Alternative energy sources

1. Alternative Energy
Sources
By: Charlotte Donahue,
Timothy Jorgensen,
& Quentin Newsome

2. Introduction
There has been extensive amounts of pollution done to our environment and
it’s time to make a change.
❖ Coal energy releases Carbon into our environment which forms Carbon
Dioxide and results in rising temperatures across the Earth. (UCS, 2019).
❖ Coal is responsible for approximately 30% of energy supplied in the U.S.
❖ We need to force a shift to clean renewable sources of energy such as
Solar, Nuclear, Wind, or Water.

3. Solar Power
❖ Currently there are 1.9 million solar power systems in use in the U.S. (SEIA,
2019).
❖ Solar energy uses heat or light from the sun to provide a means of energy
production.
❖ It’s the cleanest and safest way to provide energy.
❖ One downside is to solar power generation is it is optimal when it is clear
and sunny out, and may not provide enough energy for constant use.

4. Solar Power (cont’d)
❖ Photovoltaics is a type of solar power that directly converts light into
electricity, which is the type that is commonly seen on rooftops of homes or
other locations.
❖ Concentrating solar power converts heat from the sun to electricity by
spinning a turbine that then converts this work into electricity, a common
means of producing electricity.
❖ There is another type which uses thermal energy to heat water or providing
cooling through air conditioning.
(SEIA, 2019)

5. Solar Power Proposal
❖ While there is a downside to solar power, it can still be used and fully
functional when coupled with other sources of energy such as nuclear and
wind.
❖ By supplementing solar power with another power source that is clean we
can limit our carbon emissions and still live the lives we love by not having
to scale back our energy usage.
❖ Solar power is the future for energy as it is always there and should be
utilized. It doesn’t make sense to not use something so simple as sunlight.

6. Nuclear Power
❖ Nuclear power generates electricity through heat generating by splitting
Uranium atoms. This heat is transferred through a heat exchanger to
produce steam that spins a turbine producing the electricity.
❖ There are 98 operating nuclear plants in the United States providing
approximately 20% of all electricity needs (Nuclear Power in the USA, n.d.)

7. Nuclear Power (cont’d)
❖ Nuclear power produces virtually no greenhouse gasses that can contribute
to climate change.
❖ Nuclear power has had challenges over the years with significant accidents at
Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima (Rogers, March 2011).
❖ These accident have made nuclear power safer through lessons learned,
improved safety features and safer operating procedures.

8. Nuclear Power Proposal
❖ Nuclear Power plants run virtually 24/7 without interruption. They do not
count on the wind blowing or the sun shining to produce electricity.
❖ New nuclear plants like the ones under construction a the Vogtle site in
Waynesboro Georgia can provide reliable, affordable, and clean power
power for decades to come.
❖ Nuclear power does have the drawback of creating High Level Radioactive
waste. This is being addressed through the legislative process in
Washington, DC.

9. Wind Power
❖ Wind power works by utilizing the
natural forces of the wind to spin a
blade.
❖ The blade is connected to a shift
and gear assembly that magnify
the amount of work done by the
blade.
❖ The shaft is connected to a
generator to turn this kinetic
energy into work.
❖ Can generate energy when wind is
at least 6-9 mph.

10. Wind Power Proposal
❖ As a supplement to other wonderful sources
of clean energy, there is wind to generate
energy.
❖ Wind power is great because it can be used
at low wind speeds
❖ Wind power can generate power on average
90% of the time. (AWEA, 2019)
❖ It’s clean energy that is readily available to
be used.

11. Conclusion
❖ The world is changing and growing, and it’s time to make the
changes for clean renewable sources of energy.
❖ We need to implement change to see a brighter future in
clean energy.
❖ Now is the time to act and stop polluting our environment
with carbon emissions when we have such amazing sources
of energy like nuclear, solar, wind, and water.

12. References
❖ Al Gore. (2006). An inconvenient truth. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Inconvenient-Truth-Al-
Gore/dp/B00AB0SHRW.
❖ American Wind Energy Association. (2019). The basics of wind energy. Retrieved from https://www.awea.org/wind-
101/basics-of-wind-energy.
❖ AP1000. (2019, February 03). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP1000.
❖ Markov, S. A. (2017). Clean energy. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science. Retrieved from
http://vlib.excelsior.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=89475553&site=
eds-live&scope=site.
❖ Nuclear Power in the USA. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2019, from http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-
library/country-profiles/countries-t-z/usa-nuclear-power.aspx.
❖ Rogers, S. (2011, March 14). Nuclear power plant accidents: Listed and ranked since 1952. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/mar/14/nuclear-power-plant-accidents-list-rank.
❖ Solar Energy Industries Association. (April 2018). Solutions for today’s energy needs. Retrieved from
https://www.seia.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/SEIA-Solar-Energy-Technologies-Factsheet-2018-April.pdf.
❖ U.S. Department of Energy. (2019). Clean Energy. Retrieved from https://www.energy.gov/science-innovation/clean-
energy.