New Effort to Harvest Sustainable, Renewable Energy from Ocean Waves. (2020, September 9). Stevens Institute of Technology. https://www.stevens.edu/news/new-effort-harvest- sustainable-renewable-energy-ocean-waves

This article describes new efforts from the Stevens Institute of Technology to design a way to harness the power of waves off the coast of the United States — a project which is being supported by the US Department of Energy. They are trying to develop a device which moves with the waves and tides to generate renewable energy to power coastal communities or the larger grid during a blackout. Although researchers believe that waves along the coast can supply half of the United States power needs, technology that is ready for widespread use is not yet available. The team at the Stevens Institute of Technology proposes putting a series of flaps on the ocean floor which move with each wave to turn a generator and produce electricity. 

The energy within the movement of waves clearly has enormous potential to provide the country with an additional source of renewable energy. If we are able to harness the ocean’s energy along our coast, the source will have many advantages over other renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. For example, unlike solar energy which only produces electricity during the daylight hours, wave energy would be able to provide renewable power throughout the day with little fluctuation. Moreover, wave energy is present throughout all of the coast, unlike wind energy which requires specific environments with high winds to provide a meaningful amount of energy. With this being said, installing large devices on the ocean floor or floating on the surface can be potentially damaging to the species which live there. Thus, environmental scientists must be consulted when selecting sites for wave power generation to ensure that local wildlife is disturbed as little as possible. 

Ray, S. (2021, January 11). Renewables account for most new U.S. electricity generating capacity in 2021 – Today in Energy – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). U.S. Energy Information Administration. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id= 46416

Of the planned additions to the United State’s energy grid in 2021, the vast majority of new developments will harness renewable energy. The greatest proportion of this energy will come from solar power as it is expected to make up 39% of the 39 gigawatts coming online in the coming year. This is followed close behind by wind energy which will make up 31% of the total increase in energy production. Battery storage capability will make up 11% of the increase and although this figure may seem small, it represents an increase of four times the amount of battery storage added last year. A new nuclear reactor in Georgia is expected to begin producing energy this year as well, and its output will make up 3% of the total 39 GW. Finally, natural gas production will make up only 16% of the total energy production projected to increase in 2021. 

The increase in renewable energy production that is highlighted in the article reflects the reality that nonrenewable energy must be replaced by renewable alternatives in the near future. This rise in renewable energy production that is currently occurring will cause a rise in other environmentally friendly technologies to help work around some of the shortcoming of the energy sources. For instance, solar and wind farms are often being paired with utility-scale batteries to store power for later use. This technology is important as it allows communities to avoid having to rely on nonrenewable energy when time of day or weather conditions prevent solar or wind farms from producing sufficient energy. The amount of energy that renewable sources can produce depends greatly on the environment they are in (wind farms are most efficient in areas with high winds and solar farms are most efficient in places with year round sun), therefore environmental scientists should be consulted to select the most efficient areas to build renewable power plants. This will allow the plants to maximize the amount of renewable energy we are producing — something which will prove important in the switch to renewable energy as the cost of development is often higher than nonrenewable options. 

Shepardson, D. (2021, January 26). Biden vows to replace U.S. government fleet with electric vehicles. U.S. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-autos/biden-vows-to-replace -u-s-government-fleet-with-electric-vehicles-idUSKBN29U2LW

In his first month as president, Joe Biden has released plans to replace the United States government fleet of vehicles with electric alternatives. The government has a very large fleet of about 650,000 cars and trucks (only 3,215 of which are currently electric), meaning their electrification will not only reduce emissions, it will also positively affect car manufacturers who produce electric vehicles by increasing their sales and presence on American roads. On top of his commitment to electrifying the government’s fleet, Biden has pledged to increase the manufacturing and sales of electric vehicles as a part of his fight against climate change. He vowed to create 1 million new jobs in the “American auto industry, domestic supply chains, and auto infrastructure” and to create 550,000 new electric vehicle charging stations.

