Alternative Energies Essay -- Fossil Fuels, Solar Energy

Do you have to pay to put fuel in a vehicle? I know I do and it's becoming more of a large burden rather than just another small expense of living. It's safe to say that the majority of people owning motor vehicles dislike the constant fluctuation in the price of oil and gasoline. The four worst polluters when it comes to the burning of fossil fuels are the United States, China, Japan, and Britain (Editorial par. 3). At the rate at which it is rising now, vehicles are soon going to be a luxury because people will not be able to afford the price of fuel. One possible solution to this problem, and many other instances that rely on the burning of fossil fuels, is the use of renewable energy sources. Two of the more notable energies are solar and wind power. Both are resources that cannot be depleted. The light from the sun can be transformed into electricity, used to power furnaces and air-conditioners, and warm up water (Solar Energy par. 1). In reality, the sun is the source that cre ated almost every source of energy on Earth, whether it is a direct or indirect effect (Solar Energy par. 3). â€Å"Concentrating solar power offers a utility-scale, firm, dispatchable renewable energy options that can help meet our nation's demand for electricity.† (www.eere.energy.gov). Wind power is another one of the possibilities to replace the burning of fossil fuels. It was very popular for energy to be created by windmills in the past, but fossil fuels have become the replacement for such devices. Many would like to see a return to the use of windmills because it provides an energy source that is completely clean and renewable (Wind Energy par. 1). There are many projects already devoted to bringing about this major change in technology. The Interna... ...nlight, solar energy can not be produced very efficiently or may not be able to be produced at all (Solar Energy par 53). Solar energy is not the only alternative energy that has its downfalls. One disadvantage of using wind power is the intense sound that the turbines produce. This is the reason that most â€Å"wind farms† are placed on the countryside or away from communities (Wind Energy par. 81). Another drawback is the large amount of space that is required for the placement of wind turbines. As stated before, the land can still be used for other conventional means after the turbines are built. Finding an area large enough near big cities is the reason that using wind energy for electricity has not become a popular method to produce energy (Wind Energy par. 83). Believe it or not, there are actually some negative effects that wind power imposes on the environment.