Renewable & Alternative Energy

[Nebulous]

Let’s look at a topic intrinsically tied to protecting and preserving our environment: using renewable and alternative energy.

There’s no question that natural gas and oil are the lifeblood of the modern world. We need it to power our homes, fuel our cars, and keep our industries afloat. However, our planet only has so much fossil fuel, and the effect of using these fuels is believed to be significantly impacting our environment over time.

As a result, scientists have started searching for other sources of energy. Some of the most common examples include solar and wind energy, but many critics believe these sources won’t be enough to produce the power we need efficiently and effectively.

Even nuclear energy, which can produce a significant amount of power with low carbon emissions, often conjures up the memories of the Chernobyl and Fukushima catastrophes. These events have left both of these areas too dangerous to travel to or live in, even to this day.

Thoughts?

 

[Dave]

This is a contentious debate with a whole plethora of ideas and counter ideas. Technologically we are not far enough advanced with renewables. Everyone would like this to be a perfect world where we are one with the planet, but at this stage of our developments we are not near enough to rely solely on renewables.

The progress made with nuclear fusion is promising, but it's in its infancy and may be decades away from being used reliably.

Solar and Wind power are at the mercy of the elements and the carbon emissions that result from their manufacture may only be offset after years of reliable use.

Because our societies have been constructed on fossil fuels over 100s of years, it's not an easy task to move to something else. Nor is it cost effective. The idea of net zero carbon is an illusion at best in the timescale set for it to happen. Cars and other vehicles are perhaps the worst offenders and not everyone can afford to buy an electric car, which will also require a huge increase in electricity output to feed them, which then begs the question as to how that will be generated.

The ideology is great, especially great news for the planet and ultimately us, but the practicality is another matter, and we are going to be decades away from solely relying on renewables, perhaps even longer.