The political rebellion that has spread across the Middle East has oil prices on the rise. The United States has been trying to lessen its dependence on foreign oil for years now, and these recent events have people talking more about alternative energies. People are scrambling to find a replacement for fossil fuels, and it’s going to take a combination of alternative energies to fill the void oil once took up.
There are many environmentally friendly energy options for the eco-minded consumer, but some may be better suited for you than others. There are so many types of alternative energies that I couldn’t possibly talk about them all in one article, so I’ll focus on three popular forms for today: wind, solar, and natural gas.
Wind Power
Humans have been using wind power for several thousand years. Sails, grain mills, wind mills, water systems, and many other mechanisms use the power of the wind. Industrialization lead to the decline of windmills, but at the same time also lead to the development of more powerful windmills to generate electricity.
- Pros:
Wind power is a totally renewable energy source that is as environmentally friendly as they come. No greenhouse gases are emitted from the wind turbines, nor is there any waste produced from running a windmill. Wind power can be especially useful in coastal areas because of the strong ocean winds that blow in.
- Cons:
If you live in a suburban area, installing a wind mill on your property will likely make you unpopular in your neighborhood. Windmills can be very noisy, and some neighbors may think of your windmill as an eyesore. Your windmill would only be useful to you if the wind is blowing (although some energy can be stored in turbines). Along with that. wind blowing at a strong constant pace works the best for generating power, so wind power may not be the best for areas with low wind speeds.
There is also a possibility that off shore wind farms could have a negative effect on aquatic life. Consultants from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection reported that the future wind farms going up along the coast could disrupt marine life and temporarily destroy marine habitats. However the same report theorized that animals could eventually adapt to the situation and that the turbine infrastructure could serve as artificial habitats for some species.
Solar Energy
Like wind power, solar power has been around for thousands of years. Many ancient civilizations used magnified solar rays to start fires. The Romans even utilized passive solar energy to warm their bath houses. Interest in solar power grew in the US in the 1970’s because of the nation's fuel shortage, although before that the military had been experimenting with solar power for various purposes since the 1950's. Solar energy is now being seen as a viable alternative energy for many people in the world without reliable electricity.
- Pros:
Unlike wind power, solar power production is quiet so you can have this on your property without disturbing your neighbors. You can also generate solar power in remote locations because it doesn’t need to be hooked up to a national grid. And in the long term solar power can very cost effective. You’ll be generating a percentage of your own power so you’ll be saving on years of future energy bills.
- Cons:
Although solar power can save you money over time, installing them can be costly: sometimes several thousand dollars. You can only generate power during the daylight hours, so you won’t be generating anything during the night (although panels can store some energy). Weather conditions and pollution levels can also affect how well the panels work, so cloudy, smoggy areas may not be the best place for solar panels
Natural gas
Natural Gas can be either commercially produced in oil fields or it can be found in nature. New Jersey is close to one of the largest natural gas deposits, the Marcellus Shale, located in the Appalachian Basin.
- Pros:
Natural gas is a very versatile form of energy, it can be used for heating, fuel, cooking, and it burns cleaner than the fossil fuels we use now. Gas can also be transported easily, either through a pipeline that can lead directly to a home or it can be stored in tanks.
- Cons:
Although natural gas burns clean, it gives off a lot of CO2 in the burning process. Most gases are also odorless, colorless, and tasteless, so it can be difficult to detect a leak (although some companies can put an odorant in their gases so it could be possible to sniff out a leak). Methane is also a large part of natural gas, and methane is a large contributor to global warming. Some of the drilling methods used to extract nature gas aren’t environmentally friendly either.
As you can see there is no one perfect environmentally friendly energy alternative, but if we can use a combination of different methods imagine the eco-friendly possibilities. We could fuel the east coast’s demand for energy with a combination of coastal wind power and natural gas. The Midwest could benefit from its massive windy plains and use combinations of solar and wind power to not only power their region, but spread the energy wealth across the country. With the way things are developing in the alternative energy world, the possibilities for our future seem limitless.
Jennifer De Shields - I’m a New Jersey native who has a passion for the environment and journalism. I recently graduated from Ramapo College where I ...
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