Taylor Herrod

Mr. Swenson
AP European History
9 June 2015
The Future of Clean Energy
The amount of technology in the world continues to grow exponentially, and the level of
energy required to sustain it is increasingly demanding on the energy industry. Society has turned
to gasoline and other fossil fuels as the solution. Gasoline powers cars, planes, boats, stoves,
lawn mowers and anything else with an engine, and is quite efficient at doing so. However, these
fossil fuels are limited and are becoming more and more expensive as our society is starting to
fully depend on them for power. Also, they are heavily polluting the atmosphere with toxic
carbon dioxide emissions. These pollutants cause what is called the greenhouse effect, which is a
process where toxic gases absorb planetary radiation and re-radiate it in all directions, thus
warming the Earths average surface temperature and escalating global warming.1 In order to
stop further price inflation and pollution, scientists have begun to research into other energy
options that are clean and that can support our demanding society. The future of clean energy
presents itself in nuclear power and in natural renewable energy sources, including hydroelectric
and geothermal energy.
Nuclear power has the potential to revolutionize the energy industry, but it also is highly
debated because of its environmental and safety risks. Nuclear energy is produced by the fission
of atoms in highly controlled facilities called nuclear reactors.2 When the nucleus of an atom
splits, an enormous amount of energy is given offthe equivalent of about 200 million electron
volts, which is 10 million times the amount of energy that one atom of coal produces. This

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energy is then converted into usable electricity. Being that it can produce such large amounts of
energy, it provides more than eleven percent of energy worldwide.3 The most common element
used in nuclear reactors is a rare form of the element uranium, called U-235.4 The immense
power of splitting Uranium was first seen in 1945 with the invention of the atomic bomb. Its
practice tests and actual bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II prove
how lethal it is. Other nuclear-powered technology includes aircraft carriers, and submarines.
Though it is more efficient than any other energy source, nuclear energy carries immense risks.
The molecules used in nuclear reactors become highly radioactive during the fission process and
are extremely harmful to humans. The radiation exposure can cause a person to become seriously
ill or even die if the radiation level is high enough.5 Traces of radiation can cause people to
develop cancer years later. After the nuclear fission is complete, toxic leftover nuclear waste
remains and must be stored somewhere far away from civilization as to avoid dangerous
radiation leaks or exposure. Long term storage for nuclear waste is an unresolved challenge that
scientists are still researching.6 Evidence of its destructive effects have been seen in Chernobyl
and Three Mile Island nuclear accidents, where the nuclear radiation contaminated the
surrounding areas and killed off all life.7 But, if contained, nuclear power is a possible option for
long-lasting alternative energy. However, because it is so dangerous, many scientists have been
focusing on searching for more natural, renewable energy sources.
Hydroelectric power is considered to be a feasible option for offering alternative energy
that is natural and has little environmental effects. People have been using moving water to
capture energy for thousands of years and the method is still used today. The process of
converting the movement of water into energy involves water flowing from a higher elevation to
a lower elevation where turbines in a hydropower facility convert this motion into usable

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electricity.8 Today, seven percent of our electricity in America is generated from hydropower, and
nineteen percent of electricity generated worldwide is from hydropower,9 making it the leading
source of renewable energy. It is considered by scientists to be a renewable energy source
because it only requires water, which is carried through the water cycle and will always recycle
back to Earth as precipitation. There are four main ways hydropower technology can generate
electricity: impoundment, diversion, pumped storage hydropower, and tidal power plants.10 The
process of impoundment involves storing water in a reservoir that is flows through and spins
turbines that generate electricity. Though very effective, this method uses large dams that cost
hundreds of millions of dollars to build and can also destroy ecosystems and the wildlife living
both upstream and down stream because it alters the water levels significantly.11 Dams are
especially detrimental to fish because they block migratory routes and cause a loss of habitat.
Diversion is channeling a section of a river into a pipe or canal that leads to a turbine where
electricity is generated.12 Scientists consider this the cleanest form of hydropower because it uses
the natural river flow to create electricity and does not need a large dam to operate.13 Another
method of using hydropower is by using pumped storage hydropower. Water is pumped up into a
reservoir during periods of low energy use and is released through dams to produce electricity.
Similar to impoundment, it requires a large dam in order to function and can be detrimental to
the environment.14 The last main method to generate hydroelectricity is by using the tides of an
ocean. A dam collects and holds in the water at high tide, and when low tide hits the water is
released into turbines where electricity is generated. However, places that are suitable for tidal
power plants are scarce. In order for the plant to operate efficiently, very specific conditions must
be met: there must be a river estuary where the difference between high and low tide is at least
five meters, a dam must be able to be built, and a nearby electricity source must provide power

