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Joshua Martin
5/11/2015
English 11
Freestone
Energys Cleanliness and Creation
Infinite sustainable energy has always been a goal of the world, modern technology
paired with harnessing the elements will take mankind closer towards this achievement. As
different kinds of technologies emerge, other possibilities for obtaining energy come
forward and need to be explored. This research paper will be about the research of the
contrast of an assortment of energy harnessing such as coal, solar, wind, nuclear and what
must be done in order for them to be harvested properly to reduce their impact on the
environment.
Fossil fuels are the most common source of energy in this day and age and currently
supply about eighty-two percent of Americas energy demands according to the Institute
for Energy Research. Fossil fuels are created by the decomposition of organisms that
perished millions of years ago. Coal, the most common form of fossil fuel, is formed by
peat. Peat deposits are typically formed in waterlogged environments or anywhere plant
matter can accumulate faster than previously deposits can decompose. This peat then
must be covered by sediment which compacts the already dense peat to get much of the
water out of it. Over time, and aided with the presence of heat, the hydrocarbon

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compounds in the peat break down. The peat is now very carbon rich because other
materials escape as gas when the hydrocarbons break down. With more time and heat, the
carbon-rich peat turns into a material called Lignite, and then later to coal. With more time
coal deposits can eventually become graphite which is a pure carbon mineral.
By the nature of fossil fuels, they are a resource that in finite and will leave the world
with a dire need for alternative energy sources. At current consumption rates, the earths
major oil fields will be depleted within forty years. Energy is generated from fossil fuels
primarily from steam. Coal is used to heat water and steam pushed upwards, the steam
turns turbines which generate electric energy which is then put into the grid. Combusting
fossil fuels also releases harmful pollutants into the air which is its major point of
controversy and gave birth to green energy.
One of the most popular forms of clean energy is solar. Solar energy is considered a
clean energy because it harnesses a virtually unlimited resource which is our sun. The sun
is continuously bombarding the earth with an innumerable amount of photons which all
have the potential to be converted to power. The way that energy is generated from the
suns rays is with solar panels or photovoltaic cell. These cells are sheets of layers of a
number of materials; on top, there is a phosphorus-diffused silicon layer that carries extra
electrons. Under this is a thicker boron-infused layer that has areas that have no electrons
which creates a precise electron imbalance between the layers. When photons impact the
cell, they penetrate into it and knock electrons loose from their layer and cause them to go
to the other. This creates an electric current when the electrons flow onto metal contacts,
the energy then goes to its destination after being refined so that it can be used.

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Solar panels are popular because they dont damage the environment as obviously
as the combustion of fossil fuels but hurt the earth in their own way. With the harvesting of
any energy, there needs to be a way of storing it. In the case of electrical power that comes
from a PV cell, this power must be stored in a battery if it isnt being routed directly into
the grid. These common battery banks are, by the nature of batteries, full of powerful acids
and toxic metals and battery acid. These depleted batteries are often simply thrown away
and sent to landfills, this allows the batteries to lead all of their acid into the surrounding
environment and taint the earth and animals in the area. Even when properly disposed of,
the acid needs to be neutralized by an equally dangerous base which, in production,
creates dangerous chemicals that are not good for any living organism. Solar energy is still
very young and the collection methods are still relatively inefficient, these methods are
also very expensive to get and have installed correctly. To get a roof set of PV cells can cost
anywhere in the range of $50,000 and can go far beyond that. These cells can only collect
energy during the day and bad weather totally nullifies them.
Wind energy is another green power source and has similarities with both fossil
fuels as well as solar. Wind power is generated through the use of turbines. Wind turbines
are placed in areas of frequent wind such as the mouth of a large canyon. These turbines
have large blades that catch the wind and in effect spin the turbines. The energy is then
sent to a power company so it can be easily integrated into the grid and is somewhat able
to avoid the ailment of batteries that plagues its cousin solar power.
Wind power has much less of an environmental impact than almost any other
energy source because it has little need for batteries and, if placed in a good area can

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operate indefinitely. Some of the setbacks of wind power are location and cost. Wind
turbines need to be in a good place and not all areas are suitable to have them. This limits
how many can be in certain places. Wind turbines also take up a large amount of room
because they need room for their blades to spin which in industrial sized turbines, can be
upwards of one hundred feet long. One of the last cons to wind energy is that wind turbines
can decrease property value if they are in sight.
The last energy collection method that will be covered in this paper is Nuclear
Energy. Nuclear energy is created by a generator like many other energy methods, but how
the turbine is turned is what differentiates one from another. Similar to fossil fuel, water is
heated to steam, which turns a turbine to produce electricity. Water is heated in the
reactor by a process called fusion. Fusion is the process of splitting uranium atoms apart
which releases protons along with the energy that held the nucleus together in the form of
heat. When the protons are released from their nuclei, they collide with other uranium
atoms and cause those atoms to split as well. This causes a chain reaction of fusion and
allows the reactor to become self-sustaining. To control the rate of the reaction, rods full of
uranium pellets are inserted into the reaction but can be withdrawn to certain degrees so
to control the rate of the chain reaction. These rods are surrounded by water which is
heated to steam to run the generators. In some other models of reactors, the water that is
heated is kept under pressure so it does not become steam but is transported to a different
area to heat other water to become steam.
Nuclear power is clean in the sense that it does not release pollutants into the
environment in the typical definition. Radioactive material is put out from the reactor but

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the levels of radioactivity in the water is very low. The main pollutant from these kinds of
facilities is water not in the form of steam. When warm or hot water is released back into a
river, it grows many types on algae that would not normally grow in that environment. This
influx of algae uses up all the oxygen in the water and causes the aquatic life to die and the
river to become slimy with weeds and plants.
To conclude, all forms of power have their pros and their cons but all evidence says
that fossil fuels are by far the worst energy source for the environment and needs to be
replaced in the coming years by a greener energy source. All of our modern day
alternatives are not on a large enough scale to replace fossil fuels like oil and coal but when
they are made efficient and effective, they may replace our current sources of power that
are destroying the environment.

Citation

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Bertine, K. K., and Edward D. Goldberg. "Fossil fuel combustion and the major sedimentary
cycle." Science 173.3993 (1971): 233-235.
This source was for my research on the creation of fossil fuels and why it is impossible to create
more so to continue our use of them indefinitely.

Shafiee, Shahriar, and Erkan Topal. "When will fossil fuel reserves be diminished?." Energy policy 37.1
(2009): 181-189.
This source was for research into the question of how long will our fossil fuels last? And how much
time we have to improve alternatives so to have power.

"Solar Energy Pros and Cons." Conserve Energy Future. N.p., n.d. Web.
This source was used for research into the setbacks of solar energy and how PV cells generate
electric current.

"World Nuclear Association." Nuclear Power Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2015.
This source was for the research into the process of nuclear power and the dangers and
environmental impact of using it.

"Wind Energy Basics." Wind Energy Basics. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2015.

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This source was used for information on sizes of wind turbines and how they transport their
energy they create to the grid.

"How Nuclear Reactors Work." Nuclear Energy Institute -. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2015.
This source was for a better understanding of how a nuclear reactor operated and generated
power.