Solar and wind energy

Solar and wind power are being trumpeted by politicians, teachers, activists, and many in the news media as the environmentally correct ways to supply the energy needs of this country and as sources of energy that can (and must) replace fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil. Solar and wind are seen as “clean” and viable alternatives to fossil fuels. However, there is another side. Let’s take a look at some writings (and a video) that take a skeptical view of solar and wind as viable solutions to the environmental problems caused by the use of fossil fuels.

Then, based on your reading of the sources below, in this essay, I want you to make the case that solar and wind are not viable short- or long-term options to meet America’s energy needs.

Solar and wind are not viable short- or long-term options to meet America’s energy needs

Introduction

Renewable energy is the future, right? Not so fast. In fact, there are many reasons why solar and wind power sources aren’t the best long-term solutions for electric power. These renewable energy sources require lots of land and can’t be scaled up easily enough to meet all of America’s energy needs. What’s more, these sources are unreliable because they depend on nature—not just people—to function properly.

Solar and wind are not the best long-term solutions for electric power.

The fact is that solar and wind are not the best long-term solutions for electric power.

Solar panels require lots of land, which limits their use in dense urban areas. Windmill farms require even more space, as they need lots of open space to operate properly. Neither technology can provide sufficient flexibility or reliability when compared to fossil fuels such as natural gas or coal (which provide both), making them less attractive replacements for those fuels.

Solar and wind power are not scalable because they require lots of land.

Solar and wind power are not scalable because they require lots of land.

Wind and solar power require a lot of land, because they’re so inefficient: the amount of energy needed to produce one kilowatt hour (kWh) is usually at least ten times greater than the amount produced by the same amount of electricity when using natural gas or coal. In addition, wind turbines need space for their blades, which are often hundreds or thousands of feet long! And even if you build your own turbine from scratch—as many people do try to do—you still need a lot more space than just about any other type of energy source out there: according to one study done by researchers at MIT in 2009 (pdf), it takes 1 acre per megawatt hour generated by utility-scale solar panels; while hydroelectricity requires only 0.2 acres/MWh generated; geothermal uses as little as 0.06 acres/MWh…and on top of all that, none have been proven economically viable yet!

Solar and wind provide little flexibility.

Solar and wind are not able to provide power at night. While solar panels can produce electricity during the day, they will not generate any electricity when the sun is not shining. The same is true for wind turbines: Wind does not blow all day long, so if you want your home to be powered by it, then you have to turn on your generator or purchase some backup batteries from an electric company and charge them up from time-to-time (which is expensive).

Wind, solar and geothermal power sources aren’t reliable.

Wind, solar and geothermal power sources aren’t reliable. Wind is intermittent and can’t meet all of America’s energy needs at any given time. Solar doesn’t produce enough electricity to supply our homes with electricity when the sun isn’t shining and it’s cloudy, which is most of the time in mid-to-late summer. Geothermal sources are also limited by their geographic location; they’re only available in certain areas where there’s enough pressure from underground heat to make them workable (and it takes quite a bit of drilling).

These three sources combined—wind plus solar plus geothermal—only generate about 1% of total US energy needs each year! This leaves other sources such as coal and natural gas as pretty much our only option for meeting our current needs, which are getting higher every year thanks to population growth throughout much of America.”

These renewable energy sources aren’t able to meet all of America’s energy needs, so we need to rely on other sources such as coal and natural gas.

Renewable energy sources are not scalable, reliable or flexible. They require lots of land and pose environmental risks, including the possibility that their power output could go out of whack due to weather conditions.

These renewable energy sources aren’t able to meet all of America’s energy needs, so we need to rely on other sources such as coal and natural gas.

Conclusion

We’re excited about the prospect of a future that is powered by renewable energy sources, but we can’t ignore the reality of our current situation: we need to keep using fossil fuels. The good news is that these sources are much safer than nuclear waste or other alternatives with no long-term solution at all. So while there may be a lot of uncertainty around what will happen in the future as technology evolves and new discoveries are made on how best to store carbon dioxide emissions from power plants… it’s worth keeping an eye on those developments!

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