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Samantha Goldstein
Mr. Hawkins
American Government-P, Period 5
11 December 2015
How Achievable is the Idea of Powering the U.S.A. Using Clean Energy?
In a study done in 2013 by The Copper Mountain Solar facility in Nevada, it was
estimated that of all the energy used in the United States, only 12.9% of it was renewable energy.
With the ever-growing threat of climate change and pollution, clean energy like solar power
allows for the use of one of Earths most sustainable energy sources to be used for the betterment
of our society. The question of the hour then is, why are no measures being taken to rid the
United States of fossil fuels and instead use a cleaner, healthier energy? Is this feat even
achievable? What benefits, if any, exist in terms of the United States switching to clean energy?
Is there a model that exists anywhere that the United States could follow?
First off, its important to realize how detrimental the use of fossil fuels is amongst our
nation. Fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil/petroleum are the main sources of energy
used in the world today. What fossil fuels are, are derivatives of plant and animal fossils that are
millions of years old. These are primarily formed from the remains of the decayed plants and
animals [that once existed] (Conserve-Energy-Future.com). These energy sources are used in
almost everything that we do daily, from fueling cars and airplanes, heating homes, to making
products in medicine, cosmetics, synthetic fabrics, and lubricants (NMOGA.org). 84% of United
States energy comes from fossil fuels (NeedToKnow.nas.edu). The problem with this is that the
overconsumption of the fossil fuels leads to serious environmental problems since they release
harmful fumes and pollutes when burnt.

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One of the first major issues that arise with the usage of the fuels is environmental
hazards. In an article that lists out the disadvantages of fossil fuels, it states, It is a known fact
that carbon dioxide, gas released when fossil fuels are burnt, is one of the primary gas
responsible for global warming (Conserve-Energy-Future.com). The rise in the Earths
temperature has caused for major climate changes that threaten the lives of thousands of animals,
one of which is the Polar Bear. As the heat rises, the polar caps melt, meaning that these animals
are losing more and more surface area of their homes each year. The melting ice is also causing
sea levels to rise and low level areas to become flooded. Coal is another fossil fuel that causes a
lot of negative environmental impacts. The same article that states the information about global
warming also says, Coal mining results in destruction of ecosystems and also endangers the
lives of mineworkers (Conserve-Energy-Future.com). The mining of coal destroys wide areas of
land and results in ecological imbalance, making it a harmful task.
Another major issues with fossil fuels is the fact that they are a non-renewable energy
source. At some point, these fuels will run out since there is a finite supply of them. Although
some people believe it is less, it was estimated that we only have enough gas, coal, and oil to last
us to 2088, assuming that no new reserves will be found (Ecotricity.co.uk). The Just Green
Community has said that, The limited supply and negative, global repercussions have forced us
to reconsider our use of fossil fuels. Alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, wave and
hydro power, to name a few offer practical, sustainable solutions that make our planet a
healthier, greener place (JustGreenCommunity.com).
Now that we understand how harmful fossil fuels are, its no wonder why the switch to
clean, renewable energy would be needed; but, is this switch conceivable? In an article written
for the Huffington Post, Steve Sawyer, a Secretary General on the Global Wind Energy Council,

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says, ... The question about a 100 percent renewable energy future becomes not 'if?' but 'how?'
-- and most importantly, 'how quickly can we do it?' and 'how much will it cost?
(HuffingtonPost.com). Focusing specifically on the solar power side of clean, renewable energy,
you must look at the costs. While solar power does tend to be more expensive, solar panel prices
have steadily declined an outstanding 75% over the past four years, with an additional 70%
decline expected by 2020. These savings will allow the goal of powering the United States
purely off of clean power to be more attainable, rather than have it be some far away dream that
only exists in a utopic society. Companies such as Tesla and SolarCity have both stated that,
they could save homeowners 25% on electricity bills by storing electricity when rates are
usually low and powering on when rates are high (Fusion). Just this past month of
September 2015, the Obama administration announced, more than $120 million in efforts to
support clean energy through innovation, including in solar power and other energy sources.
(UPI). The money spent in buying the hardware and manual labor needed to install the panels
and accompanying equipment would be made up in lower taxes, less money going towards gas,
and things of that nature.
The land needed is also important to take into account. Figuring out how and where to
place the equipment needed to power all of the United States would be the next step. To power
the U.S., solar panels would need to cover just a few counties in Texas. CEO of Tesla, Elon
Musk, says, A lot of people arent clear on how much surface area is needed to generate enough
power to completely get the United States off fossil fuels Actually very little land is needed to
get rid of all fossil fuel electricity generation (Fusion). Musk later goes on to say that most of
the solar panels would be located on the rooftops of homes and public buildings. Not only would
solar power be cost-efficient, but it would take up very little noticeable space.

