Emkro (beta)

This is the last of a three part series covering the state of our clean energy options in America. If you have not read my first two posts, I encourage you to go back and take a peek at one and two.

While solar was already touched on with the wind discussion of part two (wind really is just a form of solar power) it definitely deserves its own section. Photovoltaic power is really what people mean when they talk about solar. It is still an emerging technology, but one that has seen significant breakthroughs in the past couple years. I think it holds great promise and people who desire to make an individual impact on greenhouse emissions and their own electric bills have seen success with it. Like wind, it is weather dependent and obviously some locals are much more conducive than others. Here in the Northeast United States, the long winters with short periods of daylight and cloudy spring and fall seasons tend to minimize its use. In stark contrast, southwestern desert locations offer almost unlimited sunny skies and thus are far better suited for this technologies use. While high cost and low efficiency are still the main drawbacks of photovoltaics, work is being done to make these issues a problem of the past. Until that breakthrough appears and inexpensive mass production of photovoltaic cells is a reality, I don’t see solar leaving the environmentally concerned individual’s home or business’s office for a prominent place in the power picture. It’s just not as economically viable as wind or nuclear.

This brings me to the current economic champion… The winner everyone despises.

Unfortunately, fossil fuels are it when it comes to our current electricity production in the United States. Coal, oil and natural gas are the major players working to power your PC and keep your lights on. The run up of oil prices are why your electricity bills have gone through the roof and our dependence on these fossil fuels are why we are seeing the climate changes we are. There are new technologies like ‘clean coal’ designed to reduce or eliminate CO2 emissions but they are expensive and, like everything else in this world, have their drawbacks. While these improvements are better than nothing and existing plants should definitely be upgraded to include these technologies when possible, our vast reliance on fossil fuels is the issue and something that must change. Because I see nothing good about this subject other than enhancement and cleanup of existing facilities, I do not want to spend much time on it. Fossil fuels are the largest producer of electricity in the U.S. and my goal is to see that change.