"There are better ways to generate electricity than using fossil fuels"

Solar energy
1. Sunlight is one of our planet’s most abundant and freely available energy resources. The amount of solar energy that reaches the earth’s surface in one hour is more than the planet’s total energy requirements for a whole year. Although it sounds like a perfect renewable energy source, the amount of solar energy we can use varies according to the time of day and the season of the year as well as geographical location. In the UK, solar energy is an increasingly popular way to supplement your energy usage.
  1. Advantages
    1. Renewable - the most important thing is that solar energy is a truly renewable energy source. It can be harnessed in all areas of the world and is available every day. We cannot run out of solar energy, unlike some of the other sources of energy. Solar energy will be accessible as long as we have the sun, therefore sunlight will be available to us for at least 5 billion years when according to scientists the sun is going to die.
    2. reduced long running costs - Since you will be meeting some of your energy needs with the electricity your solar system has generated, your energy bills will drop. How much you save on your bill will be dependent on the size of the solar system and your electricity or heat usage. Moreover, not only will you be saving on the electricity bill, there is also a possibility to receive payments for the surplus energy that you export back to the grid.
    3. Technology Development - Technology in the solar power industry is constantly advancing and improvements will intensify in the future. Innovations in quantum physics and nanotechnology can potentially increase the effectiveness of solar panels and double, or even triple, the electrical input of the solar power systems.
    4. https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/08/5-advantages-and-5-disadvantages-of-solar-energy
  2. Disadvantages
    1. Cost - The initial cost of purchasing a solar system is fairly high. This includes paying for solar panels, inverter, batteries, wiring, and for the installation.
    2. Weather dependent - Although solar energy can still be collected during cloudy and rainy days, the efficiency of the solar system drops. Solar panels are dependent on sunlight to effectively gather solar energy. Therefore, a few cloudy, rainy days can have a noticeable effect on the energy system. You should also take into account that solar energy cannot be collected during the night
    3. Uses a Lot of Space - The more electricity you want to produce, the more solar panels you will need, as you want to collect as much sunlight as possible. Solar PV panels require a lot of space and some roofs are not big enough to fit the number of solar panels that you would like to have. An alternative is to install some of the panels in your yard but they need to have access to sunlight
    4. https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/08/5-advantages-and-5-disadvantages-of-solar-energy
    5. Inefficiency - According to the Qualitative Reasoning Group with Northwestern University, most solar panels on people’s houses convert only 14% of their available energy into power. Even today’s most efficient solar panels convert only 22% of their available energy into power. According to the second law of thermodynamics, solar cells will never reach 100% efficiency. The highest theoretical maximum efficiency is 85%, and that’s with mirrors and motors to follow the sun. For a system that does not track the sun, the highest theoretical maximum efficiency is only 55%. The same is true for systems that track the sun on cloudy days
    6. https://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/solar-energy-disadvantages/
Wind energy
1. With wind power making an ever-increasing contribution to the National Grid. To harness electricity from wind energy, turbines are used to drive generators which then feed electricity into the National Grid. Although domestic or ‘off-grid’ generation systems are available, not every property is suitable for a domestic wind turbine.
  1. Advantages
    1. Clean and renewable - Unlike coal, natural gas, or oil, generating electricity from wind doesn’t result in greenhouse gas emissions. While there are some environmental considerations that come with building large wind farms, once operational, wind turbines themselves don’t require burning any fossil fuels to operate. Additionally, wind energy is completely renewable and will never run out. In opposition to traditional fossil fuels resources that replenish very slowly, wind naturally occurs in our atmosphere, and we don’t have to worry about supply issues in the future.
    2. low operating costs - As far as upfront costs go, wind farms or individual turbines can be expensive to install. However, once up and running, operating costs are relatively low; their fuel (wind) is free, and the turbines don’t require too much maintenance over the course of their lifetime.
    3. space-efficient - Cumulatively, wind farms can take up a lot of land space; however, the actual turbines and equipment don’t use up a lot of real-estate. This means that land used for wind turbines can often also be used for other purposes, such as farming.
    4. https://www.energysage.com/about-clean-energy/wind/pros-cons-wind-energy/
  2. Disadvantages
    1. intermittent - A wind turbine’s effectiveness in generating electricity depends on the weather; thus, it can be difficult to predict exactly how much electricity a wind turbine will generate over time. If wind speeds are too low on any given day, the turbine’s rotor won’t spin. This means wind energy isn’t always available for dispatch in times of peak electricity demand. In order to use wind energy exclusively, wind turbines need to be paired with some sort of energy storage technology.
    2. Negative impacts on their surrounding environment - A wind turbine’s blades are very large and rotate at very high speeds. Unfortunately, their blades can harm and kill species that fly into them, like birds and bats. The construction of wind farms can also disrupt natural habitats of local species if not conducted in a sustainable manner. However, these problems can be solved to some extent with technological advancements and properly-siting wind farms.
