Energy is one of the essentials of modern living and convenience. We use electricity for almost every task in our homes, school and at work and thus energy saving has been an important topic for many years (Dawson, 2015). Energy sources have evolved over the years, with the sun being the first energy source. Over the years, water and wind were also used to drive simple machines that ground grains and pumped water, and devices that were able to harness the power of steam were also developed and date as far back as ancient Alexandria (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2019). Petroleum also became famous by the 1800s Union of Concerned Scientists, 2019). This essay discusses several examples of energy uses, different sources of energy, and some ways in which daily energy usage can get reduced at home, work and in schools.
As an individual, I use energy for several activities, examples including using power to cool and heat our homes and showers; to provide lighting; to propel cars; to prepare food; to communicate plus to run the television or radio. Several energy sources are used to meet these energy needs including- electricity, petroleum, solar energy, biomass, and natural gas. The renewable sources of energy include solar power, which can be used to heat showers; and biomass. The non-renewable sources of energy are electricity, which is useful for most applications from cooking, to heating houses, and providing lighting; natural gas, which gets used in cookers; and petroleum that is used to power vehicles’ engines.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Solar energy would be the most appropriate renewable source of energy, while biomass would be the least suitable renewable source of energy. Solar energy has many advantages that warrant its suitability. The very first is because solar energy is in abundance and is freely available- it is a never-ending source of energy (Saxena, 2013). Moreover, solar energy is non-polluting, free of cost, and surplus in availability. In addition to residential use of solar energy- in solar water heaters and solar cookers among others- it can be used for commercial power production (Saxena, 2013).
Biomass, on the other hand, would not be suitable for energy production majorly because it produces a lot of greenhouse gases while burning, which can be absorbed by residual plants and making it an unsafe contributor to global warming (Saxena, 2013). Other than this, it also requires that one use their energy and time to collect the biomass before it can get used. Finally, if trees get harvested for use as a fuel, it would take many years to grow the same number of trees to replace the energy harnessed (Saxena, 2013).
Each energy source has its advantages and disadvantages that make their use more or less beneficial compared to others. Electricity, natural gas, and petroleum are no exemptions. Electric power is effortless to distribute and transport and is very accessible even in the countryside. It has also enabled the improvement of performance due to the full range of electric devices used in offices and at home. However, when electricity gets produced through coal plants or nuclear plants, it releases certain by-products that cause pollution. Additionally, to create a large number of electric energy lots of natural habitats can be destroyed to provide enough space for the power plants.
The advantages of natural gas include; it is less polluting as it produces less carbon dioxide as compared to other fossil fuels; it has a high heating value, and is inexpensive compared to coal. On the other hand, the disadvantages of natural gas are that it is a non-renewable source of energy, and lack of technology plus unfavorable economics make it hard to recover the remaining deposits (Vasa-Sideris, n.d.).
The advantages of petroleum are: the liquid form is easy to transport and use, it has a high heating value, is relatively inexpensive, and does not require any new technology to use. On the contrary, the disadvantages of petroleum include that it is a finite resource, the oil recovery process is not efficient enough, oil drilling endangers the environment and ecosystem, and oil transportation can lead to spills leading to environmental and ecological damage (Vasa-Sideris, n.d.).
Energy conservation can be done either by using alternative forms of energy and by reducing energy use at home and work. Shutting down computers, choosing the right lights, and using power strips are three ways that can help to reduce energy consumption (Harvard University, 2017). Computers are big energy users especially in offices and therefore switching them off when not in use and ditching screensavers can help to cut down energy use (Harvard University, 2017). Moreover, using LED bulbs that use less energy, and using power strips that turn off all devices at once can also help to save on energy consumption.
In conclusion, energy is a crucial element in the survival of humans, and therefore we should use it wisely and safely, and its conservation should be a priority. Besides, there are various sources of energy that one can choose from depending on their needs and the advantages of each source of energy- we should always strive to select energy sources that have the least effects on the environment and ecology. Lastly, we should watch out for new technologies that could address some of the current energy concerns, and which by extension can also offer good entrepreneurship opportunities.
References
Dawson, J. (2015, December 27). The Different Uses of Energy in our Daily lives. Retrieved from https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/ugc/articles/2015/12/the-different-uses-of-energy-in-our-daily-lives.html
Harvard University. (2017, September 7). Top 5 Steps to Reduce Your Energy Consumption. Retrieved from https://green.harvard.edu/tools-resources/poster/top-5-steps-reduce-your-energy-consumption
Saxena, A. (2013, August). An Argument on- Biomass Vs. Solar Energy. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259267995_An_Argument_on-_Biomass_Vs_Solar_Energy
Union of Concerned Scientists. (2019). A Short History of Energy. Retrieved from https://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/a-short-history-of-energy.html
Vasa-Sideris, S. (n.d.). Advantages and Disadvantages of Energy Sources . Retrieved from http://homepages.spa.umn.edu/~larry/ADVANTAGE_DIS_ENERGY.pdf
