Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy Sources - Literature review Example

Large Scale Energy Efficiencies Name of Student Institution Affiliation ABSTRACT For the industrialized societies, fossil fuels are the lifeblood because they supply most of the energy needs. In the recent past, the disadvantages of these fossil fuels- such as price instability, eventual supply challenges, environmental damage and uneven fossil fuel resources distribution- have led to an investigation on their use and pursuit of alternative sources of energy. The purpose of this essay is to review the possible benefits of substituting fossil fuels with renewable energy. Due to the increasing energy consumption in industrialized countries, it is imperative to identify alternative sources of energy to fossil fuels. Through an intense review of literature, the disadvantages of fossil fuels have been considered alongside the benefits and challenges of renewable energy. The findings show that renewable energy should substitute fossil fuels because of the disadvantages of fossil fuels and the benefits of renewables. The findings suggest that it is possible to improve renewable energy technologies so that renewable energy prices can compete with fossil fuel prices. INTRODUCTION On a global scale, energy is increasingly becoming one of the most important issues. This is attributed to the threats associated with rising oil prices which can have a detrimental impact on world economies. In addition, climate change and the use of fossil fuels are becoming sources of concern across the globe. Based on a report by the International Energy Agency on World Energy Outlook, it was projected that, a continuous increase in the demand of energy would mean that by 2010, people would require 55 percent more energy than they need today. At the same time, 86% of energy demand in the present is being met through the use of fossil fuels (Mediavilla, Miguel & de Castro 2008). While little attention has often been given on the peak oil by governments and public institutions, fossil fuels are increasing becoming a cause for concern as data indicates that they are being depleted. For instance, assessments indicate that, reductions of between 60% and 80% should come from energy use and supply as well as industrial processes because the high amount of energy used in these scenarios (Strand 2007). Therefore, putting into consideration the high level of dependence on fossil fuels in the world today, it may be challenging to find other sources of energy immediately the fuels are depleted and thus, there is need to substitute fossil fuels with other sources of energy such the renewable energy sources (sun, wind, water, plants and Earth’s heat) which can be used in a sustainable manner. DEFINITIONS Fossil fuels: they are “non-renewable energy sources that formed more than 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period” (Abdullah 2012, p.187). In today’s society, the highest amount of energy consumed is produced from fossil fuels –mainly, coal, natural gas and petroleum. The formation of oil results from plant and animal remains in the marine environment in such that, when the animals and plants die, they decompose and are buried. High pressure and high temperatures convert these remains into crude oil (Abdullah 2012). Renewable energy: these are sources of energy that are continually being replenished by nature such as the sun, plants, the Earth’s heat, wind and water. Through the use of renewable energy technologies, these fuels are converted into useable energy forms –often, it is electricity but they can produce chemical, mechanical and heat power as well (DOE 2001). SUBSTITUTION OF FOSSIL FUELS WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY Largely, it important to understand that fossil fuels should be substituted with renewable energy because of the damages caused by fossil fuels on the environment. Data shows that 81% of the world’s commercial supply of energy comes from fossil fuels. With the consumption of fossil fuels, there is a resultant production of about 30 petagram (Pg) of carbon dioxide per year. Previously, it was considered that the atmospheric sink was large enough to accommodate extra carbon dioxide. However, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by over a third since the start of the industrial revolution to the current 385 parts per million volume (ppm) per day from 280 ppm in 1937 (Lackner 2010). In Australia for example, evidence indicates that the nation produces enough carbon dioxide to replace the atmosphere column by more than one square metre of land annually. In other words, each Australian household produces the amount of carbon dioxide that is bound to replace the atmosphere entirely with greenhouse gases (Dopita & Williamson 2010). This proofs that the consumption of fossil fuels is the major contributor of climate change since the release of carbon dioxide damages the atmosphere. Such impacts on the climate cannot be sustained- which requires that fossil fuels are replaced with renewable energy In addition, the potential impacts of climate change may have a severe impact on the energy sector because it may limit access to fossil fuels in the future. The crisis of fossil fuel resources are associated with the fact that they supply the world’s energy on the one hand, and contribute to climate change on the other hand by building up carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The production of carbon dioxide is an inevitable outcome of fossil fuel consumption. Resultantly, the use of fossil fuels contributes to the current environmental concerns. Therefore, as much as the substitution of fossil fuels is difficult, the use of renewable energy can be able stabilise the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Lackner 2010). Similarly, the use of fossil fuels in the world is not sustainable especially in relation to environmental impact and supply. In regard to supply, the society continues to depend on fossil fuels for day-to-day activities which subjects the fuels to risks of depletion because of its limited supply on the Earth. The society uses them at a higher pace than it is being replenished. In relation to impact, whereas carbon dioxide is of immense significance to the ecological systems because it is physiologically active in animals and plant, its release leads to global warming (Lackner 2010). Apart from these environmental damages, fossil fuels are economically hazardous. For instance, currently, the Australian transport system uses liquid hydrocarbons and still depends on foreign oil. More so, the country’s oil reserves are continuously being depleted and energy production continues to decline to the extent that, by 2010, the country’s petroleum trade deficit would have increased by more than $40 billion annually. It is becoming unsustainable for the county to generate and supply fossil fuels (Dopita & Williamson 2010). With the increased use of fossil fuels, the production of carbon is unavoidable and thus, it is important that an amount of carbon in the atmosphere is reduced