Mitigation Strategies and Solutions

2.     Final Project: Mitigation Strategies and Solutions

 

         Resource: Appendix A

 

         Use the topic you chose as an environmental researcher for the Week Nine Capstone Discussion Question or choose another topic you have learned about over the past 8 weeks.

 

         Focus on a specific environmental problem within your selected topic. Your topic, for example, could be Atmospheric Issues, and your environmental problem could be global warming.

 

         Write a 1,750- to 2,100-word paper that formulates a mitigation plan for your specific environmental problem. Include the following:

 

o    Detailed description of the problem

o    Nonliving and living factors that contribute to or are affected by the problem

o    Positive or negative human impacts

o    Evaluation of current sustainability strategies and solutions

o    Your plan to reach sustainability (See Appendix F)

o    Benefits and challenges of your plan

o    Required government, societal, and global support

 

         Include at least four outside sources. Two of the four sources should be peer-reviewed. If you need assistance with identifying a peer-reviewed article, review Appendix G.

 

         Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

 

         Post your paper as an attachment.

One issue with our environment today is the short supply of energy materials. With the increase in electronic devices and the increase in the population our energy usage will rise to the point that there is just not enough energy to go around. A continued use of non-renewable sources of energy will only deplete our supply of these materials. With the depletion of our supply of nonrenewable source materials, our ever growing needs for power on electronic devices and our increasing population growth we will run out of power in an unpredictable amount of time and none of the items we use this energy for will work. This could set the human population back to the dark ages, before technology. Imagine a world with no cell phones, no televisions, and no transportation vehicles such as cars or even airplanes. A world with no stoves or microwaves for cooking, no refrigerators or freezers for storing, no lights for seeing, no video games or computers to occupy our time. Without even things as simple as cigarette lighters or watches that run on batteries.

The conservation of energy is one solution to our ever expanding energy usage which people are trying to use today to preserve the limited nonrenewable resource materials. Conserving energy is in my opinion a short term solution to a real ongoing and increasing problem. Energy conservation will help us in our quest but is not a solution to the energy crisis. It is merely a stepping stone in our path toward sustainability. Conservation can go a long way in helping stretch our current resources and allow us a longer use of the resources we currently have, but even with our conservation efforts the energy supply will run out. What we need is a renewable source of energy that will not deplete our planetary materials and will make energy available enough for all the electronic devices and human needs for everyone for now and on into the future.

Our power currently comes from power stations that use a multitude of different types of materials to create the power we use today. The most common types of power plants in the past have been powered by nuclear energy or fossil fuels. Nuclear power is used to generate electrical power by harnessing the release of energy from the chain reaction of fission fragments flying apart and entering nearby uranium nuclei. The energy is then used to control and drive a turbine that generates electricity. (Hodgson, 2008) Nuclear power plants are a danger to those individuals in the surrounding area since it emits nuclear energy into the air. It is also dangerous to the environment at large because of the same nuclear emissions.

Fossil fuel power plants rely on oil or coal to heat water to the boiling point and the steam generated is then used to operate a steam turbine to create electricity. (Newton, 2003) A disadvantage to using fossil fuels as an energy resource is that they can be dirty to run and maintain since neither coal nor oil burns cleanly. The smoke coming out of the stacks can contain ash that can be deposited on homes, cars and other exposed surfaces. Coal smoke into the air is also the cause of acid rain that can damage many surfaces as it comes down and can also harm our oceans and rivers. Both of these methods are hazardous to the environment and our atmosphere, not to mention the health of the individuals who live near these types of power plants. Not to mention the price of oil skyrocketing or embargos on oil by countries in which we rely for importing.

There are a few power plants today that use biomass fermentation as fuel, which is the use of waste from sugar cane or other farm crops to boil the water in which the steam is used to move the turbines that create electricity. Some plants use solar panels, which uses the power of the sun to boil water; and some that are hydro powered, which is using running water to turn the turbines. These methods of creating power use renewable energy sources to create electricity for the world, crop waste, the sun, and water.

There are several additional methods of renewable materials to convert into power. Wind power is a great resource for a reliable renewable energy source. Wind power consists of using the power of the wind to turn giant turbines which in turn create energy that is pushed all over the world. The problem with wind power is it needs land in order to install the giant turbines needed, this cannot be done close to cities and must be in rural areas where the turbines will not interfere with everyday life. Even then you are at the mercy of the wind, without wind the turbines do not turn and do not create energy.

