Pros and Cons in installing Alternative Energy according to its environment.

Alternative energy sources are not perfect even if you combined them to fit perfectly according to a countries environment. There are always pros and cons for this kind of installation. These are some of them.

Pros:

• Transferring alternative energy is not a choice so if done earlier the better
• Conventional sources will no longer be needed
• Pollution will decrease
• Diseases will decrease
• Death Tolls will decrease
• Climate change will reduce
• Earth will return back to its original optimum state
• It will be cost effective 
• You can create your personal alternative energy source
• In the Long run, it pays off and it will produce profit 
• Prices of energy will begin to drop as alternative energy is mass produced
• Society will grow to become eco-friendly

Cons

• Extremely Expensive 
• Required skilled labourers for both building and maintaining the source
• At the moment, the alternative energy sources are not as efficient
• Technological advancements will take time and is expensive
• Transferring all conventional sources to renewable sources will be extremely costly and time consuming
• It'll be a definite loss for some time (for the economy especially)
• Not all Alternative energy sources run constantly 

5 Articles

Title: EU 100% Renewable Energy is here
Description: This website is a thorough analysis of the countries that have 100% renewable energy, particularly in Europe. It particularly focuses on small countries in Europe such as Iceland and Norway, the only two countries in the world that actually run on 100% renewable energy. This is an incredible feat for these countries and it proves that 100% renewable sources is workable. Of course, the two countries does not only rely on one renewable source. Iceland and Norway run on both geothermal and heavily on hydro power because they are both geographically blessed with the resources that work these renewable sources.
URL: http://theenergycollective.com/david-k-thorpe/237161/it-s-not-utopian-100-renewable-electricity-here

Title: The Riskiness of Renewable Energy Investments
Description: As titled, the riskiness of renewable energy investments and its possible future outcomes. This has become the number one growing question concerning the investment of renewable energy. Of course, investments has its own riskiness into it and Forbes points out the hurdles of renewable energy investment.  Michael Lynch, contributor of the Forbes report that the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is inevitable but what matters is when and how. He focuses on the fact that current renewable energy plans and organizations are funded heavily by the local government and as of now it won't be able to stand on its own two legs in more than a decade.
URL: http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2014/01/08/the-riskiness-of-renewable-energy-investments/

Title: The Big question: Can countries reach 100% renewable energy?
Description: A discussion about whether 100% renewable energy is achievable world wide within the decade. Taking into consideration of technological advances and greener mindsets. This article from Renewable Energy World answers the question, 'What are the major barriers that countries face in order to reach 100 percent renewable energy - is this goal always achievable or desirable?' Kevin Smith answers this question using his knowledge of the hopeful attitude toward a cleaner and eco friendly environment in the coming future. He takes into considerations of the difficulty to reach this goal but he states that its definitely achievable, it'll just take time.
URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/10/the-big-question-can-countries-reach-100-percent-renewable-energy

Title: Alternative Energy investing for 2013
Description: A research on the investments made on Alternative energy in 2013 throughout the world. This article focuses on a detailed statistical report including graphical information of the net profit  and loss in different countries. It categorizes the several renewable energy sources including its current efficiency levels, expenses, companies and it's report in the past 5 years. It even includes the rising prices of oil and its dropping demand in society. Not every renewable energy source have identical information as these sources are still in its developing stage which require massive amounts of funds and investments which is a major barrier in making renewable energy a preferable source of energy to that of oil.
URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/02/alternative-energy-investing-for-2013

Title: The International Energy Agency
Description: The IEA is the official website for the company, The International Energy Agency, that is responsible for explaining renewable energy to the public and it gathered all the reports from the research centers that work with renewable energy sources. The website includes everything about renewable energy sources from basic definition to governmental reports. The member countries that contribute to the IEA is made up of 28 member countries that include OECD countries. The company works to spread and expand the idea of an eco-friendly world using will-be efficient renewable energy generated sources.
URL: http://www.iea.org/aboutus/faqs/renewableenergy/

What is the most promising renewable energy resource? Maybe all of them?

The boiling question on alternative energy is, which renewable energy will take over the energy market after conventional energy is long gone?  Well I say that all of them will take over. Not one renewable source should be left out.
Why must we pick one particular renewable energy resource and invest on it when we can harvest from many different types all at once? If you take into consideration on the level of expense and efficiency of these energy resources, yes they make a difference. But in the long run lets say that technological advances and research frees the problem of expense and efficiency, then what? Must we depend on Hydro? What about those land-lock countries that have no access to free-flowing water. Wind? What about the countries that don't have constant winds blowing. Solar? What about the countries that have frequent clouds and long winter nights. Acknowledge that every alternative energy has its cons. So what we must do is use the renewable energy resource that is most optimal for the countries environment. Iceland is a great example of this. Iceland utilizes 100% renewable energy because of its natural geological structure with nearby volcanoes producing geothermal energy and its island state that allows hydro energy to be compatible. Imagine every country doing this, even if it take years of development in the long run, it pays out (development could be quicker by the years as technology advances). If we long for efficiency then we should think efficiency by using the most of what is given, this is what I believe. 

