Alternative energy is using resources found in nature to power everyday electronics.
Many forms of alternative energy exist. The most common are solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power and human power. Marlborough High School consumes a massive amount of
energy daily for educational purposes. The Little Theater, a place where students and community
members watch performances, listen to speakers or present their work, drains a large percent of
the total energy consumed daily. With the aid of an alternative energy source, the faculty and
students of Marlborough High can use their theater for entertainment and education without
wasting precious resources and unnecessary energy costs.
Fossil fuels are byproducts of plant and animal remains that are used to give people
power in their homes and businesses. To meet the demands of people in today’s society, fossil
fuels are used for electricity and energy. These resources can be harsh on the environment and in
the future we will run out of them (Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels). There are many other forms
of energy that can be used instead of the harmful fossil fuels.
One source is wind power. It is a resource that is more efficient and eco-friendly than
fossil fuels. When air is moved from a high pressure area to a low pressure area, wind is
produced (Wind Power). The collection of wind can be used to move turbines that convert the
energy from the wind into electricity.
The earliest known use for wind energy dates back to around 5000 BC in Egypt. People
harnessed the energy of the wind to propel boats down the Nile River. By 200 BC, people in
China were using the wind’s energy to pump water with windmills. At the same time in Persia
and the Middle East, people were using vertical-axis windmills with woven reed sails to grind
grain (History of Wind Energy).
The idea of using the wind’s power spread throughout the world during the eleventh
century. By this time, the Middle East was solely relying on the wind for extensive food
production. Merchants and crusaders that were visiting from Europe brought the ideas back with
them. The Dutch adapted the idea of the windmill and used it for draining lakes and marshes in
the Rhine River Delta (History of Wind Energy).
During the nineteenth century, settlers of the New World took this technology with them
to make life more adaptable. They used these wind technologies to pump water to their farms
and ranches and for irrigation. Eventually, the people of the New World would come up with the
idea of using windmills for electricity (History of Wind Energy).
Industrialization had sparked new ideas that led to the decline of the use of windmills for
an extended period of time. During the 1930’s, the newly-developed steam engine began to
replace the old water pumping windmills. The Rural Electrification Administration was also
bringing electricity to people of rural areas, at a low cost (History of Wind Energy).
After a period of setting the ideas about wind power aside for a number of years, new
ideas about the use of wind power became more popular with the development of larger
windmills, used for electricity. As early as the 1890’s, Denmark was using these large windmills,
which are now known as turbines. In the 1940’s, the largest turbine at the time was being used in
Vermont to feed electrical power to local utility networks during World War II. The turbine was
known as Grandpa’s Knob and it produced 1.25 megawatts in 30 mph winds (History of Wind
Energy).
The use of wind turbines makes the price of fossil fuels fluctuate. In the 1970’s, the price
of oil skyrocketed so people began to gain interest in the use of wind turbines all over the world.
The new interests in wind turbine technology introduced new ideas and ways of converting wind
energy into useful energy. These ideas led to the creation of wind farms, which are groups of
turbines that feed electricity into utility grids. Today, many of these are commonly used in the
United States and Europe (History of Wind Energy).
One wind farm that is used today is located in California. It is the Alta Wind Energy
Center and it is in the wind energy resource area of the Tehachapi Pass in Kern County. It is the
United States’ largest wind facility. The center was generating 1,548 megawatts by the end of
2013. That is enough energy to power 450,000 homes. The electricity produced there is sold to
the Southern California Edison and distributed to different areas (Alta Wind Energy Center).
Another wind farm that is used today is the Roscoe Wind Complex. This wind farm is the
largest in Texas. It spreads across 100,000 acres in west Texas and produces enough energy to
power 230,000 homes. Constructed in 2007, the wind farm spreads across four large counties.
The full capacity of energy that is being produced there is 781.5 megawatts (CBS News).
There are many pros and cons to making large scale wind farms. Some advantages
include the creation of clean energy. The energy produced by wind turbines does not produce
pollutants and does not have harmful chemicals. Wind is also free. If there is an area that has a
vast amount of wind, it is there to be used without charge. Lastly, wind is a renewable resource
that will never run out so it will never be depleted, like fossil fuels. Some disadvantages include
the cost of making the turbines. The Roscoe Wind Complex was said to have cost about a million
dollars to create. Many places do not have that kind of money to be used on such a large-scale
project. Also, the blades of turbines can be dangerous to the local wildlife, including birds.
