Rachel Weidner

English 102-125
Padgett
7 February 2016

Why are Alternative Energy Sources a Bad Thing?

In the modern world, the well-known issue of energy conservation is discussed almost
anywhere. Students learn of it in schools, companies attempt to take more eco-friendly
initiatives, and homeowners are advised to conserve and recycle as much as possible. On a larger
scale, alternative sources of energy are constantly sought out. These sources are supposedly more
conservative, efficient, and friendly to the ecosystem than fossil fuels. Some of these resources
are solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy. These examples are renewable, constant sources of
energy that humans attempt to harvest to preserve those resources that cannot be recycled and are
extremely limited. As green and environmentally friendly as these sound, there are drawbacks
that can be harmful. As inhabitants of a fragile Earth, humans deserve the knowledge of both the
benefits and drawbacks of renewable resources.
As a student, I first began learning of renewable energy in high school. However, my teacher
focused only on the positives of them. I very well understood renewable resources several
benefits, but questioned whether the harmful effects they could potentially inflict should go
unnoticed. It is constantly stressed in the media and politics that we should be going green and
preserving the planets fleeting resources, which leads me to believe that this is an important
question to investigate.
After some research, it was easy to find evidence to support both the benefits and
drawbacks of alternative energies. In an article titled Solars Green Dilemma written by Dustin
Mulvaney, professor of environmental studies, information is given that discusses the less
noticed, negative issues of solar panel production. Mulvaneys key points are the toxicity,
improper disposal, cost, and water waste that factors into the production of photovoltaics. The
article also urges readers to not ignore, but become informed on both the benefits and drawbacks
of solar energy, and also describes solutions that are in the making to improve the wastefulness
and dangers of solar panel production. Another well-known alternative energy source is wind
energy, which is produced with large turbines that capture it and convert it to power. The U.S.
Department of Energy has published a detailed list of its advantages and disadvantages. While
wind will forever be present in the Earths atmosphere, some challenges caused by wind turbines
include threats to surrounding wildlife, particularly birds, and locations for good wind being far
away from cities who need the power they can produce. Two electrical engineering specialists,
Loukas Daoutis and Evangelos Dialynas, researched isolated, stationary power systems, which
includes both wind turbines and hydroelectric power plants. In their essay, the authors provide
overviews of both energy sources, and investigate their impacts on the environment. Daoutis and
Dialynas also provide a specific example, called the Monte-Carlo simulation approach, that can
calculate the reliability of a power system. Overall, these three sources focus on different forms
of alternative energy. However, they all address similar issues and solutions that can enhance the
sources efficiency without being harmful to their environment.

Alternative Energy Sources having a negative impact on the environment is arguable

considering there are studies and facts that exist to support it. There are two clear sides to the
argument, and both have valid reasons to be fought for. Between the three sources explained
earlier, the issues of weather and finances are brought to attention in all of them. These seem to
be the most important influential factors that affect the energy sources efficiency. Overall, both
sides of the argument make important, knowledgable points. This affects my perspective of the
topic because I am now more educated on the issue at hand. Also, despite all the great things my
teacher had once taught my class about renewable energy, I now understand that the more
negative impacts it has cannot and should not be ignored. In consideration of this, I could revise
my research question to focus more on the statistics of peoples knowledge. I could narrow down
and explore how people are getting information on renewable energy, and if are they getting facts
from both sides of its argument. I could then focus my argument more on why people should
know that alternative energy sources are not always perfect and one hundred percent effective.