Renewable Energy, Research Paper Example

Renewable Energy will be the most Significant Challenge for the Oil Industry

There currently exists a great deal of data and enthusiasm about the progress and increased production of energy needs around the globe from alternative sources of energy. Wind power, solar energy and moving water are all forms of ancient sources of alternative energy that are making progress. The excitement everyone shares for these developments has created a sense of complacency in various ways that our future energy needs will easily be sustained. Alternative energy simply means energy that is produced from sources that are not part of the primary energy supply. Oil, coal and natural gas are the major fossil fuels that have mostly been depended upon for energy needs starting from household use to automobiles as well as mass transportations (Mclamb, 2011).The problem with the fossil fuels is that they are non-renewable. Their supply on earth is limited implying that they will onetime be depleted. They are products of plants and animals that formed millions of years ago underneath the surface of the earth. Despite the need for alternative sources of energy, these sources can only provide 7% of the world’s energy needs. This implies that the nonrenewable sources are providing 93% of the total energy production (Armaroli, &Balzani, 2011).

The side effects of using fossil fuels are problematic. The fuels produce carbon dioxide that mostly contributes to the global warming.  The effects of the global warming on the environment are very vast and affect a lot of areas in the world.  In the northern and southern poles, the global warming causes rise in temperatures resulting to the melting of ice that increases sea levels and alters the composition of seawaters. The rising sea levels can alter processes such as settlement, agriculture and fishing. Combustion of fossil fuels also results to air pollution causing smog, implications of human health and plant growth. The fossil fuels also pose dangers on the natural ecosystem. Oil spills have affected the lives of Aquatic and land animals and coal mining has deprived the earth its beauty and vitality.The coal, oil and natural gas industries are aware of these serious problems. However, our renewable sources are still not viable as major energy providers meaning that these companies will have to fulfill energy needs by putting up significant regulatory policies (The Oil Drum, 2010).

Some research indicates that fossil fuels will be depleted in the next 50-100 years. However, this information is not much appealing for the global community that depends entirely on fossils fuel to fulfill basic human needs. The reality is that the world is going to run out of the fossil fuels and there is no choice other than to prepare for the new era of energy generation since human energy needs are continuing to increase. Nobody has an idea of when the last drop of oil will be mined from the earth surface. It shall all depend on how proper we manage our energy needs and how proper we can generate and apply renewable energy sources. It is a fact that as the population grows over the next 50 years, the world’s energy needs will go up proportionately. Not only will renewable sources of energy be significant in coping up with the increasing population growth but will also outpace oil demands and begin replacing the fossil fuels so as to meet future energy demands. It is clear that renewable energy resources will contribute increasingly in power generation in the next century (Chu & Majumdar, 2012).

Solar energy is in action and impacts greatly on household energy needs and is expected to contribute to energy needs for approximately one billion people by the middle of the 21^st century. Some are currently the largest benefits of the solar panels. Wind sun and water are perfect energy sources depending with location on the surface of the earth. They are all renewable, non-pollutants and efficient. They are simple sine one only needs sunlight, running water or wind. Apart from reducing global carbon dioxide pollutants, renewable energy sources add flexibility to energy usage and reduce our dependence on limited fossil fuels. It is essential to note that these renewable energy sources build their own energy. An object is to trap and harness mechanical power converting it to electricity in the most effective and productive way possible. There exists more than enough renewable energy sources to forever supply all of the world’s energy demands; however, the challenge is to come up with the capability to efficiently and economically trap, store and make use of the energy when the need arises.For instance, ultimate source of solar energy is the sun. Its energy is found in everything, including the fossil fuels (The Oil Drum, 2010).Plants also depend on the sun to manufacture their own food, animals consume the plants, and both culminate in the key ingredients for fossil fuels. Without the sun, there would be no life on this planet. The suns also provide energy that can be preserved for use after the sun sets or the extended cloudy periods. However, availing it is the challenge that is facing the world (IEA, 2012).

