As the world’s population continues to grow, the need for alternative energy is essential. Fossil fuels won’t last forever and the pollution which results from them is detrimental to the well-being of the population as a whole. The energy sources are already available, as well as the means to harness them. Such sources include wind, solar, nuclear and hydropower. Alternative energy has been around for a number of years, however its usage has been miniscule in comparison to fossil fuels. Over the years, the technologies to harness these sources has exponentially improved, as well as the cost of building them. The cost to switch over to alternative sources has greatly decreased, which is why a switch to these sources is necessary, as it would greatly pay off in the long run. From 2009 to 2014, the costs of solar power and wind power have decreased 79% and 56%, respectively (“Comparing The...Energy Sources.”). However, there is some opposition to becoming more dependant on alternative energy sources. Skeptics would say that the cost of installing such infrastructure would be too costly or that current technologies would not be able to work at maximum efficiency. However, any initial cost would be well worth it in the long run as the source of power is renewable, and the current technologies are more than capable of handling the harnessing of renewable sources. As a society, the need for alternative energy sources as opposed to fossil fuels is essential, because fossil fuels have a finite availability, renewable sources are readily and unlimitedly available, and the cost in the long run would be much less expensive.

These energy sources, wind, solar, nuclear, and hydropower have been around for a number of years. Solar technologies have only recently advanced in recent years, with solar fields becoming more and more prevalent in rural areas. Wind turbines have enabled companies to make use of otherwise barren land by building fields of the turbines in many different areas. Hydropower is the one of the oldest method of energy production, with early usage dating back hundreds of years. Water mills rotated stone mills which would grind corn or wheat for use in cooking. The first time hydropower was used to generate electricity was in the 1880s. Nuclear energy has also been around for a number of years, with the development of the technology created during World War II. Commercial use of nuclear power began in the 1950s.  However, its history has not always been smooth. Over the years, there have been multiple accidents with these reactors causing widespread chaos. The most famous of these disasters is known as Chernobyl, a nuclear power plant located in Russia in the 1950s. The reactor exploded, created a radioactive environment until this day. For these reasons, nuclear energy is one which not only faces financial issues, but also political ones. In the years these sources have been around, their use and development has increased at an exponential rate.

Because of the growing world population, fossil fuels will not be a sustainable source of energy for an extended period of time. Fossil fuels were created millions of years ago from decaying biological matter. These fuel sources don’t simply regenerate constantly. Thus, there is a finite supply of these fossil fuels. At the rate the world is using them, these fossil fuels will run out soon. With the current known fossil fuel sources available, there is only an estimated 71 years left worth of fossil fuels. This is only the case for coal. For oil and gas, the time left is much shorter. There is projected to be around 35 years left for oil and 43 years left for gas (“The End of Fossil Fuels.”). These are only estimates, and they could vary depending on increased consumption or newfound reserves. Nonetheless, the supply is very limited. In addition to the limited availability of these energy sources, the pollution created as a result of them are a threat to not only the health of mankind, but also a threat to the health of the world. Due to the ever increasing population, consumption of these fossil fuels is higher than ever before. Thus global temperatures are bound to keep rising. Availability of these sources are only going to keep decreasing as the global temperatures and world population increase.

On the other hand, the availability of renewable sources is high. There is always going to be an abundant amount of sunlight, a plentiful amount of wind, and an ample amount of water flowing in rivers and from large bodies of water. These renewable sources have no end of use in sight and should therefore be a primary method of obtaining energy. The only alternative energy source the doesn’t have an unlimited supply of fuel would be nuclear. Nuclear energy has the possibility of running out because although uranium is found in areas all around the world, nuclear energy plants use a type of uranium that is not common. This uranium used for nuclear power is projected to last at least another 200 years. This rough estimate is based on current consumption rates with reactors operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, with projected technologies, uranium could be extracted from seawater, and this supply could last another 60,000 years. With current methods of extracting the energy from uranium atoms becoming more and more efficient, current uranium supplies’ usage could be stretched an additional 30,000 years (Fetter). Nuclear power is already a widely used source of power. There are 31 countries operating around 440 nuclear reactors for commercial use, with a large potential for expansion (“Nuclear Power in the World Today.”). Although this source is not completely renewable, it is a very clean and efficient method for generating large amounts of power. Solar energy alone, when harnessed correctly, could fulfill the world’s energy needs. Solar energy is very accessible because the sun is out for around 12 hours per day which makes it easy to access. Of course this amount of time varies by location and time of year. Although it might be fairly expensive to install solar energy panels and other technology, it is worth it in the long run. There is a large amount of potential for solar energy, so much that the world’s demand for energy could be met by over ten thousand times. As for wind power, the potential is equally as great. Wind power is harnessed with turbines which have blades spun by the wind in order to power a generator. These turbines are arranged in large fields, and this is called a wind farm. One of the largest wind turbines is one that is over twenty stories tall and the span of the blades is about the length of a football field, or one hundred yards. This wind turbine can provide power for up to 1,400 homes (“Wind Energy Basics.”). Hydropower is another source with virtually unlimited availability, however it’s potential is limited based on the location of the source. Hydropower is the largest renewable power source currently used in the country, accounting for 6.5% of all power generated and and 44% of all renewable energy generated (“Hoover Dam.”). Although it is on a smaller scale, this just shows the potential for the harnessing capabilities of this source. In order to better meet the world’s energy demands, it is vital to take advantage of the ready availability of these alternative sources.

