EnergyEnergyhttp://www.arsc.edu/pubs/factsheets/images/summerIce.0001.jpg
WHY GREEN ENERGY?
As oil becomes more and more expensive, and widespread pollution recieves more and more critics, it is more
and more obvious that a need is present for another form of energy. For the past two hundred years, the world has been
dependent on "dirty" energy sources such as coal and petroleum.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE STATUS QUO?
The problem with these energy sources is that they rely on limited natural reserves stored in the earth, and they
produce "dirty" chemicals such as benzenes and hydrocarbons, and "clean(er)" pollutants such as CO2. These
"dirty" chemicals affect just about every organism living on this planet; trees, birds, fish, and humans are all
affected in some way by the production of combustion by-products. Nuclear power has been hailed by some
as a solution to these problems, but nuclear power has its own problems; toxic radiation waste, the possibility
of catastrophic meltdowns, and high cost due to the large amounts of concrete needed to contruct these power
plants. Although cleaner than the "dirty" pollutants, "clean" pollutants such as CO2 have had adverse affects on our world as well.
We are not limited to the same power sources we've been relying on for the past two hundred years, nor are
we limited by the technology currently in use. But the important thing to remember is that even if we do clean up
limitations. Any energy source that uses a natural resource is limited in its potential lifespan, and any energy
source that has a pollutant by-product is limited in its use by how much space we have to dispose of the waste.
In order to avoid these limitations, we must broaden our focus to include sources of energy not being used on a large
scale, energies that have the potential to power us for the next five hundred years. These are Green Energies, and if you
read on, you'll learn about the challenges, advances, and promises afforded by these
