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Josh Christopherson

Mrs. Lester

Adv. Comp

4 October 2011

Senior Project Research Paper

Have you ever wondered what would happen if we ran out of nonrenewable resources?

The cities would shut down, all transportation would cease, and the world would be in turmoil.

The solution is the more practical resource, solar energy. Solar energy is renewable, clean, and

easily incorporated into most people’s lives. There are, however, some issues with solar energy. I

believe these issues are worth exploring to solve the biggest issue in solar energy: the number of

people who are unwilling to initiate the change from nonrenewable resources to alternative

energy, such as solar power.

The main issue in solar energy is the majority of people not willing to make the switch

from oil and coal. Coal and oil companies are trying their best to stifle the success of alternative

energies such as solar energy (Chapman, Energy Companies, Environmental Groups Following

Colorado Senate Race). If these setbacks keeps up, the companies that produce alternative

energy products will not be able to advance enough to be considered independent. According to

Lindsay Chapman, people are unwilling to switch from nonrenewable resources such as oil and

coal to alternative energy such as solar power. The short-term relevance of oil and coal appeals

to most people; while the long term benefits of solar energy actually out way the benefits of

nonrenewable resources. Without the cooperation of the rest of the people, becoming self-

sufficient will be nearly impossible.

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If we do not make a change from the resources we are using, we will see the

consequences: there will be several negative effects on our society and environment. For

example, if we do not convert to solar energy, the effects of the pollution on the environment

will cause many long-term effects such as global warming (Reguly). These effects have already

been witnessed by most of the population. One of the best examples of these effects is the

melting of the polar ice caps. This problem will cause our future generations to miss many

opportunities.

In addition, there are many speculations on the solutions to this issue. If even half of the

people in America put solar panels on their rooftops, it would supply 25% of America’s energy

(Flavin). In this scenario, the support of the entire country would have to cooperate with one

another. There has also been many technological breakthroughs in this field of study. A new type

of power plant is under construction in Australia that has very much potential. This new facility

can generate energy equal to that of a small nuclear power plant (Kage). There is no byproduct

produced; therefore, there are no disadvantages from this power plant.

Lastly, there is most likely a positive future to this problem in solar energy. With the vast

amount of people not willing to make the change, the solutions to the problems will need to

exceed the people’s expectations. One new device is a solar dish that absorbs more solar energy

than any other known solar panel. This device can amplify the energy absorbed by the sun by

1000; this is the most powerful solar amplifier in existence (Gutierrez). This new device is very

cost efficient and can be installed in almost any roof or near any house.

As you can see, the issue in solar energy does not make the topic a bad decision. This

topic is still a good choice because there is a good future in solar power. Also, it will be in high

demand because nonrenewable resources are rapidly depleting.

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Works Cited

Chapman, Lindsay. "Assessing the Future of Energy in the New Year." Finding

    Dulcinea. N.p., 26 Dec. 2008. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

    <http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/2008/December/

    Assessing-the-Future-of-Energy-in-the-New-Year.html>.

Chapman, Lindsay. "Energy Compavg-Colorado-Senate-Race.html>.

Flavin, Chris. "Renewable Energy Sources Can Meet America's Energy Demands."

    Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. N.p., Jan.-Feb. 2007. Web. 12 Sept.

    2011. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/

    ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&disableHighlighting=false&pro

dId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE

%7CEJ3010220275&mode=view>.

Gutierrez, David. "Solar Dish Collects, Concentrates Solar Energy by a Factor of

    1,000." Natural News. N.p., 29 Oct. 2008. Web. 20 Aug. 2011.

    <http://www.naturalnews.com/024631_energy_solar_MIT.html>.

Kage, Ben. "Solar Tower Project in Australia could represent the future of clean

    energy." Natural News. N.p., 12 Jan. 2006. Web. 26 Sept. 2011.

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    <http://www.naturalnews.com/016709_alternative_energy_solar_tower.html>.

Reguly, Eric. "Let's Simplify This Green Jumble. ." Global Issues in Context.

    N.p., 8 Sept. 2008. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. <http://find.galegroup.com/gic/

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