Salt Lake Community College

Clean Energy for Clean Air

Solutions to Poor Air Quality in a Valley

Luigi Battista
Professor Jenie Skoy
English 2010
23 November 2015

The Salt Lake Valley is home to a large array of individuals. People and animals, families
and communities, and business and industry all depend on Utah as a sustainable establishment.
Located in Utah, the valley is famous for its scenic views of mountains that loom over the entire
area in spectacular fashion. However, the feature that makes the Salt Lake valley so attractive is
also the same feature that causes it to be so dirty. But how such a beautiful thing can be so dirty,
you may ask. Well, the answer is that it doesnt leave an impact visually (most of the time).
Instead, the effect the mountains have on the valley is on the air we breathe. Air is crucial to
humans (and nearly every other living creatures) survival. Pollution is always a problem, but the
severity is increased in valleys. To lower Utahs level of pollution, all measures must be taken to
decrease pollution in the air around us as well as convert to cleaner sources of energy that do not
produce pollutants.
When pollutants are produced within a valley are disposed of into the air, instead of
dispersing throughout the atmosphere like in most terrains, the mountains surrounding the valley
trap all of the harmful pollutants within it. This is further enhanced by a phenomenon known as a
temperature inversion. Temperature inversion occurs when cold air underlies warmer air at
higher altitudes. Rising currents of cool air lose their buoyancy and are thereby inhibited from
rising further when they reach the warmer, less dense air in the upper layers of a temperature
inversion. During a temperature inversion, air pollution released into the atmosphere's lowest
layer is trapped there and can be removed only by strong horizontal winds. Because highpressure systems often combine temperature inversion conditions and low wind speeds, their
long residency over an industrial area usually results in episodes of severe smog (Temperature
Inversion).

Ambient (outdoor air pollution) in both cities and rural areas was estimated to cause 3.7
million premature deaths worldwide in 2012 (Ambient (outdoor) Air Quality and Health).
This staggering statistic reflects the devastatingly silent causes from poor air quality. According
to the World Health Organization (WHO), poor air quality can been linked to various diseases
and conditions such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory
diseases, including asthma. Poor air quality also affects life expectancy and mortality rates. In
areas that have relatively clean outside air, life expectancy is shortened by 8.3 months due to
human-related pollution in the air and mortality rates increase by 0.3 percent each day for every
10 micrograms per cubic meter of pollution or smog within a region. Indoor air quality is often
two to five times worse than outside. That can change to be 1,000 times worse after certain
activities like painting and floor removal. So if one times concentration can give you diseases
and conditions, think how bad 1,000 times concentration is.
Cleaner air would reduce all of the statistics just mentioned. Air-related diseases would
see a significant decrease in occurrence, life expectancy would increase, and mortality rates
would decrease. The general mood of the affected populace would see a noticeable increase in
happiness. Polluted air is a literal toxin, albeit a slow-acting toxin. And not only is it a toxin to
humans, but it is also to everything living thing on the planet. This disrupts the natural order of
nature. Reducing outdoor air pollution also reduces emissions of CO2 and short-lived climate
pollutants such as black carbon particles and methane, thus contributing to the near- and longterm mitigation of climate change (Ambient (outdoor) Air Quality and Health). Creating
clean energy would not only help humans stay healthy, it will help the earth stay healthy.
When considering renewable clean energy alternatives, there are a few things to consider.
First off, there is a difference between alternative energy and clean energy. Clean energy refers

sources of energy that dont have harmful byproducts, such as carbon pollution and radiation
attached to them. Alternative energy technically refers to an source of energy that is not widely
used, but it is a shorthand version of renewable clean alternative energy. Fossil fuels leave
immense amounts of carbon pollution and nuclear energy leaves radioactive byproduct,
classifying both as non-clean sources of energy. Also, clean energy is useless unless it is
renewable. Unlike fossil fuels which are finite, good clean energy alternatives have a steady way
to reproduce itself, usually naturally.
The most common form of renewable energy is solar. Solar energy is obtained when
photovoltaic (meaning covering sunlight to electricity) cells are exposed to sunlight and allow,
photons, or particles of lights, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating electricity
(Dahr). Placing many of these cells together create a panel. Solar power is great because it
produces zero harmful emissions or byproducts and can be utilized anywhere there is sunlight.
However, solar power at its current state is too expensive and inefficient to power modern
society. Enhancements will need to be made in energy production, energy storage, and cost.
Wind power is another widely known and used clean alternative energy source. Wind
power is created by wind, which is caused by differences of temperature at the Earths surface
due to varying temperatures of the Earths surface when lit by sunlight. While it has the real
potential for creating large amounts of electricity, wind energy, like solar, has a few problematic
issues. The two main issues are one, the inconsistency of wind, and two, the amount of area
required to generate significant amounts of power.
Hydroelectricity, unlike wind and solar energy, produced from dams create impressive
amounts of energy in a relatively small amount of space. It produces zero byproducts and is a
fairly stable reliable source of power. But alas, there is one major flaw; nearly all of the viable