Alternative Energy Expenses

Of course, everything comes at an expense and energy is definitely no exception. Renewable Energy is gradually being picked up as the number one priority in the energy market and as this happens production of Renewable Energy plants across the world have increased exponentially. Unfortunately, establishing these plants are, at the moment, still expensive and it requires special skills to maintain the production of energy. According to the EPA US (Environmental Protection Agency of the United States) and the International Forum on Globalization the database on energy cost is looking optimistic and promising. These are the details.

EPA Energy Cost Database (Time may vary) (US only)
Renewable Energy                         Year           Size         Cost for every kw (2007)

Biomass                                         2012          80           $64.45

Geothermal                                    2010          30           $164.64

Hydro                                            2012         500          $13.63

Wind                                             2009          50            $30.30

Wind Offshore                               2012          100          $89.48

Solar Thermal                                2012          100          $56.78

PV                                                2011           5              $11.68

International Forum on Globalization Cost database (Average in the world)The cost to install one kilowatt of new capacity ranges from:

• Conventional Energy Sources
• US$500 - US$1500 for Natural Gas
• US$1900 - US$5800 for Coal
• US$4500 - US$7500 for Nuclear
• Renewable Energy Sources
• US$1300 - US$2500 for Wind
• US$2600 - US$3500 for Geothermal
• US$3000 - US$5000 for Solar Thermal
• US$3900 - US$9000 for Solar PV

The cost to generate existing power is:

• Existing Power (mostly conventional)
• US$0.01/kWh for Hydropower
• US$0.02-0.04/kWh for coal
• US$0.029/kWh for Nuclear
• US$0.04-0.07/kWh for Natural Gas
• Renewable 
• US$0.04-0.09/kWh for Biomass
• US$0.045-0.1/kWh for Wind 
• US$0.06-0.15/kWh for Solar Thermal
• US$0.10/kWh for Geothermal
• US$0.10/kWh for Tidal
• US$0.12/kWh for Wave
• US$0.21-0.83/kWh for Solar PV

Sources: 

http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/renewabledatabase.html

http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/5304/six-renewable-energy-sources-judged-to-be-best-prospect-for-future-says-report/

"News." Six Renewable Energy Sources Judged to Be Best Prospect for Future, Says Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

News During Winter Break

Article: Law against gay propaganda in Russia  

Synopsis: Months before the Sochi 2014 Olympics, Russia had passed a law against Gay Propaganda which has led to uproars around the globe including today’s ongoing 2014 Olympic Games held in Sochi Russia. Traditionally the law was focused upon banning further influence and propaganda of pedophilia and homosexuality but the fact that homosexuality was categorized with pedophilia disturbed the homosexual community. It seems that the Russian Parliament voted overwhelmingly (96%) over a controversial piece of legislation. It imposed heavy fines on anyone who provides information to under the age of 18 particularly described as “untraditional sexual relations”. After a few weeks the word spread across, not only within the nation but the whole world that Russia was against gay/lesbian citizens. Countries like America and England have taken steps to support the gay peoples in Russia by boycotting vodka’s and the Sochi Olympics. In fact, Obama had been reported to have sent gay athletes to compete in the games as a way to support the homosexual community in Russia. Putin continues to emphasize that the law does not impose a threat to the gay community but ironically, at the same time, the series of protests against the ban outside the Sochi Olympics were put out through violence and harassment by the police.

"Obama Picks Gay Athletes for Sochi Opening Ceremony." The Sydney Morning Herald. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://www.smh.com.au/sport/winter-olympics/obama-picks-gay-athletes-for-sochi-opening-ceremony-20140207-32686.html>.

"Sochi 2014: Putin Declares Gay Athletes Welcome." BBC News. BBC, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24708739>.

 "Sochi 2014: Gay Rights Protests Target Russia's Games." BBC News. BBC, 02 May 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26043872>.

Article: Ukraine’s Prime Minister resigns (The Economist)

Synopsis: During the last week of January 2014, Ukraine’s Prime minister and government resigned after a month of protests but the protesters are continuing the unrest because what they want is a new presidential election. The big issue in Ukraine continues to be ‘should the country move to Russia’s orbit or should it move towards Europe’. The president Yanukovych wants it to go towards to Russia and he’s been pulled toward that direction through Putin who is offering money and threats but the people of Ukraine in the East as well in the West are telling him they want to go toward Europe. It’s not at all clear how this is going to end but the fact that the government is gone and that the protests are continuing suggests that Yanukovych’s grip on the country is weakening and he may not be able to stop his country from moving towards Europe.