Policies similar to Biden’s commitment to electrifying the government’s fleet of vehicles are important steps that help increase the normality of environmentally friendly technology such as electric vehicles. By increasing the presence of electric vehicles throughout every region of the United States, this plan will allow them to become commonplace, unlike the rarity that they currently are seen as in much of the country. Biden’s overall attitude towards electric vehicles is important for environmental science because the country’s shift to electric vehicles is necessary to combat climate change. Transportation is one of the major emitters of carbon dioxide, thus if the country is not able to shift to zero-emissions vehicles every aspect of the environment will be damaged by climate change. 

David Iaconangelo. (2020, September 29). Ninety Percent of U.S. Cars Must Be Electric by 2050 to Meet Climate Goals. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ ninety-percent-of-u-s-cars-must-be -electric-by-2050-to-meet-climate-goals/

This article highlights the grim prediction that the United States is not expected to meet the Paris climate accord’s goal of limiting climate change to an increase of 2 degrees celsius and the drastic change in transportation that must occur to meet it. In order to reduce our emissions enough to meet the goal, 90% of cars in the United States would need to be electric by the year 2050, meaning all new car sales would likely have to be electric by 2035. This shift in the market is made even more challenging when taking into account the charging and power infrastructure required to fuel such a massive increase in electric vehicles. If 90% of our cars in the United States were electric with our current power grid, it would require 41% of the country’s entire power supply. Ultimately, the article concludes that although electrification of vehicles in the United States is key to overcoming climate change, there are many difficulties that must be overcome before we reach our goal of 9 out of 10 cars being electric. 

It’s undeniable that electrification of vehicles in the United States will greatly reduce the country’s carbon emissions, however the timeframe in which this shift needs to occur to meet our climate goals will be very difficult to meet. The task of widespread adoption of electric vehicles within the next 15 years will require major advancements in technologies such as lithium ion batteries and renewable power generation to accommodate the increase in demand for batteries and power. With this being said, electric vehicles are not without their own potential environmental drawbacks. For example, the lithium in their batteries is a finite resource and if charging stations are not powered by renewable energy, the cars are still indirectly responsible for carbon emissions. Therefore, I believe it is important that environmental scientists be included in the planning for the switch to electric vehicles to ensure the process is done in the least environmentally damaging way possible. 

Pickerel, K. (2020, October 21). New research shows U.S. solar installations increased 3,000% in one decade. Solar Power World. https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2020/10/ new-research-shows-u-s-solar-installations-increased-3000-in-one-decade/

This article reflects on the changes in renewable energy production–specifically solar power–in the United States in the past decade. It states that since the start of the decade in 2010, the United States has tripled its production of wind power and increased its production of solar power by 30 times. Utility-scale battery storage has increased 20 times since 2010, meaning the country’s ability to store renewable energy has increased 20-fold as well. Also, the article specifies that California, North Carolina, and Arizona have added the amount of solar power to their energy grids while Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas have increased their wind power more than other states in the past decade. Finally, Rhode Island and Massachusetts improved their energy use efficiency the most.  

While reading this article I was shocked by how much the United States was improving its use of renewable energy because I had previously believed that the country was improving very slowly if at all. Furthermore, before reading this article I thought only a select number of states were making efforts to reduce their environmental impact, so I was surprised to learn that many states from every region of the country were taking major steps to switch to renewable energy. With this being said, the cooperation of states to reduce our environmental impact must increase in the coming years if we wish to successfully curb climate change. If this national effort to reduce the carbon emissions from energy production is key to environmental science because if this does not occur, it will be nearly impossible to fully combat climate change because it is the one of the largest contributors to the issue. Therefore, the switch to renewable energy is linked to environmental science because without it, every aspect of the environment will see dramatic changes due to climate change. 

(May 19, 2020). Electric Bus, Main Fleets and Projects Around the World. Retrieved November 16, 2020 from https://www.sustainable-bus.com/electric-bus/electric-bus-public-transport-main-fleets-projects-around-world/

The adoption of electric bus technology into public transportation was kickstarted in China. Impressively, 340 electric busses were added to the roads each day in China in 2016. Currently, the country is leading the world with electric bus technology as 17% of their total fleet is electric, a far greater number than in the rest of the world. Many cities in China have committed to using electric busses. For example, Shenzhen has already achieved a fleet of 16,500 electric buses and Beijing aims to have a fleet of 10,000 of their own electric buses by the end of this year. Use of electric buses in other parts of the world has been much slower to take hold, with the largest fleet of electric buses in all of Europe being just 100. With this being said, the city of London does have plans to convert its entire fleet of 8,000 busses to electric alternatives by 2037. In the United States, the current reality for electric buses is much worse as there are only 1,000 electric buses in use throughout the entire country. Although electric buses have not been significantly adopted outside of China — a situation which has been made worse due to the pandemic, experts agree that the potential future for the technology remains bright and many predict it will take off in the near future. 

