends overwhelmingly on fossil fuels and as such consumers could be saddled with unnecessary energy cost if the State fails to find the ideal balance between fossil fuels and alternate energy rather than trying to replace it. No single solution can meet our society’s future. The solution instead will come from a family of diverse energy technologies that share a common thread; that is, they do not deplete our natural resources or destroy our environment.

; the world is moving towards alternative sources of energy however it may be some time before alternative sources of energy is able to effectively replace fossil fuel.  In the period 2004–2009, the annual growth rates in renewable energy investments were 32% for financing technology commercialization, 45% for financing the construction of projects, and 85% for financing equipment manufacturing. This fast-tracking of alternative energy technologies into the commercial mainstream is beginning to change the energy paradigm, although much more growth will be needed before renewables can become the world’s primary source of energy (Twidell and Wier, 2013).

 and is only created over geologic time. Thus the question is not whether society will shift to renewable energy, but when. Fossil fuel reserve lifetimes may be extended by new technologies for extraction, but the need to minimize the damaging effects of climate change is a more immediate problem than fossil fuel depletion.  Alternative energy will be adopted when fossil fuels have become scarce enough that they are more expensive than renewables, i.e. when fossil fuels are economically depleted. If the worst impacts of rising temperatures and climate alteration are to be avoided, society needs to, not replace fossil fuels but rather make better use of  fossil fuels, saving them for other applications and for future generations.

            There is a global focus on alternative energy and clean energy solutions, and Jamaica has been consistently ranked as one of the places in the region where the possibilities are endless,the government neither have competent technical staff nor capacity to address the national energy sector issues concerning implementation of alternate energy on a comprehensive basis. (Luton, 2014). By their nature, most alternative energy outputs cannot be matched to demand as easily as fossil fuels. Natural sources of energy cannot be conjured up in each moment that we need energy; some days the wind does not blow, and the sun does not shine. Hydropower may be unavailable during drought periods, and biomass crops experience crop failures, just like food crops. Most alternate energy sources have low capacity factors and are less consistent than fossil fuels. Essentially alternate sources of energy are unreliable due to its inability to produce energy at a constant rate. (The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010).

Growing concerns over the consequences of climate change should severely limit future access to fossil fuels. A forced choice between energy and environment could precipitate a major economic crisis, an environmental crisis, or both. Averting such a crisis will be difficult, because fossil energy resources are an essential part of the world’s energy supply. Furthermore, most of our energy comes from burning fossil fuels, which adds the greenhouse gas CO2 to the atmosphere, intensifying global warming. The use of fossil fuels should be decreased and those of renewable sources of energy should increase to protect our earth and the quality of life. This is because they are cleaner and do not produce poisonous harmful gases. (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010).. Alternate sources of energy are not hazardous to the environment since they do not require any sort of mining and drilling and produce nearly no pollution. (Shahzad 2015). will reduce dependence on imported fuels, minimize conflicts related to the mining and use of limited available natural resources, and spur economic development, creating new jobs and regional employment. (Twidell and Wier, 2013). There are those who argue that Alternate sources of energy can replace the use of fossil fuel as it provides substantial benefits in terms of climate, health and economy.