Lastly, they require a lot of open land which is not present in a lot of places. They are usually
away from urban areas, which tend to require the most power (Pros and Cons of Wind Energy).
Another form of alternative energy is solar power.
There are many applications of solar power in the real world. It is possible to implement
the use of solar energy to power different devices located in the Little Theater.
The first use of solar energy was 200 years ago in the early 1800s. In 1839, a French
physicist named A. E, Becquerel first recognized the photovoltaic effect (A Timeline of Solar
History). The photovoltaic effect is when solar cells convert sunlight into electricity (Seale,
2003). Almost 100 years later, in 1921, Albert Einstein received the Nobel Peace Prize for the
explanation of the photovoltaic effect.
Throughout history, people have been able to work out some disadvantages; however
they were not able to work out all of them. One disadvantage to having solar panels is that they
are expensive (Solar Energy Pros and Cons). For a three-bedroom house, it would cost $30,000
for a four kilowatt solar system (Solar Pricing). Another downside to using solar energy is that
the production of solar panels has been linked to pollution. Greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen
tri-fluoride, and sulfur hexafluoride were all traced back to the production of solar panels.
Another disadvantage to solar energy is the panels are made out of rare materials. Some solar
cells use materials that are expensive and rare in nature. A final downside to solar power is that
sometimes the sun gets blocked by clouds and can be accessed at limited times (Solar Energy
Pros and Cons).
As well as there being disadvantages to solar energy there are also many advantages to
going solar. One advantage of going solar is it is renewable since you cannot run out of sun.
Another convenience of going solar is solar energy meets the needs of the present world without
compromising the potential of the future. An added benefit of using solar energy is it does not
generally cause pollution and it is environmentally friendly. A final advantage to having solar
power is there is plenty of solar energy. The earth receives an average of 120,000 terawatts of
energy which is 20,000 times more energy than is needed.
Solar power has evolved significantly over the last hundred years. One example of solar
energy being used today is at the Brooklyn Bridge Park. At this park there is a charging station
for electric cars and vehicles that is powered by solar energy. This is the first station of its type in
New York City. Another way solar energy is being used today is in the UAE (United Arab
Emirates). Haidar Taleb, 47, built a wheelchair that runs on solar power. He created this
wheelchair to go on 200 mile long journey (Solar Power). Another form of alternative energy
that is increasingly being used is human power.
Human power is commonly overlooked although it is a completely valid source of power.
The act of using a common activity such as walking, running, or bicycling to power a device is
known as human power. The use of human power for transportation started as early as the 15th
century when Giovanni Fontana built the first human powered vehicle that drove on land
(Mozer, 1995). The use of human power had been applied in daily life since approximately 2750
BC for construction purposes. Ramps, pulleys, and levers were among the simplest machines that
were aided with human power. Instead of pushing an object up a completely vertical slope, a
ramp helped reduce the angle, therefore greatly reducing the amount of effort needed to roll or
push an object up a hill. Levers were used to help lift items off the ground while exerting less
effort than if you were to pick up a bundle by hand. With the appearance of the first crane in
Greece in the early 5th century BC came the wide spread use of the pulley system. Pulleys were
designed to change the direction of the pull, so instead of pulling up, one would pull down. This
simple change increased the amount of force a person can exert on the object by almost double.
Over the centuries with the invention of the compound pulley system the mechanical advantage
could be increased to 3 to 1 or 5 to 1 (The Sky is the Limit, 2010).
There are many known advantages to using an alternative energy source. The first is that
there are little or no ‘Greenhouse Gases” being let off into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and
other harmful gases get released when fossil fuels are burned, leading to an increase in the
climate worldwide. Public health and the environment would see a significant change for the
better. Better air quality leads to better health of the people, also human power requires people to
move to power devices whether it would be walking or bicycling, with each step they are
reducing the number of overweight people. Unlike fossil fuels and natural gas, humans would
not disappear. The human power energy source would never die away like the supply of fossil
fuels. Not only would the health of the population increase but the economy would benefit
greatly through more jobs created and stable energy prices (Benefits of Renewable, 2013).