locations for hydroelectric dams are already being used. In order to create more, one of two
things would need to happen. Either an entire valley would need to be flooded and the ecosystem
their destroyed and inhabitants relocated, or a valley or gully would need to be dug out and a
water flow placed there, which would be extremely expensive.
Other viable alternative energy sources are biomass (fuel from plants; such as harvesting
methane for an alcohol-based fuel), hydrogen and fuel cells (not renewable, but extremely
abundant and produces very little pollutants when utilized correctly), geothermal (using heat
from the earth), and many more.
Around the world, renewable clean energy is being utilized effectively to generate power
for homes, businesses, cities, and even countries. However, most sources of renewable energy
are very dependent of the environment around them. Wind energy can only be utilized where
there are consistent and powerful winds and a large area to put the mills. Solar energy cant be
used in places where there isnt enough sunlight. A lot of what clean renewable energy source to
use depends on where you are. Norway is the leading country in renewable energy consumption
and creation. Nearly 99 percent of Norways energy consumed is created by hydroelectric dams
that utilize the country's vast expanse of water pathways located there.
Another utilization for clean, non-renewable but abundant energy is Chinas hydrogenpowered tram. China suffers from astounding amounts of pollution in their air. Any way to
reduce the smog-filled country is beneficial. One way they found a way to reduce their emissions
is by putting into commission a hydrogen-fueled tram. This tram is cheaper than the traditional
ones they use, and the only byproduct is water. Changes like this one seem small, but the more
they are used, the cleaner air quality we will receive.

Utah has already began reducing its number of coal-powered plants in search of cleaner
fuel sources. In April of 2015, Utahs oldest coal plant was retired and its workers transferred to
natural gas facilities. Although natural gas still puts out harmful emissions, it is about half as
much as coal plants, and less harmful substances. Utah is also benefitting from small amounts of
wind and solar energy. However, in the Salt Lake Valley, most, if not all of electricity produced
must be clean, not some, and not mostly clean. Because of the valley environment, pollution acts
worse than most everywhere else because of its trapping effect.
Utah can benefit especially from water-based energy. The gigantic mountains that loom
over the Salt Lake Valley and cause its problems in the first place could actually be the solution.
Every spring the built up snow on the mountains melt and all that water is forced downward by
gravity. The result of that is a multitude of streams and rivers. While many of them would be too
small for use to create significant energy, many rivers and streams could be merged in order to
create a large and powerful river that is able to support hydroelectricity. Wind can also be utilized
in the bottlenecks of the valley where wind is greatest. Solar may not be the most practical option
due to Utahs lack of sun in the winter, but it has the potential to be used effectively by private
consumers.
However, no matter how clean energy is utilized, it must be done if the Salt Lake Valley
wants to have clean air and a healthier people. A people with less cases of asthma, heart attacks,
strokes, and depression. Creating a clean-energy Utah is not only possible, but it is on its way.
There are ways everyone can help facilitate the change, and the quicker it happens, the sooner
Utahns can enjoy clean air in the valley.

Works Cited
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Dhar, Michael. "How Do Solar Panels Work?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 16 Dec. 2013.
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Korr, Aiden. "How Alternative Energy Sources Are Causing More Bad Than Good." Environment
News South Africa. Environment.co.za, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
Lundberg, A. "Psychiatric Aspects of Air Pollution." National Center for Biotechnology
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Renewable Energy." Renewable Energy. Alternative Energy. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
Romero, McKenzie. "Utah Ranks No. 1 in Clean Energy Job Creation | KSL.com." KSL.com.
Deseret News, 12 Nov. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
Temperature Inversion." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. New York City: Columbia UP,
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