Currently, the electrification of bus fleets around the world has been slow to take hold, with the notable exception of China. In China, a substantial percent of their total fleet of busses is electric, however this is not the case in the rest of the world. In the United States and Europe — two potentially large markets for electric busses, the technology has yet to make a significant impact. Although the present state of electric buses may not seem optimistic, I believe the future for the technology is still hopeful. This is because, for cities looking to reduce their carbon emissions, electric bus technology kills two birds with one stone: buses in general help to reduce carbon emissions by lowering the number of individual vehicles on the road and electric buses would further reduce emissions by ensuring that the buses themselves do not pollute. Furthermore, as the technology matures and the upfront price reduces, electric buses will reach a point where they are less expensive than gas powered buses when you factor in the lower maintenance and charging costs.

(November 12, 2020). Geothermal Energy Information and Facts. Retrieved November 16, 2020 from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/geothermal-energy/

Geothermal energy is power that comes from the heat under Earth’s surface. This energy has been used for millennia in some areas where it is particularly abundant to cook and heat. Geothermal energy is used presently to directly cool and heat homes via a geothermal heat pump. This zero-emission uses the constant heat within the Earth to pump hot air into homes in the winter and pump hot air out of homes in the summer. In some cities, hot water from under the Earth’s surface is even pumped through pavement on streets and sidewalks to melt ice. Geothermal energy is also used to create electricity by drilling pipes into the ground which harness steam and hot water to turn turbines and generate power. This energy source is used throughout the world but is most effective in countries that have many volcanoes or geysers. Iceland for example has 25 volcanoes and geysers which allows the country to create 30% of its energy from geothermal sources. Because it does not require the burning of fossil fuels, geothermal energy produces one sixth the carbon dioxide produced by the cleanest natural gas plants. Another advantage of geothermal energy is it provides power no matter the time of day or weather conditions, unlike other renewable power sources such as solar or wind. With this being said, the production of geothermal energy does release hydrogen sulfide, the gas which smells like rotten eggs. 

Similarly to the previous article, this article outlines geothermal energy as a source of renewable electricity. Before reading this article, I thought geothermal energy was only applicable in specific countries with widespread volcanoes and geysers so I was surprised to learn how widespread the energy source is around the world. In my opinion, the energy source can provide a reliable source of clean energy for cities, as it is not dependent on the weather or time of day like solar and wind energy is. Also, it has the potential to be used on an industrial scale to generate electricity similarly and power entire cities or an individual scale to cool and heat single homes, unlike wind energy which is only profitable on a large scale.

(November 12, 2020). Wind Power Information and Facts. Retrieved November 15, 2020 from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/wind-power/#close

From pushing sails or powering pumps, wind has served as a source of power for humans throughout history. In the present, wind is used to spin turbines which provide an emission free source of power for the ever growing population. Unlike other energy sources, wind turbines have almost no operational costs and the initial cost of production is dropping as methods of mass production are being implemented. With this being said, the energy source has some key drawbacks that have limited its implementation, the most notable of which is the fact that its energy output can vary widely based on weather conditions. Similarly to how solar panels generate less electricity on a cloudy day, wind turbines do not generate electricity if it is not windy. Thus wind turbines are only applicable in locations with windy conditions year round. 

Although the megawatts produced by wind energy has increased from 17,000 in the year 2000 to 430,000 in 2015, the source still only makes up a small portion of our total energy production. In 2015, China surpassed the European Union in installation of wind turbines and continues to lead in this sector of renewable energy. 