Wind and hydroelectric power are another energy markets that are rapidly growing. They are forms renewable sources that should be considered to future energy demands. Water and wind are both products of nature and they do not have negative effects when they are applied.  Wind can be regulated in terms of speed in the regions where the movement of air is not constant. The force of the wind can be further customized by the current technology to create the wind in all parts of the word. Waterfalls can also be built up by the current technology in rivers and dams to avail hydroelectric energy. It can sufficiently be proven that renewable sources can greatly solve the current and future energy problems.

It is not a crime to say that the non-renewable sources of energy such as oil and gas have caused major political problems in the world.  The availability of fossil oils in some countries has brought about conflicts of interest by other nation. Countries that are rich in fossil oil products are with no doubts amongst the most economically developed countries in the world. Surprisingly, most of these countries are experiencing leadership and political wars. Countries with the interest in the oil products of another country will tend to destabilize the political structure of the country so as to gain control over the oil industry. We have for, many years witnesses war in the countries such as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and Lebanon, all of which are amongst oil producers in the world. Trading between these nations and other nations mostly depend on who is on power (Gause, 2011).The political figures determine terms of oil trade between these nations. Since oil is an important commodity, every other country would want to enhance trade links in the oil sector so as to benefit from the oil products. Poor political affiliations amongst oil producing companies and other companies are likely to cause problems and can affect either country (Odell, 2013).

The use of renewable sources of energy will seem to solve the political problems resulting from the oil industry.  Renewable energy sources are widely distributed across the globe. The sources can also artificially be constructed such as in the case of dams and wind turbines. Solar panels are also being improved to come up with objects that can store large amounts of solar energy which can be applied even in the absence of sunlight for a very long time. The fact that non-renewably sources are unequally distributed and are rare to be found makes them to gain both economic and political importance, posing problems for those countries that have and those that do not have. Also, owing to the fact that the non-renewable sources of energy are subject to depletion makes them to gain much protection from the jurisdiction the fall (Wüstenhagen&Menichetti, 2012).

For renewable sources to become meaningful in the production of hydroelectric power, the government will have to pump in subsidies to support the industry. Subsidiaries will bring in some level of equilibrium to the already distorted system of fossil fuels. The people who are against renewable energy subsidies reform for the fossil fuels argue out that the fuels can level the playing field to increase competition for renewable energy. Renewable sources of energy compete less with fossil fuels precisely because the fossil fuels have a large history of government regulations. It is the responsibility of the government and other stake holders to put up campaigns to ensure that the future oil needs are being met (Alternative Energy, 2014). The introduction of renewable sources of energy in the economy will pose great challenges in the energy sector. It is presumably evident that the renewable energy sources are cheaply affordable. By the time these sources will be officially introduced into the economy, the prices of these products will be lower as compared to the current prices. Due to the appealing nature of renewable sources of energy, it is with no doubt that very almost all the people will shift to these sources of energy. It is, therefore, responsibility of the government and other stake holders to put up campaigns to ensure that the future oil needs are being met.

References

Alternative Energy (2014). Alternative Energy solutions for the 21ist century. Retrieved 18^th Dec 2014 from http://www.altenergy.org/renewables/renewables.html

Armaroli, N., &Balzani, V. (2011). Energy for a sustainable world. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.

Chu, S., & Majumdar, A. (2012). Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable energy future. nature, vol.488, no.7411,  pp.294-303.

Gause III, F. G. (2011). Why Middle East Studies missed the Arab spring: The myth of authoritarian stability. Foreign Aff, vol.90, p.81.

International Energy Agency (2012). World Energy Outlook . Executive Summary. Retrieved 18^th Dec 2014 from http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/english.pdf

Mclamb, E. (2011). Fossil Fuels vs. Renewable Energy Resources. Ecology Global Network. Retrieved Dec 18^th 2014 from http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/06/fossil-fuels-renewable-energy-resources/

Odell, P. R. (2013). Oil and World Power (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.

The Oil Drum (2010). Nine Challenges of Alternative Energy. Discussion about Energy and Our  Future. Retrieved 18^th Dec from http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6854

Wüstenhagen, R., &Menichetti, E. (2012). Strategic choices for renewable energy investment: Conceptual framework and opportunities for further research. Energy Policy, vol.40, pp.1-10.