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Jacob Beeler
Ms. Parrish
English 1010
05/11/14
Hybrid energy systems, and why we should use them
Renewable energy, the future of energy toay an the solution to all of Earth!s "roble#s.
Right$ %rong. &oay the #eia "ortrays renewable energy in such a way that it see#s we coul
use it to re"lace all fossil fuels an sa'e the "lanet fro# "ollution. (s hu#an beings we nee to
sto" being elusional an start wor)ing towar a syste# that incor"orates both fossil fuels an
renewable energy sources.
*t see#s li)e al#ost e'ery #onth we hear about the ne+t brea) through in clean energy
that is su""ose to sa'e #an)in an clean u" the en'iron#ent, howe'er we ne'er see these
su""ose tools i#"le#ente. %hy is that$ &he answer is si#"le, the current for#s of renewable
energy that we ha'e can not su""ly enough electricity to sustain our "ower,hungry lifestyles on
their own.
My olest brother Richar Beeler s"ent the four years in the octorate "rogra# at
(ri-ona .tate /ni'ersity, researching solar "anels. 0uring &hose four years he beca#e an e+"ert
on solar "anels. 1e has relate to #e on se'eral occasions that with the current technology, solar
"ower alone coul ne'er co#"ensate for coal an gasoline, an can be a huge waste of our
#oney when i#"le#ente on its own.
(lthough the #eia leas us to belie'e that renewable energy can re"lace fossil fuels
altogether we #ust unerstan that #ost for#s of renewable energy rely solely u"on
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#eteorological conitions to function, an nee so#e for# of fossil fuel or non,renewable
energy to bac) the# u".
2ro# here we will e+"lore the reasoning behin a hybri "ower syste# an why a
co#"letely renewable "ower gri can not wor).
&o unerstan why we shoul use hybri energy syste# we #ust first unerstan what a
hybri energy syste# is. ( hybri energy syste# is a syste# use to generate "ower that oes not
rely solely on fossil fuel, or renewable energy, it uses a co#bination of the two. &he iea is that
the bul) of the energy that is being "rouce co#es fro# the three #ain for#s of renewable
energy 3solar, win, an hyro,electric4 while high efficiency coal, iesel, an natural gas
"owere generators "ro'ie "ower when they can not. *n si#ulations of hybri energy syste#s
scientists ha'e foun that the total e#issions of greenhouse gas can be reuce u" to 455.
3(f-ala4
&he use of renewable energy has increase greatly as electricity usage has s)yroc)ete,
howe'er as the i#"le#entation of renewable energy has grow so has the list of concerns that
co#e along with it. .tuy after stuy show where stan alone renewable energy syste#s fail.
.olar "ower as a stan alone for# of energy is co#"letely i#"ossible an altogether
unfeasible. &here are a nu#ber of conitions that can rener solar "anels unusable. &he first of
which occurs e'ery ay6 night ti#e. ( "ower syste# that relies solely on solar "ower woul
ulti#ately fail uring the night. (nother "roble# with using solar "ower by itself is the fact that
when it is not sunny they can not generate any )in of "ower. 7( stan alone solar "hoto'oltaic
syste# can not "ro'ie "ower on non sunny ays.8 3(f-ala4 ( si#"le clouy ay coul throw a
wrench into the whole syste# if it ran only on solar "ower. &he last #a9or "roble# with solar
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"anels is the winter ti#e. 0uring the winter in #any areas of the worl there is al#ost always
clou co'er or snow that coul bloc) the solar "anels an "re'ent the fro# "roucing "ower.
(nother "o"ular for# of renewable energy is win "ower. %in "ower #ay see#
a'antageous in #any ways, howe'er there are se'eral rawbac)s, the first of which is 'isual
"ollution. %in turbines are often erecte in front of beautiful canyons, or on rolling "lains,
#arring the lansca"e an ta)ing away fro# nature!s beauty. (nother etri#ental effect that
win#ills ha'e is their notoriety for )illing birs6 7:ne notorious e+a#"le is a win far# in
(lta#ont Pass, ;alif. *n their <=,year lifeti#e these win turbines ha'e ealt a gri--ly en to
u"war of 1>0,000 birs. (n these aren!t 9ust "lain, e'eryay birs. 2or e+a#"le, between =5
an 11? golen eagles are slice to eath each year.8 32orbes4. &he thir an final "roble# with
win "ower is that when there is no win there is no electricity. 7( stan alone win syste# can
not eli'er "ower at a constant loa ue to significant fluctuation in win s"ee #agnitue.8
3(f-ala4.