Solar power is another way to generate electricity. This uses photovoltaic cells that capture sunlight and convert it directly into electricity, or by using sunlight to boil water which is used to provide power. Photovoltaic have been used for years in small applications such as a solar powered calculator. The problem with solar power is it is intermittent. A power plant that wishes to use only solar power will have to use it in combination with storage devices to run continuous power.

What we need is a way to generate power that does not interfere with daily life, will not harm the environment and maybe even help restore the ozone which in turn would help reverse global warming. Our solution I believe lies with something the Germans are already doing, they have a plant that uses a combination of wind, biomass, hydro and solar power to generate one hundred percent renewable energy. I am not so sure we have to use every source in each plant to make them produce one hundred percent renewable energy but certainly we should employ several ways in one plant.

I am proposing a sustainability plan of incorporating solar energy and biomass fuel as renewable sources to generate electricity. In order to put this plan in effect will be a four step process. Step one will be to research the best ways in which to use solar power and biomass fermentation in a power plant to create the most electrical energy and to be the most efficient. There needs to be research done on several different ways and the efficiency of these ways in order to determine the best option. Research needs to be done on how to get the biomass materials needed on a regular basis and the best ways to transport and install these materials to run the power plant. Some research will need to be done on any rules and regulations by the state and federal governments in the area in which the power plant will be installed. We will also need some research done on what kind of waste this process will create, if any, and how we will deal with the waste.

Step two will involve developing a new blueprint for the construction of the new one hundred percent renewable energy power plant. This will use all the research gained from the research phase and choose the best positions for each part of the plant. A contractor will be required to ensure the plant has everything it needs to be up to code and comply with all rules and regulations from the government on how such a plant needs to function properly and without any danger to its surroundings.

Step three will be to develop a presentation that includes all research and development paperwork. The presentation will consist of the reasons we cannot continue to rely on non renewable sources to generate our electrical power, and what kind of damage our current resources are causing to our environment and the individuals surrounding the plant itself. It will also include the blueprints approved by a licensed contractor, the costs of converting existing plants to renewable energy sources, and the costs of building a renewable energy plant from the ground up. I will conclude the presentation with a breakdown of the costs of installing new or upgrading existing plants with the damage and depletion of using non renewable resources to generate power. My conclusion will also show the benefits of switching to renewable sources to generate power and why we cannot afford to not switch.

Step four will be to organize a meeting with state and federal officials in order to get approval and/or funding. The meeting will need to include several officials from a few different environmental agencies and government affiliates. We need to have a good grouping of environmentalists, government officials, local officials and farmers who would be supplying the biomass materials. During the meeting I will present my plan for sustainability and impress how important it is that we as a country do something to preserve our environment and create a source of renewable energy for our ever growing population.

Step five will move us into the building phase of development. Putting in all devices in their proper places in order to be the most efficient according to the blueprints designed and approved by the contractor. Solar panels installed on the roof and other available spaces, converter boxes to change sunlight into useable energy, engines that run on biomass fuel, and of course the generators needed to change these energy sources into electricity.

One challenge of my plan is going to be the opposition in the government and local officials that might not want to spend the money that will be required to alter the existing plants since renewable resource materials will be more expensive than non renewable resource materials. Another challenge is finding farmers willing to gather their biomass materials since it is generally what is left on the ground after harvesting a crop and preserving and shipping it to the plant. Another challenge is to meet the regulations and requirements in order to run such a plant in a safe manner.

One benefit of my plan will be a reduction in the use of nonrenewable resource materials. Another benefit will be the air pollution will be less since the plants will not be using fossil fuels. One possible benefit is because of the reduction in air pollution our ozone could repair or reverse which will eliminate global warming as an issue. The residences around the plants will benefit with cleaner air and no harmful waste materials being dumped into oceans or rivers. With no harmful waste being dumped into our oceans and rivers will benefit our ocean inhabitants and allow them to live and thrive better due to the better environment.

References

Hodgson, P (2008) “Nuclear Power and the Energy Crisis” retrieved from EBCOHost University of Phoenix University Library on Jan 2010.

Newton, D (2003) “Power Plants” retrieved from EBCOHost University of Phoenix University Library on Jan 2010

Wikipedia (2009) “Power Station” Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org on Jan 2010

Wikipedia (2009) “Solar Power” retrieved from en.wikipedia.org on Jan 2010