Farrand 1

Jason Farrand
Malcolm Campbell
ENG 1102
12/13/2014
Negative Effects of Renewable Energy
Everyone has had exposure when it comes to learning about how renewable energy is
great for the environment because of the clean energy that is obtained from its use, but the
negative effects are somehow tactfully avoided during documentaries, lectures, and other
presentations on the subject. Most people do not even pay any mind to the fact that there are
indeed negative effects of renewable that may not directly affect the human race, but do affect
the environment that they are set in. For example, using biomass technology may seem like a
practical idea, but when burning waste that is needed to produce power large amounts of toxins
are introduced to the atmosphere. The public need to be informed of these negative consequences
that are brought about by using different types of renewable energy, so these energy sources can
become truly clean rather than as clean as most experts would have you believe.
There are various sources of energy that can be used that are less harmful to the
environment than using fossil fuels as has been the norm for decades. Many of these sources
include wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, and hydrokinetic energy (UCS). While
each of these has their own set of ways that they are harmful, they tend to be less damaging than
what is currently being used; however, this step in the right direction does not cover up the harm
that is being done.
Comment [Z1]: More clever/attention grabbing
title?
Comment [Z2]: End the sentence here.
Comment [Z3]: Missing energy
Comment [Z4]: Check punctuation
Comment [Z5]: This type of call to action is
better suited for the conclusion of a paper. Perhaps
instead state what this paper will be covering. Since
it is a research paper, its not inappropriate to state
in this paper, I will

This paragraph perhaps is a tad wordy, some words I
thought were unnecessary I marked in yellow, look
for more.
Comment [Z6]: Punctuation
Comment [Z7]: Consider something like, While
each of these are harmful in their own way
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Sources of renewable energy do have a wide variety of benefits despite the number of
hidden negative consequences that they bring with their use. Many of these alternative sources
are still cutting down on the pollution that is emitted by energy sources that use fossil fuels as the
method of production. According to the European Renewable Energy Council, by 2009 carbon
dioxide emissions had been reduced by nearly 340 million kilograms from that of the levels of
emissions from 1990 in Europe. These numbers will continue to increase in reduction of other
harmful pollutants as time passes and renewable sources of energy become more widespread. At
the beginning of 2013, about nineteen percent of the generated energy was created by renewable
energy sources, and by 2035, it is predicted that about twenty-three percent of energy produced
will be from renewable energy sources (EIA). With these predicted percentages, harmful gases
emissions will be drastically reduced by using these clean energy sources.
Wind power is one of the cleanest sources of energy but is not perfect. Wind power
works by utilizing wind to turn massive blades that are attached to a shaft which is connected to
a generator and causes electricity to be produced (OEERE). This is good because this source
means that there will be no emissions from the turbines, but the damage that is done from wind
turbines is not from dangerous gas emissions. The turbines create differences in pressure and
lead to the deaths of many birds and bats that collide with the giant turbines (USC). One other
possible danger is that during large storms, some turbines have mechanical malfunctions, spin
out of control, and violently destroy themselves causing large pieces of metal to fly in all
directions which can be dangerous for surrounding people, animals, and plant life.
Biomass energy is a form of energy production that focuses on burning various types of
crops to generate power. Some common ways of producing energy using biomass is burning
crops to generate steam power. Another method involves converting biomass to a liquid form
Comment [Z8]: Im glad you go in to positives,
despite your obvious stance for the opposition.
Comment [Z9]: Dont abbreviate your citations
Comment [Z10]: Punctuation
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which burns much cleaner than the actual biomass, and once this is done, the liquid fuel is used
in a manner similar to the raw materials (UCS). This source of alternative energy is not carbon
neutral which is the ultimate goal of using sources of renewable energy. When the crops are
burned in the electricity creation process, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when
burning the crops, during decomposition, and clearing land for the growing of crops (Williams).
Though some of the carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere while growing crops, it
would still take decades if not centuries to remove it from the atmosphere. The increase in green
house gases in the atmosphere is not the only negative effect of using this. Land has to be cleared
in order to harvest large numbers of crops to produce energy. This in turn destroys the
environment that the alternative source was meant to benefit, and when using large portions of
land to grow these crops, ecosystems are destroyed which greatly reduces biodiversity of areas
near the biopower production facility. Biomass may be a step in the right direction, but there is
much room for improvement (Williams).
