Title: A Discussion on the Future of the Worlds Energy Generation Techneques

Purpose:

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the current energy situation in the world with the assumption
that we are not going to find any major new fossil fuel reserves. That is a simplifying assumption that
seems to be in line with what the majority of the worlds’ scientists agree on. In general, this paper will
look at the major sources of generating electricity: fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), wind, solar,
hydro, nuclear, and a brief discussion of smaller energy sources. All of the sources will be evaluated in
terms of economical return on investment (ROI) and on how effectively it can supply the world with
energy. The purpose of this is to help dispel some of the myths about the different energy sources and
provide an honest evaluation of how we can look to power our planet moving forward.

There are a couple things that this paper is not going to be. The first of which is a very detailed highly
technical approach to each of the listed electrical generation techniques. This is to be avoided in order
to assure that the view that is intended is not lost in the explanation and descriptions that do not meet
the goal of this paper. Also, it is not intended that this paper will provide a biased viewpoint. All of the
possible solutions will be graded against the same metric. This metric includes: ROI, environmental
impact both in terms of economical impact and in terms of carbon emissions, other environmental
impacts, and sustainability. These will all be graded on a comparative basis, meaning they will be ranked
against each other as opposed to an independent rating. The reason for this is that it will allow for a
direct comparison between each option. The end goal of this paper is to provide a realistic solution to
the energy cries that is facing our world.

Summery:

Energy is one of the key developments that has made modern life possible, without it we would still be
in an 1800s type world. However, we have bet our future on an energy source that is going to run out,
whether it is in 50 years or 200 years its lifespan is very limited. There is much debate on how to feasibly
provide energy for the entire world in a way that isn’t slowly killing our planet. This has led to energy
being labeled as one of the most pressing issues we have to deal with right now.

Unfortunately, there is large amounts of misinformation out there about all of the energy sources we
have available to us. There are also strong ties to certain energy sources in certain regions of the world,
such as: geothermal in Iceland, coal in the Ohio Valley, and nuclear in France. Between the
misinformation and the strong public opinions that are held it is becoming increasingly challenging to
have discussions on what our next steps should be. There are very few places where unbiased
information regarding all energy sources can be found, and that is something this paper plans to tackle.
There are plenty of sources out there regarding individual energy sources, so finding information
shouldn’t be a challenge. The intention is to use a combination of scientific papers, journals, and studies
to put together a comparison between most promising energy sources. With the end result being a clear
and easy to read graphic that shows these comparisons, along with that will be a recommendation
based off of this graphic on a solution to the current system.

Introduction:
The world currently uses 14 terawatts of energy, and this energy comes from a wide range of sources.
Where our energy is derived from varies greatly by country and even by region within countries. Some
countries get their energy from mainly renewable energy, or from non-fossil fuel sources. Other
countries get most of their energy from fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas. However, many of these
resources are finite, such as: coal, oil, natural gas, hydroelectric, and nuclear, and many of the main
sources have already been tapped. The worlds population continues to grow at an exponential rate as
does its energy use. The question of how to fuel our future has been something scientists have been
working on for years, and have developed many viable energy production methods, but the best way to
uses them has been a point of debate for just as long. This has become one of the reasons that energy
security coupled with environmental hazards make up two of the fifteen great challenges that humanity
faces in the 21st Century and beyond. Solving these two problems are key to not just the continued
thriving of the human race but its very survival.

Research:

Emerging Issues and Challenges in Integration High Levels of Solar into the Electrical Generation and
Transition System. (2016, May) Retrieved March 31, 2019, from
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65800.pdf

This source is by the US Department of Energy and is discussing the challenges with integrating large
scale solar energy to our electrical grid. I will use this to help explain why solar energy might not be as
great as everyone makes it out to be. I feel that something published the department of energy is going
to be reputable and contain accurate information.

Holban E. D. & Micu E. A. & Sorici C. (2013). Economic Issues in the Wind Energy Development at World
and European Level. Fascicle I. Economics and Applied Informatics. Retrieved March 31, 2019, from
http://www.eia.feaa.ugal.ro/images/eia/2013_2/Holban.pdf

This is a paper published by the University of Galati in Romania discusses the economic impacts of wind
energy both on a global scale and on a European scale. This is an interesting source because it isn’t an
American viewpoint which may led to the author having different views than if the paper was published
in America. I will use this source in the discussion of wind energy.

Mika J. & Farkas A. (2017). On Synergies and Conflicts Between the Sustainable Development Goals
(2016-2030) and Renewable Energy Sources for Education of and by Sustainability. Problems of
Education in the 21st Century, 75(2), 182-194. Retrieved from
http://www.scientiasocialis.lt/pec/node/files/pdf/vol75/182-193.Mika_Vol.75-2_PEC.pdf

I like this source a lot because it gives a discussion of the 17 sustainability issues put forth by the UN. It
then goes through and talks about how they don’t all fit with each other and that there is contradicting
goals set forth by the UN. I intend to use this source both in a broad discussion of the energy sources but
also to help back up that this is a very complex issue.

Taylor M. (2015). Energy: How to Solve the Greatest Challenge of Our Time. Retrieved March 31, 2019,
from https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.uky.edu/docview/1777466184?accountid=11836&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo
 This source discusses the energy crises and the author proposes a solution. I intend to use this source to
compare to the results that I find with my research and see if they match up. If they do, then great if not
then I will have a discussion on how they differ.

The World Factbook: World. (2018, February 01). Retrieved March 31, 2019, from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html

This is from the CIA and it is a list of all known fossil fuel reserves both by country and the world. I intend
to use this source to discuss fossil fuel reserves and the limited amount of time that we have left to use
them. While the data does come from an interesting source, I do think that the numbers are accurate
sense it is coming from a US government agency.

Audience:

The audience for the proposal is Dr. Osborn so she wants to see an outline of the project. However, for
the main project the audience would be anyone interested in renewable energy that may or may not
have a technical background. Because of this I will try to stay away from very detailed technical
explanations and try to keep my discussions relatively simple and easy to follow. I realize that this may
limit the effectiveness of certain areas of my paper, but I do think this is the best course of action to
take.

Schedule of Work:

5-Apr 9-Apr 11-Apr 16-Apr 18-Apr 23-Apr 25-Apr 29-Apr

Have 5 sources
Take notes over sources
Write rough draft
Begin graphic development
Finish rough draft
Finish first review
Finish final copy
Do additional research

Qualifications:

Studying chemical engineering and economics has given me a background both in the technical realm, as
well as the business realm. With certificates in environmental engineering as well as power and energy
(PEIK) I have a background in power generation as well as environmental concerns associated with these
differing techniques. It probably can be gathered from my fields of study, but my interest lies in the
renewable energy field, which is my rational behind this paper. However, I have very little interest in the
impractical or the hypothetical, so I intend to give a realistic (both economically and technically)
viewpoint on the outcomes.