In the last couple years, it has become abundantly clear that we as a human race must start to shift towards alternate forms of energy. With oil and coal usage for energy being major causes of pollution and climate change. Public opinion has started to shift towards renewable forms of energy such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric energy. The problem, however, lies in how feasible it is to switch our energy to these alternate forms.

One major question that always arises with these types of discussion is how much it will cost to change our energy to these alternate forms. Currently production of energy using coal and natural gas is cheaper than production of energy using solar power or wind power. Furthermore, a lot of money still is needed for research on solar and wind power in order to make them more cost effective and stronger sources of energy. Furthermore, since wind and sun are not abundant everywhere in the United States, it would be an extra cost to build infrastructure to transport the energy in these resource rich areas to areas that need energy. However, once the technology is improved, solar and wind energy will be far more cost effective than coal and oil, while also having the potential to last longer and providing immense returns later on in their life cycle.

Another problem that has been brought up regarding alternate forms of energy is that in order to make these solar panels and wind turbines, coal and oil are being used o they are not as “clean” sources of energy that they are made out to be. While this is certainly true, the long term environmental effects of these renewable forms of energy vs. non renewable energy sources would be much better.

The benefits of alternate forms of energy are certainly notable. Clean energy sources such as wind and solar have almost no environmental effects once they are installed and therefore would significantly reduce our emissions for years to come. Also, solar and wind energy are not intrusive and most solar and wind farms are simply in open space that was not being used in the first place.

Alternate energy could also lead to major production of jobs in the United States. A lot of the new technologies would lead to major job creation in order to create the wind and solar farms as well as any other renewable resources. Furthermore, these energy resources would require upkeep and other maintenance which would keep jobs for longer than just the creation.

Some may wonder why we can’t just stop using nonrenewable resources such as coal and oil to reduce pollution and curb climate change. Part of the problem with this idea is the sheer amount of our society that is entirely dependent on oil and coal. If we stopped using oil and coal right now. We would not be able to transport food, drive cars, or even make plastics. This is why the transition must be slow, but we should certainly start moving forward with the transition.

Although initial reports cast doubt on the progress of renewables in the Trump administration, there have been some recent reports that suggest the Trump administration will seek to expand the United States’ renewable energy infrastructure. A leaked document detailing Trump’s infrastructure plans actually refer many times to new renewable projects. These projects would create 9 gigawatts of clean power for the United States and it also would create 26,000 long-lasting American jobs. Although some people may be looking for more advancements in renewable energy, this is a great start and any advancement towards renewable energy is a good one.

It will be interesting to watch these next few months to see the direction that the US and the world go as far as researching and creating renewable energy sources. The adaptation of these resources could certainly help lower pollution and climate change across the world and it will be important for nations such as America to be a role model for other nations in responsibly creating energy and lowering pollution.

One country to watch in regards to clean energy is India. India stated recently that they plan to have over 60% of their energy produced by renewables by 2027. It will be interesting to see if these changes end up helping reduce pollution while also being economically viable.

In conclusion, renewable energy certainly comes with some great benefits for the environment, but is held back by some logistical and financial drawbacks. However, a slow transition towards renewables could certainly be helpful not only for the economy, but also the environment.

Thank you for reading my first blog post. My posts in the coming weeks will all be focused on the environment, with each post touching on a different issue and the current events surrounding that issue.