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Its also important to measure the attainability of it all. Something that many people
forget is that powering the U.S. would not just have to be through homes and offices and
whatnot, but also in how we travel. Over the summer of 2015, several breakthroughs in aviation
occurred, one of which was the Solar Impulse completing a five-day flight from Japan to Hawaii.
The plane, soaks up rays during the day and runs on batteries at night (Slate). Although the
plane, which was just a stunt plane, only traveled at speeds reaching 40 miles per hour and had
seen better days by the time of arrival, this showcased the possibility of bigger and better planes
and other modes of transportation running off of solar power. Another issue is what happens
when the sun goes down? Luckily, scientists have already come up with the solution to this
problem. In an article written in The Atlantic, Author Todd Woody says, Scientists at MIT and
Harvard University have devised a way to store solar energy in molecules that can then be tapped
to heat homes, water or used for cooking The best part: The molecules can store the heat
forever and be endlessly re-used while emitting absolutely no greenhouse gases (TheAtlantic).
In the summer of 2015, stating that, In a new study Mark Z. Jacobson [and colleagues] are
the first to outline how each of the 50 states can achieve such a transition by 2050 (Phys). The
plan talks about aggressive changes that need to be made to the way we consume energy and to
the infrastructure as a whole. The main barriers are social, political, and getting industries to
change, Jacobson says. The plans he outlines would help combat the environmental issues that
are rapidly turning into a major problem, such as climate change and air pollution.
So, why switch? What benefits could exist that would fuel the need for clean energy?
There are a lot of plus sides to using renewable energy, such as reducing energy imports,
stimulating technology innovation and a green economy, energy security, and strengthening local
economies (EnergyTransition.de). Using clean energy as our main source of fuel would also help

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fight climate change. In an article written by Union of Concerned Scientists, they said, Human
activity is overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide and other [emissions]... steadily drive
up the planets temperature (UCSUSA.org). This raise in temperature puts a strain on our
environment as well as our lives. It creates problems that include, sea level rise, extreme heat,
heightened wildfire risk, and increased health vulnerability (UCSUSA.org). With the use of
clean energy, these harmful emissions barely exist, if at all. For example, coal emits anywhere
from 1.4 pounds to 3.6 pounds carbon dioxide per kilowatt. Wind only emits about 0.02 to 0.04
pounds, while solar emits anywhere from 0.07 to 0.2 pounds. As the article says, Increasing the
supply of renewable energy would allow us to replace carbon-intensive energy sources and
significantly reduce U.S. global warming emissions (UCSUSA.org).
Another benefit to using clean energy as the main source of power in the U.S. is the
creation of jobs that would come along with it. In an article that weighs the pros and cons, it
states that, adoption of renewable energy technologies is going to create large number of jobs
worldwide (Conserve-Energy-Future.com). This would help our unemployment rate of 5.5%
lower and have millions more people out in the working world. According to the American
Solar Energy Society (ASES) and Management Information Services Inc. (MISI) , 4.5 million
jobs will be created in the United States by 2030 if the government gets serious about tackling
climate change (RenewableEnergyWorld.com). Most of these jobs would be ones that couldnt
be outsourced either, meaning that the production of energy efficiency would be an industry that
would stay on American soil. This would ensure the 4.5 millions jobs to the American society.
Its win-win-win for the country, said Roger Besdek of MISI. The economy wins, the
environment wins and the American people win... (RenewableEnergyWorld.com).

