Cavin Levy

period 4
Mr. Rogers
25 October 2016

Levy 1

Research Paper
Renewable energy is the future of America that will save our environment. The
Renewable America Act will ensure that all states are at least fifty percent renewable. American
energy has been too dependent on non renewables like fossil fuels. These resources are
destroying our environment and we need a solution to end this pollution. One problem that
arises is the cost for the infrastructure needed to reach the fifty percent renewable mark. This bill
should become law because it will save money, help the environment, and have a long, lasting,
reliable energy source.
Renewable energy is much cheaper to produce energy for long periods of time. While it
is expensive to set up the infrastructure, the money saved by getting almost free energy will be
immense. Renewable energy is also a job creator "All non-fossil fuel technologies (renewable
energy, EE, low carbon) create more jobs per unit energy than coal and natural gas(US
Department of Energy)." Overall, renewable energy employs hundreds of thousands of people
and the switch over will bring more jobs than fossil fuels would. The amount of total money
saved that states would get is very surprising. The average American household would also
benefit greatly by switching to renewables "Net savings for using renewable like solar equal five
hundred thirty dollars per household(McCuen)." By creating renewable energy sources such as
wind and solar power the state would create its own electricity and save money. Overall the
economic and environmental benefits from renewable energy are something the U.S. can't
ignore.
Today, America's most needed resource is oil and the dependency on oil is destroying our

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environment. Coal is burned to heat up our homes while oil is used for our cars and these fossil
fuels are polluting our atmosphere. America's need for oil is holding our country hostage from
using renewable sources "America accounted for more than 25% of the total fossil fuel
consumption in the world(Wei)." For a country with only around 320 million people, that's a
large amount of fossil fuels used. Switching over to renewable resources will help decrease our
oil consumption. It is in America's best interest to get rid of fossil fuel electricity production
because of the large amount of CO2 emissions. "Electric power production is the largest source
of CO2 emissions, accounting for more than 2.3 billion metric tons in 2007, or more than 40
percent of total energy-related emissions(Nap)." This slow pollution of our planet can hurt
America with natural disasters and even the lost of entire cities due to rising waters. The
Renewable America Act is a boost for the economy and helps our environment but it also is the
best source for energy production.
Renewable energy is also more reliant and creates more electricity per unit of
energy. It is the most efficient way of retrieving energy and the only reason why it's not so
widespread is that America has not built the proper infrastructure and instead focuses on fossil
fuels. Energy such as solar and wind produces way more electricity over time and is more
reliable "renewable energy sources generally have low net energy ratios, at least compared to
historic fossil fuels like oil and coal(Heal)." Renewable energy beats fossil fuels in this category
almost two to one when it comes to energy used and energy given. This proves that this energy
is more productive and that it should be America's number one priorty to build the needed
renewable energy sources. Renewable energy is also important because it is more protected

against natural disasters. There are dozens of scenarios like a coal or oil drought, Earthquake, or
a power grid
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failure that can hurt our energy infrastructure. Solar energy among other sources can gather
energy without being on the grid and can generate electricity through many natural disasters. "On
its own, solar PV has proved to be a viable option for increasing resiliency during grid outages
for more than two decades. Photovoltaic technologies have provided emergency power in the
aftermath of major disasters(Hotchkiss)." Renewable energy sources can save thousands of lives
in natural disasters and can save states millions.
While Renewable energy looks like a very promising future, it has many problems
that come along with it. To create buildings like dams and geothermal plants we have to ruin and
mold the nature around it. There are cultural problems that come along with using natural
resources for energy. "Native Hawaiians opposed the development because they traditionally
used the area for hunting and gathering and for religious purposes. Some native Hawaiians also
objected to the exploitation of geothermal resources in general because of reverence for Pele, the
goddess of volcanoes in the native Hawaiian religion(Power of Renewables)." These natives saw
a benefit with geothermal energy but it also would have destroyed a certain way of life which
they ultimately disagreed with. Also there is a huge wildlife impact when it comes to building
these massive projects. Entire fish populations lose their rivers and many animals homes are torn
down. One situation is especially astonishing that thousands of birds are killed every year to
wind turbines. "every year 573,000 birds (including 83,000 raptors) and 888,000 bats are killed
by wind turbines(IRE)." This statistic should show that renewable energy does have drawbacks
and this killing of birds should be avoided. In the end renewable energy is not perfect and can

always be improved on to have less of an impact on either people or the environment.

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The Renewable America act which will save America, will ensure that all states are at
least fifty percent renewable. No more should America have to send soldiers to another country
in order to ensure oil shipments. And no longer will Americans be polluting our country and
overpaying for electricity. Our world is dying from global warming and the most advanced
country in the world should lead in example to save it. Our future can be saved by making the
right investments to create a better society for all of us. Go into the streets and fight for more
safe, reliable, energy sources like solar and wind.

I ask every American citizen to contact their

representatives and get them to vote for this bill not only for them but also for their children.

Works Cited
1. By Definition, NERs for Fossil Fuels Are All Less than One, with Average Estimates of 0.3, 0.4, and
0.3 for Coal, Natural Gas, and Nuclear Power, Respectively. An LCA for a 300 MW Solar Power
Tower in Hami, Xinjiang Autonomic Region of China, Presented in. "Read "The Power of
Renewables: Opportunities and Challenges for China and the United States" at NAP.edu." 4
Environmental Impacts of Renewable Electricity Generation. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
2. Category, By. "License to Kill: Wind and Solar Decimate Birds and Bats - IER."EIR. N.p., 29 Apr.
2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2016
3. Dollars from Sense: The Economic Benefits of Renewable Energy. Golden, CO: National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, 1997. Web.
4. Heal, Geoffrey. "The Economics of Renewable Energy." (2009): n. pag. Web.
5. "How Solar PV Can Support Disaster Resiliency." Solar STAT Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct.
2016.
6. Wei, Max. "Putting Renewable and Energy Efficiency To Work: How Many Jobs Can The Clean
Energy Industry Generate in the U.S.?" (n.d.): n. pag. S3.amazonaws.com. 13 Aug. 09. Web.
Print
7. The Power of Renewables: Opportunities and Challenges for China and the United States.
Washington, D.C.: National Academies, 2010. Print.
8. McCuen, Marnie. The World Environment & the Global Economy. Hudson, WI: GEMPub., 1999.
Print