through the use of renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. Substitution of fossil fuels with renewable energy is beneficial in many ways. The current increase in population globally, increases the demand for energy. In the United States for instance, it is estimated that by 2021, the population would have grown by 33%. As such, renewable energy would be crucial. First, renewable energy is preferable because of its impact on the environment. Renewable energy technologies produce few or no pollutants and thus, they will not damage the environment in the way fossil fuels release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and cause global warming (DOE 2001). Strand (2007) points out that, renewable energy is naturally ‘carbon neutral’ in such that, on average, its use does not increase the global carbon emission. They “do not contribute to global climate change because they do not increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere” (Black & Flarend 2010, p.120). Effectually, the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy will help to reduce the amount of carbon emissions. The other benefit of substituting fossil fuels with renewable energy is that renewable energy facilitates for security and independence. Countries such as the U.S. and Australia import oil. The U.S. in particular, imports over 50% of its oil (the percentage has been increasing over the years). The replacement of some of the petroleum with renewable fuels from the sun or plant matter for instance, will be cheaper and would make the respective country’s energy security. With the continuing improvement of technologies, the renewable energy can be the most effective reliable source of energy (DOE 2001). Also, the reduction of fuel demand and the need to import fuel can be achieved through the use of renewable sources of energy. Countries can either reduce demand for energy or substitute renewables for fossil fuels. Although each country has different types of renewable energy production because of the varying amount of wind and sand, natural conditions, biomass yields and wind power yields, they have different options for renewable energy production. The availability of such options places these countries at a better position to reduce their reliance on imported fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil and increase their dependence on renewable energy sources (Strand 2007). Regardless of the potential benefits of substituting fossil fuels with renewable energy, there are challenges. According to Mediavilla, Miguel and de Castro (2008), renewable energy requires infrastructural items such as solar panels and windmills. These items may consume a lot of time and money during installation mainly because, the “amount of infrastructure set, has to be proportional to the amount of energy extracted each year” (Mediavilla, Miguel & de Castro 2008, p.4). In addition, there is a physical limit in regard to the quantity of renewable energy that can be mined, hence; more capital investment is necessary when installing renewable energy infrastructure. In fact, van der Ploeg amd Withagen (2013) add that, renewable energy is rather expensive especially in relation to the costs of intermittence, repair and increasing capacity. In other words, substitution of fossil fuels which are renewable mandates that governments and other concerned institutions to invest resources in their development. Overall, renewable energy sources of hydropower, biomass, solar, wind and others are promising alternatives to fossil fuels. They are widely available, relatively clean and their supply is unlimited. With the current technological advances, renewable energy technologies have been improved such that it is possible to access them –especially those that are used in the generation of electricity. The costs of renewable have also declined to the extent that they are competing with fossil fuels. On the other hand, the high costs of developing infrastructure for renewable can be reduced through government policies. Governments should promote the use of renewable by minimizing regulations and public control to encourage the use of renewable in a less costly way (Komor 2004). Smith and Taylor (2008) mention that, what makes renewable energy more expensive than fossil fuels is that the capital costs are high and thus, consumers are forced to buy fossil fuels at a high price. This lowers the demand for renewable energy and discourages investment into the energy. This indicates that governments have to make adjustments to support the investment in the renewable energy sector. CONCLUSION Climate change is an outcome of the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A high percentage of this carbon dioxide is caused by fossil fuel burning which leads to the accretion of atmospheric carbon. In this context, the world is facing the negative effects of fossil fuel consumption. However, reducing fossil fuel demands, focusing on energy sources that have limited or no environmental damages, and substituting fossil fuels for better renewable energy would improve energy production in the long- term without causing immense damage on the atmosphere and the environment. At the same time, closer observation of renewable energy reveals that it has its limitations. Regardless of the fact that the cost of renewable have come down, they are still more expensive than the fossil fuels. Additionally, not all the renewable sources of energy are evenly distributed or widely available while some types of renewable such as the wind are intermittent hence, they are not good match for some of the electricity systems. Therefore, further considerations should be made to ensure that renewable energy is widely produced and cheaply provided to the people to avoid the current dependence on cheaper, yet destructive fossil fuels. References Abdullah, MO, 2012, Applied Energy: An Introduction. CRC Press, Washington DC. Black, B. & Flarend, R., 2010, Alternative Energy. ABC-CLIO Publishers, New York. Dopita, M & Williamson, R., 2010, Australia’s Renewable Energy Future. Australian Academy of Science, Austria. Komor, P., 2004, Renewable Energy Policy. I-Universe, Sydney. Lackner, KS, 2010, Comparative Impacts of Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy Sources. Issues in Environmental Science and Technology, Vol.29 (1), pp.1-41 Mediavilla, M, Miguel, LJ & de Castro, C., 2008, From Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energies. University of Valladolid, Valladolid. Smith, ZA & Taylor, KD, 2008, Renewable and Alternative Energy Resources: a reference handbook. ABC-CLIO Publishers, New York. Strand, J, 2007, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Supply for the G-7 Countries, with Emphasis on Germany. International Monetary Fund, Geneva. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 2001, Renewable Energy: An Overview. Retrieved May 16, 2015 from http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy01osti/27955.pdf Van der Ploeg, F & Withagen, C., 2013, Global Warming and the Green Paradox. OxCarre Research Paper 116. Pp.1- 25 Read More