No single energy source is going to solve all of our energy needs. However, I believe moving towards a greater use of solar and wind energy would be the most effective in lowering environmental impact. Active solar technologies have initial costs, but can potentially supply large amounts of energy without emitting pollution. One way of harnessing solar energy is through photovoltaic cells; my high school Bishop O’Dowd, for example, installed 198 solar panels on the roof of the classroom building that produces one-third of the total electricity demand for our Center for Environmental Studies building. Wind is another clean, nondepletable energy resource that uses virtually no water and does not emit greenhouse gases or pollutants. Disadvantages of wind power, however, would be the lack of consistency in when wind will move the turbines/produce energy, and the remote locations of good wind sites that are far from areas of high electricity demand.

I agree, renewable sources are a must in our growing community. While fossil fuels are being overused, solar and wind energy are being forgotten. Although my school is not yet using solar or wind energy, I hope changes are made to better help the world.

I agree that we should look to renewable resources to support our energy needs. My family has made a step towards reducing our use of fossil fuels by having solar panels installed on the roof of our house. My dad was reluctant to do it at first because our energy bill is consistently low, meaning it would take many years for the solar panels to pay for themselves. Like you said, solar technologies have initial costs that can be a turn off to people. People probably worry about finances before they worry about the environment. Although we know the benefits of renewable energy sources, if may be difficult to get others on board.

Thats awesome  that your high school put solar on the school to lower the electric bill it takes a lot of panels to run 100% off solar. But if i would use solar i would use both thermal and photovoltaic (pv) to run the house or business I own because heating water is a third of your electric bill.

Solar energy definitely has a lot of potential. I think the idea of using both thermal and photo-voltaic energy is a really good one. I also recently learned about a third way that the sun is being utilized for energy that is very similar to thermal, that uses the sun to heat salt, creating large amounts of molten salt used to store energy. The main arguments for molten salt solar are its ability to provide reliable base load power, and its relatively cheap plant production cost compared to battery farms. Molten salt power plants, being base load power plants (basically power plants that generate continuous electrical power year round) are a good alternative to fossil fuels, and could help solve the problem of inconsistency with wind, and other solar energy solutions. Also, using this in tandem with other solar and wind solutions, could prove to be a very successful way to provide mass scale renewable energy.

Here is an article that includes information on molten  salt solar solutions: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/06/beyo … -reliable/

I agree in the need to find new sources of nodepletable energy. My neighbors have around six solar panels on their roofing and i could just imagine the amount of carbon burning they've reduced. having lived in Germany, windmills are such a popular soruce of energy. Its truly amazing to see how much they care for their envrionment. Wish our country could put a bit more effort into it as well!

While I do agree with the move towards wind and solar energy, there still some disadvantages to them. Wind energy is not particularly beloved by the residents of the area a windmill is placed, as they produce loud noises, and in addition, like  Maria G stated, they can be ineffective if placed in an area that doesn't have consistent wind to move the windmills. In addition, windmills effect the ecosystem in a negative way. Birds, bats, and etc. are also affected by the noise, and sometimes, they become trapped in the wind turbine's blades, often getting killed. Solar energy is also very good; however, solar energy still emits some carbon. In the production of solar panels, greenhouse gases are emitted and waste is still produced. National Geographic states that, "Fabricating the panels requires caustic chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and hydrofluoric acid, and the process uses water as well as electricity, the production of which emits greenhouse gases. It also creates waste. These problems could undercut solar's ability to fight climate change and reduce environmental  toxics." In addition, for solar energy to be effective, an area must receive a substantial amount of sunlight. For example, solar energy would not be effective in a place with many clouds, as the panels would not be able to generate much energy. Like many of you say, the type of energy source depends on the climate and topography of a place. So for certain areas, an energy source may be deemed efficient or not.

For more information:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news … y-ranking/
and
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com … bat-lungs/