Geothermal energy plants provide power to areas that are in the vicinity of areas that
have molten rock that is near the Earth's crust, also known as 'hot spots'. Hot water is brought up
from deep within the crust, and it is used to produce power. This creates a problem because it
releases many toxic gases into the atmosphere such as hydrogen sulfide which can become sulfur
dioxide and create acid rain (UCS). The acid rain that is formed by these dangerous gases greatly
damages neighboring ecosystems by killing plants and poisons many animals. There is also a
phenomenon that is associated with large amounts of ground water being removed at once
(USGS). When this occurs, it causes the land to sink from where the water was taken from. This
leads to sinkholes that can destroy habitats and cause structural damage to nearby buildings.
Comment [Z11]: Watch your repetition of the
word crops
Comment [Z12]: Elaborate on ways to improve?
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Geothermal energy has some of the most room for improvement in my eyes because of all the
damage it can cause to surrounding areas.
Hydroelectric power is one of the largest sources of renewable energy that is being used.
The process that is used to generate hydroelectric power involves building a dam that makes
water flow through a tunnel at the bottom of the dam, called the penstock, due to a large drop in
gravity or immense pressure applied by a reservoir. There is a turbine at the end of the penstock
that is turned by the flowing water to generate electricity (Hydroelectric Power). This source of
power allows for electricity to be produced without the release of pollutants or greenhouse gases,
but this does not mean that it is free of negative effects. Dams that are used in the production of
electricity can lead to flooding which kills local animals and destroys their habitats. When plant
life becomes submerged by the reservoir that is created by the dam, they decay anaerobically,
and this leads to the release of greenhouse gases. It has been recorded that this causes
hydroelectric power plants to produce approximately 3.5 times the amount of greenhouse gases
that thermal plants which burn fossil fuels are capable of during this period (Sanguri). Overall,
there has been nearly 400,000 km submerged by the dams as well as water build up as a result.
There are numerous other negative effects that would make you think twice about depending on
a hydroelectric power plant for electricity. Many different actions could be taken to reduce the
negative effects that are brought about by the dam, but few basic measures that could have been
taken have not been taken into consideration.
There are a few basic procedures that can be taken to reduce the impact of alternative
energy sources on the environment to make them truly clean. Many of the cons of these
renewable energy sources can be solved with the addition of more money invested into the
facility in which the energy is being generated. For example, large amounts of pollution and
Comment [Z13]: A statistic could really drive
this statement home. Hydroelectric power
accounts for x% amount of power produced in the
US
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green house gas emissions could be prevented from being emitted from hydroelectric plants by
removing plants on the site of the future reservoir and encircling it in a wall to keep the water
from destroying the surrounding ecosystems. Another simple solution to improve existing energy
sources would be to allow water that is used in cooling like in biopower and geothermal energy
to return to its original temperature so that it does not bring harm to the ecosystem when it is
returned. This would not cost money to maintain because it would simply require a large tank to
hold the water to allow it to drop in temperature over a certain amount of time.
You have really solid research. For the most part, I would look into revising your sentence
structure in some cases for clarity and conciseness. Although some information in introduction is
helpful, its usually best suited to complementing a tale that the reader can relate to.
Comment [Z14]: A conclusion using the call to
action in your introduction would help to leave your
audience with something to think about.
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Works Cited
Eveleth, Rose. "How Many Birds Do Wind Turbines Really Kill?" Smithsonian. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 11
Mar. 2014.
"Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., 05
Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Sanguri, Mohit. "What Are the Negative Effects of Building Large Hydroelectric Dams?" Brighthub
Engineering. Ed. Lamar Stonecypher. N.p., 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
"CO2." European Renewable Energy Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis." How Much of
World Energy Consumption and Electricity Generation Is from Renewable Energy? United States
Department of Energy, 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
"How Do Wind Turbines Work?" Energy.gov. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, n.d.
Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
Williams, Carol. "Ecological and Environmental Impacts of Bioenergy." Wisconsin Grassland Bioenergy
Network. Agricultural Ecosystems Research Group, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
"Hydroelectric Power: How It Works." USGS Water-Science School. United States Geological Survey, n.d.
Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
"Land Subsidence." USGS Water Science School. United States Geological Survey, n.d. Web. 27 Mar.
2014.