Renewable Energies In US And Its Impracticality

Overview of Renewable Energy

The world is facing an array of threats in various aspects especially in environmental aspects. In this context, the role of renewable energy is very important and significant as well. According to Aslani and Wong, the purpose behind using renewable energy is to make the world better for every living being because the rampant use of mineral resources around the world. Decrease in the mineral resources will lead to ecological imbalances and pave the way for an apocalypse. In this regard, it is important to install some measures that will help to maintain sustainability. Like in many countries United States also initiate some measures on renewable energy. Hence, the aim of this essay is to depict a picture of the utilisation of renewable energies and the future of this initiative for the betterment of the near future. However, there are a number of issues regarding the use of renewable energy in United States that prove to be futile in the near future. Therefore, the thesis statement can be stated as ‘renewable energies in US and its impracticality.

Before going into the condition of the renewable energy measures in United States it is important to understand various layers of understanding regarding renewable energy. It can be argued that renewable energy is a collective resource that are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. The article “Renewable energy resources: Current status, future prospects and their enabling technology” articulated that there are four aspects or areas on which renewable energies can provide energy that are electricity generation, air and water, transportation and rural energy service. In this context, Bhattacharya et al. stated that according to the global report on energy consumption only 19.3% renewable are contributed to the global energy consumptions. It can also be seen that developed countries like United States and China are heavily investing in renewable energies. In his book Ellabban et al. opined that the global statistics opines that there are 7.7 million jobs associated with the renewable energy industries across the globe. As a result of that it puts a global impact on environment. In the words of Cheng, it can be argued that the use of biomass and bio fuels leads to the reduction of CO₂ emission and decrease the possible threat of air pollution in a rapid manner that will guide towards ecological sustainability.

Based on this understanding, it can be articulated in the writing Jacobson et al. that in United States there are measures taken by the government in the form of wind, water and sunlight (WWS) all power energy system plan that will be completed within 2050 with a 100% replacement of energy resources to renewable energies. As a matter of fact, Ong et al. advocated that there are more than 50 states in the United States that are intended to implement this plan in an emphatic manner to reduce greenhouse emission and air pollution. Besides this, the initiatives of implementing renewable energies are not only beneficial for sustaining the ecological order but also help to create job opportunities for the citizens. The WWS technologies include wind, concentrated solar power, geothermal and solar PV primarily. As a result of that the generators will be enabled to reduce the adverse impact on health and climate.

Government Measures on Renewable Energy in the United States

In addition to this, it was articulated by Amin that smart grid is required to set an effective renewable energy system all over the country in United States. In this regard, the recent expansion of the natural gas production in the US has affected the grid development. The government survey in the United States has stated that the electric supply in the country will be tripled within the next 30 years. As a result of that the relevance of the renewable energies in United States as well as across the world is quiet significant. According to Onat, Kucukvar, and Tatari, the use of alternative power resources in transportation become increasingly popular in the automobile industries. In fact, in US the use of alternative energy for significant concern over the climate change is not the only reason, rather it is stapled with a number of different factors such as the increasing trend in global oil price. In this context, it Bird et al. argued that the US transportation sector is primarily responsible for 67% of the total petroleum consumption in the country. Therefore, the rise in the price of petroleum is highly affected the economy of the nation.

Despite of taking initiatives to procure an effective framework for using renewable energies, the US government fails to make any future impression on the utilisation of renewable energy as alternative energy source. The geopolitical policies are played pertinent role in the environmental issues. Howe had argued that both the wind and solar energy are considered to be leading renewable energy alternatives in United States as well as across the world but the downward geopolitical transition will lead towards a fatal impact on the environment and ecological balances in United States. In this regard, there is a perception that the renewable energies are highly effective than fossil fuels and is a solution to low the emission of greenhouse gases. However, in reality to install renewable energies it requires the presence of hydroelectricity in a profound basis. Without having the establishment of hydroelectric power station the role of renewable energies is inferior to coal and other fossil fuels.

Moreover, a survey conducted by the Centre of the American Experiment revealed that the in order to create a better world by reducing the greenhouse emission, the renewable energies are not always proved to be benevolent for the nature, instead of this often it is responsible for causing dangerous geopolitical climate for the nations. Based on this understanding, the study conducted by Bird et al. on Centre for American Experiment showed that in Minnesota the government invested $15 billion for setting up wind energy over traditional fossil fuel. However, the experiment became failed and rather than reducing the CO₂ emission it hiked the price of electricity in that region above the national average for the first time on record. As a matter of fact, in many of the US cities, it is nearly impossible to prohibit gasoline powered cars.

In addition to this, in United States, the government policies are not coincided with the use of renewable energies as an alternative energy source. In his writing Jacobson et al. has opined that after getting elected in the Presidential Election in 2016 the Donald Trump government rejected the establishment of climate science. In fact, many of the Trump transition team had refuted the connection between global warming and the use of fossil fuel energy. The recent US government policy on environmental sustainability is clearly envisioned the use of fossil fuel and unfettered gas as the path to national prosperity and energy independence. Based on this understanding, it can be advocated that despite of having opportunities to develop an effective renewable energy establishment the government policies and lack of understanding about the detrimental consequences will bring on the verge of destruction.

Therefore, it can be argued that the having adequate facilities for introducing renewable energies cannot be an effective measure for any country. It includes the government intervention, making effective policies and a perception or awareness to implement such benevolent measures. As a matter of fact, a healthy communication between the government organisations and the people can lead to a successful build up of renewable energies. With the help of these factors, it can achieve to establish a world full of life and prosperity.

References

Amin, Massoud. “Smart Grid.” PUBLIC UTILITIES FORTNIGHTLY (2015).

Aslani, Alireza, and Kau-Fui V. Wong. “Analysis of renewable energy development to power generation in the United States.” Renewable Energy 63 (2014): 153-161.

Bhattacharya, Mita, et al. “The effect of renewable energy consumption on economic growth: Evidence from top 38 countries.” Applied Energy 162 (2016): 733-741.

Bird, Lori, Jaquelin Cochran, and Xi Wang. Wind and solar energy curtailment: Experience and practices in the United States. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2014.

Cheng, Jay, ed. Biomass to renewable energy processes. CRC press, 2017.

Ellabban, Omar, Haitham Abu-Rub, and Frede Blaabjerg. “Renewable energy resources: Current status, future prospects and their enabling technology.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 39 (2014): 748-764.

Howe, Peter D., et al. “Geographic variation in opinions on climate change at state and local scales in the USA.” Nature Climate Change 5.6 (2015): 596.

Jacobson, Mark Z., et al. “100% clean and renewable wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) all-sector energy roadmaps for the 50 United States.” Energy & Environmental Science 8.7 (2015): 2093-2117.

Onat, Nuri Cihat, Murat Kucukvar, and Omer Tatari. “Conventional, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles? State-based comparative carbon and energy footprint analysis in the United States.” Applied Energy 150 (2015): 36-49.

Ong, Sean, et al. “Land-use requirements for solar power plants in the United States.” (2013).