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for the plant during the intermittence of power production between high and low tides.15 Like
impoundment and pumped storage hydropower, the dams required for these facilities can destroy
the existing ecosystem and alter the surrounding environment. But, compared to the effects of
burning fossil fuels, its consequences are very minor. No method of obtaining hydroelectric
power emits toxic gasesas burning fossil fuels doesand if safely harnessed, its capabilities
are limitless. It is a clean, renewable energy source that holds a promising future.
Another possible option for renewable energy is collecting geothermal energy by
withdrawing steam from the heat of the Earths core. The heat comes from the layer of magma
around the core, and geothermal plants take the steam it produces and convert it into energy. The
areas that are best for collecting geothermal energy are called hot spots, and include regions
such as the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Rim. The most ideal geothermal plant locations in the
United States are in Alaska, California, and Nevada.16 In 2006, MIT conducted a study where
they evaluated the potential of generating geothermal energy in these hot spots and using it as
a possible energy source in the United States. The concluding report of the study states why
geothermal energy is desirable: it leaves a very small environmental footprint, it gives off
minimal emissions, and its presents limitless availability.17 Over the past ten years or so, the
United States has become the global leader of geothermal energy plants. The majority of these
plants are in Californiaone of the hot spotswhere more than 40 of them produce about
seven percent of the states electricity.18 Not only is geothermal energy used to generate
electricity, thousands of homes and buildings are starting to install heat pumps that use
geothermal energy to heat or cool their building. It has already become a part of everyday life
though most people do not realize itand is both clean and inexpensive. Furthermore,
geothermal energy is obtainable all the time, as the Earth is constantly emitting heat, and presents

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a reliable, constant stream of energy. However, it is not completely harmless. Withdrawing steam
from the Earth contributes to air, water, and thermal pollution, and can also contaminate ground
water.19 Though these consequences may not seem severe, collecting geothermal energy is not
risk-free, as some may believe.
Clean alternative energy sources to the burning of fossil fuels can be found in nuclear
power and in renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric power and geothermal power.
Fossil fuel emissions contribute to the greenhouse effect and are increasing the average surface
temperature of the Earth as well as advancing global warming. They also release thousands of
deadly toxins into our air and water, which gathers into pollution like smog. Fossil fuels
ultimately destroy the purity of our Earth. That is why more and more scientists have been
researching into clean energy sources that could sustain our society. Most have turned to nature
to find these possible energy sources; so far, hydropower and geothermal power present viable
options as clean and reliable sources. Though less consistent, technologies such as harnessing
nuclear power show potential to be limitless if safely controlled and contained. As society begins
to favor these cleaner alternatives, the energy crisis will lessen and the Earth will become a
healthier, safer place.

1. Nave, Carl, The Greenhouse Effect

2. Juettner, Bonnie, Nuclear Power
3. Juettner, Bonnie, Nuclear Power
4. Berinstein, Paula, Alternative Energy Facts, Statistics, and Issues

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5. Berinstein, Paula, Alternative Energy Facts, Statistics, and Issues
6. MIT Nuclear Energy Study Advisory Committee Members, The Future of Nuclear
Power
7. Berinstein, Paula, Alternative Energy Facts, Statistics, and Issues
8. Nakaya, Andrea, Energy Alternatives
9. The USGS Water Science School
10. US Department of Energy, Energy 101: Hydroelectric Power
11. The USGS Water Science School
12. US Department of Energy, Energy 101: Hydroelectric Power
13. US Department of Energy, Energy 101: Hydroelectric Power
14. The USGS Water Science School
15. Cothran, Helen, Energy Alternatives
16. Union of Concerned Scientists, How Geothermal Energy Works
17. Nakaya, Andrea, Energy Alternatives
18. Union of Concerned Scientists, How Geothermal Energy Works
19. Union of Concerned Scientists, How Geothermal Energy Works

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Works Cited
Berinstein, Paula. Alternative Energy: Facts, Statistics, and Issues. Wesport, CT: Oryx, 2001.
25-27. Print.
Cothran, Helen. Energy Alternatives: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2002.
151-154. Print.
How Geothermal Energy Works. Union of Concerned Scientist. Union of Concerned
Scientists, 2013. Web. 17 May 2015.
Juettner, Bonnie. Nuclear Power. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007. 8-10, 14. Print.
Nakaya, Andrea. Energy Alternatives. San Diego, CA: ReferencePoint Press, 2008. 42-43. Print.
Nave, Carl. The Greenhouse Effect. HyperPhysics. C.R. Nave, 2014. Web. 31 May 2015.
MIT Nuclear Energy Study Advisory Committee Members. The Future of Nuclear Power. The
Future of Nuclear Power. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 29 July 2003. Web. 31
May 2015.
U.S. Department of Energy. Energy 101: Hydroelectric Power. Energy.gov. U.S. Department of
Energy, n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
The USGS Water Science School. Hydroelectric power water use. USGS. n.p., n.d. Web. 31
May 2015.