&he final co##on for# of renewable "ower is hyro,electric energy. :ne #a9or set bac)
of hyro,electric energy is ob'iously going to be the fact that it relies on annual rainfall or snow
"ac) to )ee" it running. (nother large rawbac) is "ollution. 1yro,electric "ower can often
"ollute rin)ing water when "i"es eroe or oil lea)s fro# a turbine. &he last, but less ob'ious,
an e@ually i#"ortant raw bac) is the effect a hyro,electric "lant can ha'e on the local 2lora
an fauna. Ecosyste#s can be torn a"art, as hyro,electric "lants often heat water as it is use to
"rouce "ower, which can effecti'ely coo) local "lants an ani#als.
%hile none of these renewable energy sources alone can #anage to "rouce enough
"ower for the worl on its own, a co#bination of the three, an hy"er efficient coal, iesel an
natural gas "ower "lants can. &he )ey is to not re"lace, but to su""le#ent e+isting "ower "lants
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so that renewable an non,renewable sources of energy can wor) together to #a)e a better #ore
en'iron#entally frienly "ower gri.
Much of the o""osition to a hybri electrical gri co#es fro# "eo"le who want to use
only renewable energy to "ower the worl. &hese "eo"le are elusional. %ith the current
technology we ha'e in solar, win an hyro,electric "ower there is absolutely no way to co'er
all of our bases. &here woul co#e a ti#e when all of the renewable energy sources woul fail at
the sa#e ti#e an we woul be left in a worl of ar)ness an fear. &he other #ain for# of
o""osition to a hybri electrical gri are "eo"le who belie'e that renewable "ower sources are
not cost effecti'e. 7Purely on financial grouns renewable technologies are, in general non,
co#"etiti'e8 3:wen4. &he iea that renewable "ower is not cost effecti'e is anteilu'ian. (s
ti#e "rogresses renewable energy continues to get chea"er, as shown on the *nternational Energy
(gency!s website6 7;osts ha'e been ecreasing an a "ortfolio of renewable energy technologies
is beco#ing cost,co#"etiti'e in an increasingly broa range of circu#stances.8 3:ther4 an
after it is installe, a renewable source of energy can "rouce enough "ower to "ay itself off.
Renewable energy is an e+tre#ely 'aluable resources an can #a)e a large contribution
to the worl!s "ower su""ly but we #ust ha'e so#e for# of bac) u" an aug#entation for when
the weather oes not co#"ly. .olar "anels are ineffecti'e when it is clouy or e'en after the sun
has set. %in "ower not only )ills local willife, but it also "ro'en useless when the win s"ee
fluctuates too #uch or when there is no win at all. 1yro electric "ower has been beneficial for
#any years but it can ha'e a#aging effect on the en'iron#ent it see)s to "rotect. &he #oral of
the story is to use renewable energy in #oeration an with the "ro"er energy bac) u". (n thus
we see that as "eo"le of the earth we #ust call for a 1ybri electrical gri that can "ro'ie us
with the necessary "ower, an sa'e the "lanet we li'e on.
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Works Cited
Afzal, Anis, Mohibullah Mohibullah, and Virendra Kumar Sharma !"#timal $%brid
&ene'able (ner)% S%stems for (ner)% Se*urit%+ A Com#arati,e Stud%! International
Journal of Sustainable Energy 2-1 .2/1/0+ 41251 Web
3orbes, Ste,e !Wind 4a)s! Forbes 15 6une 2//1+ 32 Web
!"ther 3A7s! IEA 8#, nd Web 14 Ma% 2/14
"'en, Anthon% 9 !(,aluatin) the Costs and 4enefits of &ene'able (ner)% :e*hnolo)ies!
The Australian Economic Review 3-2 .2//50+ 2/;215 Web 1- A#r 2/14