One of the simplest human powered vehicles that have been around for decades is the
bicycle. The bicycle began in France in the year 1790 as a two-wheeled horse named the
célérifère, designed by Comte Mede de Sivrac. In this early model the rider would propel
themselves forwards by pushing off the ground. Baron Karl von Drais of Germany made a major
improvement to the original design during 1818; he added a steering bar to the front handle, this
advance allowed rider to direct the bicycle where they wanted. Macmillan, a Scottish blacksmith
added foot pedals, a more functional handlebar and a cushioned seat. A little while later, two
Frenchmen came along and improved the bicycle even further. It was not until Pierre Lallement
got a patent for the vehicle that it really took off. The bicycle was important to loads of people
because it allowed them to travel without using up harmful chemicals. It also had the benefit of a
workout keeping people physically fit (Bicycle, 2006).
A more recent addition to the human power category is a virus that can be spread onto a
material making it capable of harvesting energy from the vibrations. This idea has not fully
reached the stage where it can be used worldwide to replace non-renewable energy but in a few
years it will be. It is expected to generate anywhere from 50-70 nanoamps, said Ramesh, the
researcher in the materials science category at LBNL. The benefit to the virus is that it is more
cost effective and safer to use than the conventional piezoelectric devices. Viruses also reproduce
and form nanometer-scale structures on their own (scientificamerican.com). An older form of
alternative energy that is making a comeback would be water power, or hydroelectric power.
Water has been used to power things for many years. It dates back to the Greeks, who
used water wheels to grind flour, with a simple wheel driven by water flowing or falling onto
vanes and buckets on its edges (Water Wheel). Then, in the 1700’s, a French engineer introduced
vertical and horizontal axis machines. The first ever hydroelectric power plant was made in
America in 1880. Within 6 years, 45 power plants were made in the US and Canada. There were
a total of 200 power plants by 1889. In 1907, 15% of all power was hydroelectric and by 1940,
it raised 40%. By 2003 10% of all power was hydroelectric, the percentage went down because
more electricity was being produced by other sources such as fossil fuels and other alternative
energies (Hydropower Facts).
Instead of paying for all that electricity from a regular provider, Marlborough High
School could use their own hydroelectricity. There are some real advantages to hydroelectricity.
For example, minimal pollution is given off when hydroelectricity is produced. It is also a
natural power source with low maintenance costs. Hydroelectricity plays a major role in reducing
greenhouse gas admissions, so it is very eco-friendly. The source of energy is water, which is
renewable because of rainfall. Also, it is reliable and proven over time. Water power can be very
respectable, but it does have its disadvantages. Since water power relies on a source of water, the
hydroelectric generators are location dependent. Also, to build a hydroelectric power plant there
are high investment costs (Hydroelectric Power Use).
The people of China currently use hydroelectricity as a main power source. In China, the
Three Gorges Dam spans the Yangtze river. It has 26 giant turbines in the dam’s powerhouse.
The dam produces 22,500 megawatts of electricity (Three Gorges Dam). Another place that uses
hydroelectricity is West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, which runs 80% off of the water mills they
have.
The Little Theater has many items that require power using an alternative energy: two
Bose speakers (2400 Watts), sixty small florescent lights (2760 Watts), twelve LED spotlights
(1920 Watts), eight T-831 floodlights (480 Watts), eight four foot florescent lights (240 Watts),
eight halogen lights (520 Watts), one computer (75 Watts), and one projector (429 Watts). This
adds up to the room needing 8824 Watts of power (Riley).
With the aid of alternative energy, the Little Theater inside of Marlborough High School
will be a more energy efficient learning environment for both the students and staff. With the use
of an alternative energy source that is more eco-friendly, Marlborough High School’s energy
costs would decrease. With the money saved, the school could invest in newer and more
advanced teaching technology to improve the learning environment even further. In addition, the
school could use the money to help support extracurricular activities, thus increasing the
enjoyment for the MHS student body.
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