This article gives insight into the past and present of wind energy as well as the pros and cons of wind turbines. Although wind energy can provide a large amount of renewable energy, it is less applicable than other sources of energy. Unlike solar panels which are easy to install and are useful in most locations, wind turbines are too large and expensive to install on an individual scale and are only profitable in very windy locations. It is hard to imagine a city filled with rooftop wind turbines as is the case with solar panels. With this being said, wind turbines have the advantage of providing renewable power 24 hours a day (given the correct wind conditions) whereas solar panels only provide a power source when the sun is up and thus need battery infrastructure or fossil fuel power plants to provide electricity at night. Given wind turbines advantages and disadvantages when compared to other sources of renewable energy, in my opinion, the best replacement for the current fossil fuel dependent system is not one source of green energy. Rather, the best alternative is a solution which combines many forms of renewable energy such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric to create a grid powered by numerous sources of zero-emissions energy.  

Peter, Sigal. (June 6, 2020). How Automakers Plan to Avoid CO(2) Fines in Europe. Retrieved November 15, 2020 from https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/how-automakers-plan-avoid-co2-fines-europe

Starting this year, carmakers in the European Union were required to have carbon dioxide  emissions of at most 95 grams per kilometer driven. This reduction is dramatic as the average CO(2) emissions in the European Union in 2018 was 120 g/km. If manufacturers do not reduce their emissions by 21 percent, they will face hefty fines of up to 33 billion dollars for some automakers. This fine is large enough that it forces car companies to make dramatic changes in order to reduce their emissions. The change most car manufacturers are implementing is creating electric alternatives to their gas powered vehicles. The Volkswagen group for example is ramping up production of electric cars starting with the sale of the ID3, an all electric hatchback that rivals the wildly popular VW Golf. By selling zero emissions cars, manufacturers can bring down their total emissions and avoid a large fine which would otherwise cut into their profits. Ultimately, this regulation will help lead the European Union to a sustainable future by driving car manufacturers to create more environmentally friendly products. 

This article highlights one way the European Union is seeking to reduce their emissions and create a sustainable future. In a society where company’s choices are driven by profit, one of the best ways to force them to change their actions is to threaten their profits. The regulation in the European Union does this well by instating large fines on car companies if they do not comply with very strict rules. The rules are strict enough that they cannot be met by making small changes, instead, manufacturers must use new technologies such as creating electric cars in order to avoid fines and remain profitable. In my opinion, fines such as these will be a key way to motivate car manufacturers to make more sustainable products. This is because without being pushed, car companies would likely be reluctant to change their products, as gas cars are less expensive to produce and less risky than electric vehicles. 

Douglas, Broom. (October 9, 2020). 60% of Cars Sold in Norway Last Month were Electric. Retrieved November 15, 2020 from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/norway-electric-cars-majority-sales/

In Norway, two thirds of all cars sold in the month of September were electric and when including hybrids that tally increases to 89 percent meaning Norway leads the world in the number of eco-friendly cars on its roads. Generous tax incentives when purchasing an electric vehicle and price reductions for tolls, parking, and ferries help the country reach their goal of having all new cars sold be electric by the year 2025. On a global scale, the sale of electric vehicles has increased in recent years due to the drop in battery prices as the technology improves; from 2010 to 2019 the price of lithium-ion batteries fell 89%. Although very generous tax cuts of up to 90% have kick started the electric car boom in the country, the Norwegian government now wishes to reduce the incentives in order to bring electric cars to the same purchase price as their gas powered counterparts. Although this may seem counterintuitive, the price of electric cars will still be far more affordable than combustion engine vehicles as they cost much less to run over time. Ultimately, the actions of the Norwegian government has helped the country create a clear path towards a sustainable future . 

This article depicts how the country of Norway has managed to kick start the sales of electric vehicles much faster than other countries. Although in its current state, the price of electric cars is higher than comparable gas cars because of the high price of batteries, through tax incentives and perks throughout the country they have managed to make electric cars less expensive than gas cars. This resulted in the country leading the world in the sale of electric vehicles with 89% of cars being sold last year being electric or hybrid. In my opinion, the actions of the Norwegian government should be replicated in other countries around the world in order to create a sustainable future. Until the price of battery technology and subsequently electric cars fall enough that they are similar to that of combustion engine cars, tax incentives will be necessary to increase their sales.