Alternative Energies

Wind and Solar Power

The main function of fracking is to extract natural gas from shale, which uses huge amounts of water at enormous environmental cost and causes bad environmental cost. Considering the increasing environmental cost, wind and solar power become more economic than fracking.Wind and solar power is renewable energy, which means it is clean, affordable and theoretically inexhaustible. Compared to fracking, wind and solar power produces no emission to our environmental.

 

HOW WIND ENERGY IS PRODUCED

  • Usually 200 feet or more of the wind turbines are used to make use of wind energy to turn it into energy. When the wind blows, it turns the turbine blades. The blade is connected to a drive shaft that moves with the blade. The shaft is connected to a generator that creates electricity. The creation of electricity is in the form of communication.

 

HOW SOLAR ENERGY IS PRODUCED

  • Concentrated solar
    • The concentrated solar energy power generation uses the mirror reflection and the concentrated sunlight to the receiver, collects the solar energy, and converts it to heat. The heat energy can be used to generate electricity, through a steam turbine or a heat engine that drives a generator.
  • Photovoltaic Solar
    • Photovoltaic (PV) technology uses photovoltaic cells (PV) to convert sunlight directly into electricity. Photovoltaic cells are made from semiconductors and can provide a large amount of power to the grid.

 

According to the article, Wind and Solar, in Clean Line Energy Partners (2016), “the United States has some of the best wind resources in the world, with enough potential energy to produce nearly 10 times the country’s existing power needs” and “over 400 American manufacturing plants build wind components, towers and blades” (para 2). Furthermore, solar power also can meet the power needs of the United States. Nowadays, solar installations in the United States exceed 3,100 megawatts, which can power 630,000 homes (para 3). With the decreasing cost of solar panels, solar power becomes the fastest growing sectors in USA. Thus, wind and solar power is a reliable source of electricity, which can make our country’s energy portfolio diversification.

Reference:

Category, B. (n.d.). Clean Line Energy Partners. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from http://www.cleanlineenergy.com/technology/wind-and-solar