Is
Alternative Energy Really the Answer?
A
The
realization amongst researchers, politicians, and civil society alike that
our dependence on fossil fuels is self-destructive has prompted all eyes to
turn to alternative energy. Wind power, solar power, hydropower, and similar
options are touted as the answers to our modern environmental problems, with
few questioning this assumption. But how sustainable are these options in
reality?
B
Recent
research in the US is revealing hidden deficiencies in alternative energy
that have until now been overlooked or underappreciated by mainstream energy
movements. One particularly disturbing drawback is their heavy reliance on
water. Renewable and clean energy sources have been found to use more water
than fossil fuel-powered plants, according to a recent report by the US
Department of Energy.
C
The
study, which analyzed the resiliency of the US’s power infrastructure to
climate change, found that the biggest users of water in the US today are
power plants, specifically fossil fuel and nuclear plants that generate about
90 percent of the nation’s energy. Massive amounts of water are needed to
cool these plants and drive their turbines, and such uses account for nearly
half of the water consumed in the country each year. These findings would
seem to corroborate criticisms from alternative energy proponents, but that’s
not the entire story.
D
The
report further demonstrated that some of the most popular renewable and clean
energy sources require even more water. Hydropower is the most obvious
example, with the typical hydroelectric power plant using between 15,000 and
68,000 liters of water to generate a megawatt hour of electricity. But other
alternative energy technologies depend on water indirectly as well, whether
to irrigate biofuel crops or cool and wash solar panels. The average solar
plant, as another example, uses about 3,000 liters per megawatt hour. In
comparison, a nuclear power plant uses 2,650 liters per megawatt hour, a coal
fired plant 1,900, and a natural gas plant 750.
E
In the
US, where only 7 percent of the country’s power is hydroelectric and a meager
1 percent is solar, this does not yet pose a serious problem. But in the UK
and the rest of Europe, where the reliance on alternative energy is almost
twice as much, the report’s findings are reigniting a serious debate about
the future viability of the renewable and clean energy industry. With global
climate change increasing temperatures across the globe and drying out water
reservoirs, in no small part resulting from our predilection for burning fossil
fuels, we are left with an interesting conundrum. How to both reduce
emissions and save water simultaneously could prove more challenging than
once thought.
F
There
are some scientists arguing for a return to wind power technology, but this
has drawbacks as well. As with many types of alternative energy, wind power
is weather dependent and therefore less reliable than fossil fuels or nuclear
power. This results in the need for increase storage facilities, which
require more electricity and water. Wind power is also criticized by animal
rights activists because of the number of bird deaths caused by the giant
windmills harnessing the wind power. Thus, wind seems an unlikely candidate
to replace solar or hydropower.
G
The
coming years will see the development of alternative energy technologies with
regards to sustainability, and a focus on reducing the dependency on one of
our earth’s most valuable resources: water.
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