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The last pro that exists in switching to renewable energy is in the name it is renewable.
We would never have to worry about running out of the wind or the sun because there are an
infinite amount of them readily available to us. Specifically with wind and solar, the continuous
blowing of the wind and shining of the sun means that, the reliability of renewable energy types
can far exceed that of fossil fuels (Conserve-Energy-Future.com). The main problem that is
present with using fossil fuels besides the fact that they are harmful to the environment is the fact
that they only last for so long. Switching to clean energy would allow for our nation to continue
thriving without having to worry about where our powers going to come from and the
repercussions of using it.
But do the pros outweigh the cons? At this point in time, renewable sources cant
produce that much of energy in short span of time (Conserve-Energy-Future.com). The
technology that aids in the production of renewable energy is still new while other key factors
out of our control, like weather, put a hamper on the large scale productions. As one website
states, This may mean that we need to reduce the amount of energy we use or simply build more
energy facilities (SolarSchools.net).
Another con is the fact that key components in the use of renewable energy, i.e. the
weather, are unmanageable. Since we have no way of controlling the weather, there is not a sure
way of constantly using something like wind or tidal energy. Even though clean energy can be
seen as reliable in the sense that there is a never-ending supply of it, it is not reliable in terms of
the consistency of its use. If the United States were ever to seriously considering switching to a
100 percent green nation, these are definitely issues that must be addressed beforehand.
To give a rough estimate of what United States could look like if we made the switch to
being powered off of clean energy, we need to look at Germany. Germanys energy transition,

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named Energiewende in German, became a simple idea in the 1980s. This idea of shifting from
nuclear and fossil fuels to renewable energy was put into place by the German government in the
2000s. Due to the Fukushima disaster that occurred in March of 2011 where a devastating
nuclear accident took place because of an earthquake and tsunami of great magnitude hit Japan,
Germanys plans to stray from non-renewable sources and switch to clean energy were sped up.
The Chancellor, Angela Merkel, called for the immediate closure of several nuclear reactors
(Economist.com). As of now, thirty percent of Germanys electricity needs come from
renewables and, In the future, Germany is targeting a 35% average share by 2020 and a 50%
average share by 2030 (EnergyTransition.de). They have also just recently broke their previous
record of how clean energy is used daily. Emily Gertz wrote in an online article, solar, wind,
and other sources of renewable energy met 78 percent of the day's energy demand That beat
the old record of 74 percent, made in May 2014 (EcoWatch.com). The renewable energy that
they produce are always used first thanks to the Feed-In tariff law (EEG). This sometimes leaves
very little power demand left to be supplied by coal, nuclear, and natural gas plants
(EnergyTransition.de).
How has Germany managed to do all this? On the official German Energiewende
website, they say that, The answer is that Germany has so far managed to integrate and balance
high shares of renewable energy with very modest changes to its power system
(EnergyTransition.de). The most significant factors that play into their transformation to a
country that thrives off of renewable energy are ... better design of the balancing power
markets, to make them more effective, faster, and open; better system control software and dayahead weather forecasting; modest technical improvements to local-level distribution systems
(EnergyTransition.de). They also list that the existing strength of its power grids and the flexible

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operation of coal and nuclear plants are key components. The forces behind the German
Energiewende state that, A lot of people outside Germany, including environmentalists, are
skeptical. But even the skeptics like Germanys goal of demonstrating that a thriving industrial
economy can switch from nuclear and fossil energy to renewables and efficiency
(EnergyTransition.de).
Although not as clearly outlined as Germany is above, other countries that have become
nearly 100 percent reliable on renewable electricity supply include Brazil, Norway, and New
Zealand. Others that are slowly moving towards that direction include Denmark and Sweden
(HuffingtonPost.com). Wind seem to be the most popular in sustainable energy in Europe;
Denmark gets 39.1% of its overall energy from wind, United Kingdoms wind power rose 15%
from 2013 to 2014, and Ireland has enough energy collected from wind turbines to power more
than 1.26 million homes.
To sum it all up, the switch from non-renewable energy to sustainable energy is one that
needs to be made. Although the economics of it all were just barely scratched on from the surface
and the politics that would play a role into the major use of clean energy still have to be
addressed, it seems that the process of switching from a fossil fuel-reliant country to a clean
energy-fueled nation would not only be beneficial, it would be entirely possible; But although
possible, if you take into account both the positive and negatives of clean energy, the best fix to
all the issues arising may be a mixture of different energy sources to balance everything out. Just
like Germany, finding a balance between fossil fuels, renewable energy, and other sources such
as nuclear, may be the key in our countrys continued survival as a major world power and
authoritative leader.

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"Fossil Fuels." The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. N.p.,
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Wile, Rob. "How Much Land Is Needed to Power the U.S." Fusion. N.p., 1 May 2015.
Web. 28 Dec. 2015.

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Pestano, Andrew V. "Obama Administration Announces $120M for Clean Energy, Solar
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TheHuffingtonPost.com, 9 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

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Runyon, Jennifer. "Energy Efficiency Can Create 4.5 Million Jobs."Renewable Energy
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