This here is the position paper. This paper required me to convince the reader to accept my claims on a debatable issue, in this case was what is the best alternative energy resource. I summarized the main arguments in my introduction, and in later body paragraphs I would provide support for my claims. To add on, I would address the counter arguments in some paragraphs and make concessions to them as well. The objective was to take a clear position, and convince the reader that my claim was the best claim.

Why solar energy needs to be the leading energy source in the United States of America.

Energy is something needed everywhere around the world, every single day, in order for places to thrive and function. However, not all places have access to energy. Countries that do have the luxury and privilege to utilize energy often have various mechanisms in which their energy can be produced. Some of these mechanisms are efficient and quick, pricey, and some of these mechanisms are not friendly to the environment, or the earth’s atmosphere; they are actually deadly. One of these examples are fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are the predominant source of energy for the United States, but that energy source is notorious for its effects on the environment. One of many examples is the pollution that comes about. There are many alternative energy sources to fossil fuels such as solar energy, wind power, biofuel, and hydropower. Of these, Solar energy seems to be the number one option. It is possible, that solar energy can be pricey, and may not always be functional, but not all of these “drawbacks” are necessarily as problematic as they seem; solar energy can potentially reduce energy bills and cost, and the maintenance cost is relatively low as well. Due to this, solar energy should be the number one alternative energy source to fossil fuels.

Solar energy is energy that is derived from the sun, and converted to be used for power. There are two main subcategories of solar energy and those are solar thermal plants, and photovoltaic cells. “Solar thermal plants use the sun’s rays to heat liquid into steam. The steam drives turbines and generates electricity.” (Renewable Energy 2015). “Photovoltaic cells…convert the sun’s light (photons) directly into electricity (voltage).” (Renewable Energy  2015). One of the major reasons why solar energy is a great alternative to fossil fuels, is because of its sustainability. “The sun will continue to shine for billions of years. Each year the earth receives about four orders of magnitude more solar energy than human commercial energy consumption. After accounting for conversion losses (only 15-50 percent of solar energy incident on a solar collector is successfully collected and converted to a usable form) and inaccessible regions (oceans, the poles, mountains, and forests), hundreds of times more solar energy is available than human commercial energy consumption.” (Blakers 2015). In other words, the sun simply is not going away. Planet earth will always have access to the sun, and as long as it shines, there is an endless source of energy. Furthermore, this excerpt illustrates that the sun has the ability to produce more than double than the amount of energy that is consumed by human beings. It is evident here that sunlight can be a very sustainable energy source as it produces more energy than what is actually consumed, or utilized by humans.

Opposers of solar energy being a good alternative energy source argue that solar energy is simply much too expensive to provide a sufficient form of energy for everyday use. The claim is that the energy that does come from sunlight, is not ample, and to bring in the amount necessary to power devices that use electricity, large amounts of money would be required. The article entitled, Solar Energy is an Impractical Energy Source, states, “To convert this to electrical energy, photovoltaic (PV) cells are required. This gets very expensive. The cells are typically 10% efficient. In other words from that 160 watt/sq meter thermal power, we can expect about 16 watts/sq meter of electric power!…not enough to operate a single refrigerator light!…the electricity from the PV cells are direct current and low voltage. To make this electricity useful it needs more electrical equipment to convert it to alternating current at higher voltages such as 110 volts AC [alternating current]. This also adds to the costs.” (Fox 2006). In other words, the energy provided by the sun is lacking, and devices such as photovoltaic cells would be needed. The main argument here is that there will be a high requirement of photovoltaic cells, which in turn will lead to steep prices. This is a valid point made by opposers of solar energy but this can be disputable.

Recent studies have actually shown that there is a rapid, and continuous growth of photovoltaic cells being purchased and used. The idea is that the more and more people utilize the cells, the more production is needed and this will lead to an inevitable price drop. “PV electricity is now less expensive than domestic and commercial retail electricity from the grid throughout much of the world, and is approaching cost-competitiveness with wholesale conventional electricity. This fact is the reason for the rapid growth in deployment of PV worldwide. Direct competitiveness with fossil fuels for wholesale energy supply is assisted by carbon pricing…The cost of PV systems can be confidently expected to continue to decline for decades.” (Blakers 2015). To further strengthen this argument, “Thin-film cells and other technologies are being perfected that are steadily reducing photovoltaic costs. Photovoltaics are now being used economically in lighthouses, boats, cars, and in rural villages and other remote areas. Large solar systems are being installed in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.” (Alternative Energy Sources 2011).  It is clear here that the argument that solar energy and photovoltaic cells are unaffordable is not as strong of an argument to not promote solar energy. The high demands are leading to drastic price drops, and more and more photovoltaic cells are being used in different parts of the world.

Another opposing argument against solar energy is that “Environmentalists and other solar energy enthusiasts have long advocated solar energy as a clean and inexhaustible resource. However, solar energy has two main drawbacks..solar energy plants often require large amounts of land to work efficiently. Large solar plants may harm desert ecosystems.” (Renewable Energy 2015). This is a common misconception made when debating solar energy as a viable alternative energy source. However, “Less than 1 percent of the world’s land area would be required to supply all of the world’s commercial energy requirements from photovoltaics using current technology. A large segment of the world’s energy can be supplied from roof-mounted solar collectors. Another large segment of the world’s energy can be supplied from solar collectors in arid regions.” (Blakers 2015). In other words, a very little amount of land would be necessary to provide a large supply of energy. Although it may seem true that solar energy will take up lots of land, if the modern technology, photovoltaic cells. are used, then there will be a very low use of land and in turn, will most likely not harm ecosystems.

All in all, something has to be done when it comes to the United States’ energy source. Currently, fossil fuels are the main option, however, these resources such as coal will not last forever. Natural resources will reach a limit, and pollution will continue to skyrocket and harm the Earth. Solar energy is just one of many alternatives that can be used as a substitute to fossil fuels. It is in fact cost efficient, does not harm the environment, and can come out to be very energy efficient as well. Protecting the environment is an implicit way of protecting the human beings who inhabit the environment, and one way that can be done, is by utilizing solar energy as an alternative to fossil fuels.

References

 

Alternative Energy Sources. (2011).  From Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Environmental Encyclopedia, Gale.

Renewable Energy. (2015). From Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale.

Blakers, Andrew. (2015). Sustainable energy options. Asian Perspective, 39 (4). Opposing

Viewpoints in Context.

Fox, Michael. (2006). Solar Energy Is an Impractical Energy Source. Energy Alternatives.

Greenhaven Press. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.