Analysis: As the Ukraine protest continues to fight against the sides, between a European Ukraine and Russian Ukraine, the nation’s economy continues to plummet. As in all protests, the economy has begun to deteriorate as protest lengthened throughout the weeks. As the economy worsened, prices rose, productions dropped, demands are not met, supply quotas reduce, equilibriums are fluctuated, thus it would be only natural that protests grew wilder. Moreover the protest took place throughout the week and during the working hours which suggests that all the protest participants (approximately more than 8000 people across the country) were not at work thus production was put on halt. The only action that could ease the anger of the public was for the current holding PM to step down (one of the core reasons for the protests) but evidently the protests continued because it increased in magnitude. Acting Prime minister, Serhiy Arbuzov states, “Political instability is putting pressure on the currency market. There is tension despite a lack of economic reasons for this”

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/28/world/europe/ukraine-protests/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/28/us-ukraine-azarov-idUSBREA0R0BR20140128

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBvNmWzjZaA&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL0KWoY2XZKw6qx9Rt6_IPfmytOR_UUu5M

Alternative Energy Sources

Energy Source Definition (according to Merriam Webster): usable power that comes from a particular source for example heat, oil, radiation, water etc.

Ever since the Industrial Revolution we have become accustomed to oil as our primary source of energy. But because we were dependant solely on oil for decades, the time has come where Oil is close to its depletion. Knowing this, mostly during the 21st century, governments and scientists together have searched for efficient alternative energy sources to keep the energy circulation within nations up and running. Fortunately many sources have been discovered and is being tested in several countries such as Iceland running on geothermal (Thanks to the nearby volcanoes) and hydropower (Island) in which supplies 100% renewable energy. However there are several hurdles to this process of transferring energy sources. Firstly not all nations are as geographically opportune as Iceland. Secondly it costs the government and private industries millions of dollars. Thirdly the discovered energy sources are not as efficient as the constantly running oil flow. Fourth and hopefully final issue is that as of now these alternative energy sources are not entirely environmentally friendly as it requires vast spaces of geographical bodies also on the same note nobody can predict the futures weather fluctuations due to the rise of global warming. On a happier note, everyone is still in the process of finding solutions to these problems and trying to create a natural and smooth transition between energy sources for the best prospect of the future.

International Forum on Globalization with content provided by the Post Carbon Institute states that "conventional energy sources such as oil, gas, coal and nuclear, are either at or nearing the limits of their ability to grow annual supply, and will dwindle as the decades proceed but, in any case, they are unacceptably hazardous to the environment." Hence the report suggests that there are 6 promising alternative energy sources that we can rely in the coming future. Listed in no particular order. (Source Description by Listverse)

• Wind Power
• Wind power is the conversion of wind energy by wind turbines into a useful form, such as electricity or mechanical energy. Large-scale wind farms are typically connect to the local power transmission network with small turbines used to provide electricity to isolated areas. Residential units are entering production and are capable of powering large appliances to entire housees depending on the size. Wind farms installed on agricultural land or grazing areas, have on the the lowest environmental impacts of all energy sources.
• Solar PV
• Photovoltaic Solar power is harnessing the suns energy to produce electricity. One of the fastest growing energy sources, new technologies are developing at a rapid pace. Solar cells are becoming more efficient, transportable and even flexible, allowing for easy installation. 
• Hydro (63%)
• The source of the production of power through the use of gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy. Small scale hydro power has been an increasingly popular alternative energy source, especially in remote areas where other power sources are not viable.  
• Geothermal
• Geothermal energy is a very powerful and efficient way to extract a renewable energy from the earth through natural processes. This can be performed on a large scale for energy production through a geothermal power plant. It has been used for space heating and bathing since ancient roman times, but is now better known for generating electricity. Geothermal power is cost-effective, reliable and environmentally friendly, but has previously been geographically limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries.
• Wave
• Wave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work. Wave energy can be difficult to harness due to the unpredicability of the ocean and wave direction. Wave farms have been created and are in use in Europe, using floating Pelamis Wave Energy converters. Most wave power systems include the use of a floating buoyed device and generate energy through a snake motion, or by mechanical movement from the waves peaks and troughs. 
• Tidal
• Tidal energy can be generated in two ways, tidal steam generators or by barrage generation. The power created though tidal generators is generally more environmentally friendly and causes less impact on established ecosystems. Similar to a wind turbine, many tidal stream generators rotate underwater and is driven by the swiftly moving dense water. Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar power. Tidal power is the only form of energy which derives directly from the relative motions of the Earth-Moon (rotational) system, and to a lesser extent from the Eath-sun system. Basically a wind farm under the sea.

It is difficult to say which is the 'better' renewable energy source since reasons may vary (every source has its pros and cons) because of geographic, financial, and efficiency circumstances but currently the most utilized source is Hydro-Powered Sources.


http://listverse.com/2009/05/01/top-10-renewable-energy-sources/
http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/5304/six-renewable-energy-sources-judged-to-be-best-prospect-for-future-says-report/
http://makewealthhistory.org/2012/07/09/countries-with-100-renewable-energy/