In my opinion, the greatest invention by human thus far is the operation of various machines by using electricity. Invention of these machineries has definitely made our life easier in one way or another. Worldwide, there is a wide range of energy resources available to generate electricity. Since the sources of fossil fuels are finite, I think researches being carried out to allow nuclear energy and solar energy to replace the role played by fossil fuels is of utmost importance to the profession.
Nuclear fuel is made from naturally occurring radioactive element such as uranium. Although nuclear energy is a form of non-renewable energy, nuclear fuels could last up to centuries, even when the demand for it increases. During normal operation, nuclear power plants do not emit dangerous fumes such as carbon dioxide, smoke or other gases which contribute to global warming. However, the “spent” fuel stays dangerously radioactive after fusion occurs. Nuclear reactors also have waste disposal problems. These reactors produce nuclear waste products which emit dangerous radiation. As nuclear radiations harm the cells of the body which can lead to severe illnesses in human beings, the reactors cannot be disposed off like ordinary garbage. [1]Therefore, the main challenge faced by the engineers now is to find a way to operate nuclear power plants in such a way that nuclear fusion does not release contaminants into the environment and nuclear waste problems are managed properly so as not to harm the ecosystem.
Solar electricity is created by converting solar energy from the sunlight. Even though solar energy is the most abundant energy source on the planet, solar electricity is only used for space heating and hot water production. This is because the amount of sunlight that arrives on the earth's surface is not constant depending on the location, time and the weather conditions. [2]Another problem is that there is no sunlight during the nights or during rainy days. Perhaps it sounds impractical to capture and store the sunlight, but the advantages that come with the usage of solar energy cannot be denied. Unlike the process of burning fossil fuels which is a major contributor to the green house effect and human health problems, solar energy is non-polluting. Besides that, solar energy is a form of renewable energy hence we need not have to worry whether this source of energy will run dry one day. Thus, it is worth for the engineers to seek for solutions to collect large amount of solar energy and maximising its usage.
If fossil fuels can no longer support the generation of electricity, then there will be an emergence of energy crisis. From this, we can conclude that it is essential for engineers to do researches and developments on solar and nuclear energy due to the fact that fossil fuels are not a long-lasting source of energy.
References
[1] http://library.thinkquest.org/3471/nuclear_energy.html
[2] http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/solar.html
About Me
- PJIyong
- i think most of the people feel that i am cool when they first saw me. only after become friend,then only they realize their first impression on me was totally wrong. my best friend used to said i am angel in disguse... i wonder whether it is true...
2 comments:
It is a good piece of work. You explain those two promising new resources in details. The structure of this article is very clear. In the first paragragh, you write about the need of finding new resource to replace fossil fuels. Then in the following two pararaghs, you wirte about nuclear energy and solar energy. In the last paragragh, the conclusion is presented. However, I think that you still can improve in some aspects. In your artilce, there are a lot of facts, but you still need to present some your own idears. I think you should write more your own opinions.
Good job! the aricle is well organised and coherent. and i could hardly spot any mistakes. the introduction is a logic flow from machine to energy. then comes the nuclear and solar energy. however, the conclusion is not so conclusive. also there is a jump from nuclear energy to solar energy. as liufang has said, if you could reduce the facts and add you own view, it will be better. overall i have to say that it is really well-done.
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