Although the initial cost of the alternative energy infrastructure could be high, the cost in the long run would be well worth it. Current solar panel technologies are relatively expensive, however the source of its energy costs nothing and is plentifully available. The prices of solar panels have also been drastically declining in recent years. In 2009, the cost per megawatt-hour was $359, and just five years later, the cost per megawatt-hour dropped to $79. Compared to conventional technologies, the cost per megawatt-hour of gas is $74 and coal’s cost is $109 per megawatt-hour (“Comparing The...Energy Sources.”). Based on the trend of prices dropping prices for renewable energy, solar energy will, if it already hasn’t, surpass fossil fuels as the cheapest method of energy production.  Wind turbines are in a very similar situation, and like solar panels, the availability of wind power is abundant. The cost of wind power in 2009 was $135 per megawatt-hour and in 2014 the cost dropped to $59, making it the cheapest source of energy currently available (“Comparing The...Energy Sources.”). With hydropower, it’s a similar situation. The Hoover Dam is one of the largest sources of electricity produced by hydropower. It was was completed in 1936 and has been producing power for areas or Arizona, Nevada, and California ever since. The project costed around $50 million at the time, which equates to about $690 million today (whatitcosts.com). The initial cost of this project was very high, although it has since fully paid for itself. It produces on average over 4 million megawatt-hours of energy annually (“Hoover Dam.”). The large bodies of water or flowing rivers provide a steady supply of power for the surrounding communities dependant on the hydropower plants. These three sources, although they may be a large initial investment, pay off in the long run due to the fact that the source of power for this infrastructure is essentially free. There is of course the occasional costs of maintenance, as there would be with any kind of power plant. The fourth method of power production is slightly different than the previous three. There is a large initial investment in the building of a nuclear power plant, but the power output is a large enough quantity to offset this investment quickly. There is a caveat, however. The fuel source for these power plants is uranium-235, a radioactive substance. This is not a free, unlimited power source. The reason this is a safe alternative to current fossil fuels is because the byproducts of the nuclear power production process are clean and the process itself is very efficient, producing large amounts of power with minimal amounts of uranium. There may be a large initial investment in building these power plants, but in the long run, it is well worth the cost.

There is some opposition to these power sources. These alternative energy sources are costly to actually build the machines or power plants. They could cost too much and may not be worth it to build. However, despite the high costs, the investment is well worth it. Within 5 to 10 years of a solar energy field being built, it would have paid for itself. In the case of wind power, the initial investment is rather high, with 80% of the cost being for the machinery and the rest being for installing (“Solar Energy.”). However, in when comparing a fossil fuel plant to a wind farm, the wind farm’s costs are actually less than those of the fossil fuel plants. This is because there is little to no costs after the initial investment for the wind farms. The only costs further down the road are for occasional maintenance while there is always a consistent cost for the fossil fuel plants because the cost of the fossil fuels. Another major point of opposition is impact on the environment. Birds and bats do get killed by the spinning rotors of the wind turbines. Due to extensive environmental impact studies, the number of animals and the amount of surrounding environment impacted can be greatly reduced. For hydropower plants, some of the main opposition includes the fact that the technology is becoming outdated and it’s an expensive plant to build. It is true that the technology is becoming outdated, however new technologies are always being developed to decrease the cost and increase the efficiency. Nuclear power plant’s opposition mainly stems from the safety factor. There have been accidents in plants over the years, causing many injuries and deaths. As with any other alternative energy source, the technology used to harness this energy is always being developed to become more safe, making this source viable for use all over the world. Although there is opposition to the use of alternative energy sources, the benefits greatly outweigh these arguments.

In conclusion, the world’s need for alternative energy is essential. This is because the supply of fossil fuels is finite as well as very poor for the health of the world and its inhabitants. Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydropower, have an unlimited supply of fuel to generate energy from. These sources continue to drop in initial price, making them more and more affordable to implement at a large scale. Power such as nuclear power is not technically renewable, but it’s extremely efficient and its byproducts are very clean. It’s safety is also ever increasing, making it more and more reliable for expanded use. Although the cost to build the infrastructure would initially be high, the cost in the long run would be a much better value. In recent years, the cost of these machines and renewable power plants has also exponentially decreased, making it much more affordable on a large scale to build these power plants. Alternative energy sources are an essential for the entire world moving forward.
