Power Solution Fluency
The problem with electricity right now is the fact that it causes a lot of pollution. My goal is to compare different methods of creating electricity and finding a more efficient method.
Nuclear, Hydro, Wind, and Geothermal are some of the more popular methods compared to Fossil Fuel electricity generators.
Cost per Kilowatt Hour:
Fossil Fuel: Fossil Fuels or more specifically coal costs 3.23 cents per kilowatt hour.
Nuclear: Nuclear Plants produce 2.10 cents per kilowatt hour.
Hydro: Hydro power or water dams produce 0.85 cents per kilowatt hour.
Wind: Wind Turbines cost 2 cents per kilowatt hour.
Geothermal: Geothermal costs 5.09 cents per kilowatt hour.
Problems with:
Coal: Coal isn’t the most cost efficient generator and it causes a lot of pollution.
Nuclear: Nuclear power plants can malfunction and cause lots of death and radiation. They also cause long lasting pollution.
Hydro: Hydro power is the most cost efficient on this list. The problem with it is is that it destroys lands and can only be built in certain areas.
Wind: Wind Turbines are the second most cost efficient on this list. They take up a a lot of room, are dependent on weather, and kills birds.
Geothermal: Geothermal power is the least cost efficient on this list. They are expensive to create, location specific, and it can cause earthquakes.
What I think:
I think that we should use a mixture of Hydro, Geothermal, and Nuclear because the first two mentioned are location dependent. Nuclear power is cleaner and more efficient than coal because it barely produces any greenhouse gas. The only problem with it is the risk, uranium mining, and the waste we might be able to solve in the future. Geothermal power is the cleanest and works is by taking hot parts underground and creating it into energy. It is sustainable if maintained properly but it is expensive, and only works in certain places. The last one, Hydro is a great method as well. Problems with it include flooding, and location issues but it is still a cost efficient method.
Sources:
Canadian Electricity Association (https://electricity.ca/learn/lectricity-today/generating-electricity/)
Aug 30th 2016 (https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/hidden-costs-fossil-fuels)
(http://www.wvic.com/content/facts_about_hydropower.cfm)
Scientific American Robert Fares on (https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/wind-energy-is-one-of-the-cheapest-sources-of-electricity-and-its-getting-cheaper/)
(https://www.pembina.org/blog/geothermal-energy-a-no-brainer-for-canada)
(https://energyinformative.org/geothermal-energy-pros-and-cons/)