      1. Wildlife - Wind turbines may be dangerous to flying animals. Many birds and bats have been killed by flying into the rotors. Experts are now conducting research to learn more about the effects that wind turbines have on marine habitats.
        http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2014/ph240/lloyd2/
    3. https://www.energysage.com/about-clean-energy/wind/pros-cons-wind-energy/
Hydro energy
1. As a renewable energy resource, hydro power is one of the most commercially developed. By building a dam or barrier, a large reservoir can be used to create a controlled flow of water that will drive a turbine, generating electricity. This energy source can often be more reliable than solar or wind power (especially if it's tidal rather than river) and also allows electricity to be stored for use when demand reaches a peak. Like wind energy, in certain situations hydro can be more viable as a commercial energy source (dependant on type and compared to other sources of energy) but depending very much on the type of property, it can be used for domestic, ‘off-grid’ generation.
  1. Advantages
    1. Renewabe - Hydroelectric energy is renewable. This means that we cannot use up. However, there’s only a limited number of suitable reservoirs where hydroelectric power plants can be built and even less places where such projects are profitable.
    2. Good for the enviroment - Generating electricity with hydro energy is not polluting itself. The only pollution occurs during the construction of these massive power plants.
    3. Safe - Compared to among others fossil fuels and nuclear energy, hydroelectricity is much safer. There is no fuel involved (other than water that is).
    4. https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/hydroelectric-energy-pros-and-cons
    5. flexible - adjusting water flow and output of electricity is easy. At times where power consumption is low, water flow is reduced and the magazine levels are being conserved for times when the power consumption is high.
  2. Disadvantages
    1. Marine life - Hydroelectric power plants may affect fish is a complex interaction between numerous physical and biological factors. More user interests related to exploitation of fish species, which helps that this is a field that many have strong opinions on. Fish habitats are shaped by physical factors such as water level, water velocity and shelter opportunities and access to food. Draining would be completely devastating to the fish. Beyond this, the amount of water may have different effects on the fish in a river, depending on the type and stage of the lifecycle. Not all unregulated river systems are optimal in terms of fish production, because of large fluctuations in flow.
    2. Cost - Hydroelectric power plants are not an exception to this. On the other hand, these plants do not require a lot of workers and maintenance costs are usually low.
    3. limited resources - the suply of water for hyrdo dams can be affected by droughts and the amounts of rainwater in the aera. hydro power also relys on the infastructure and avalibility of resivours.
    4. https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/hydroelectric-energy-pros-and-cons
    5. https://www.manufacturing.net/chemical-processing/article/13245967/examining-the-pros-and-cons-of-hydropower
Nucular power
1. Nuclear energy comes from splitting atoms in a reactor to heat water into steam, turn a turbine and generate electricity. Ninety-five nuclear reactors in 29 states generate nearly 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, all without carbon emissions because reactors use uranium, not fossil fuels. These plants are always on: well-operated to avoid interruptions and built to withstand extreme weather, supporting the grid 24/7.
  1. Advantages
    1. Nuclear fights climate change. Nuclear energy provides large amounts of 24/7 carbon-free electricity now, which is irreplaceable in protecting the environment.
    2. Nuclear produces electricity reliably. Around-the-clock electricity is a must for our nation to prosper in the 21st century. Clean, reliable nuclear energy is a critical part of U.S. infrastructure because it runs nonstop for 18-24 months at a time.
    3. Nuclear protects our air. Nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and mercury: all things you don’t want in the air you breathe. Nuclear energy provides power 24/7 without a trace of those pollutants.
    4. https://www.nei.org/fundamentals/what-is-nuclear-energy
  2. Disadvantages
    1. Expensive to build - power plants often surpass their cost estimates during construction. In addition to the expense of building a power plant, nuclear plants must also allocate funds to protect the waste they produce and keep it in cooled structures with security procedures in place. All of these costs make nuclear power quite expensive.
    2. Radioactive waste - Although nuclear energy production does not create any emissions, it does produce radioactive waste that must be securely stored so it doesn’t pollute the environment. While radiation might sound scary, we are constantly exposed to small amounts of radioactivity from cosmic rays or radon in the air we breathe. In small quantities, radiation isn’t harmful—but the radioactive waste from nuclear energy production is incredibly dangerous.
    3. limited fuel supply - nuclear energy is dependent on uranium and thorium to produce energy. Unless we can find a way to create nuclear fusion or build breeder reactors before our supply dries up, we will be unable to create energy with the nuclear power plants we’ve built for the future. Ultimately, nuclear power is only a temporary solution with a very high price tag.
    4. https://springpowerandgas.us/the-pros-cons-of-nuclear-energy-is-it-safe/
https://www.edfenergy.com/for-home/energywise/renewable-energy-sources

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"There are better ways to generate electricity than using fossil fuels"

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	Created by Anouk Betterridge over 3 years ago