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Pros and Cons of Green Energy

Photovoltaic

Pro: Solar farm
  • Sustainable
  • Well suited to providing power in home or single building applications
  • Available all over the world
  • Well proven technology
  • Non-polluting
  • Tax incentives
  • Low maintenance

    • Con:
  • Can take a large area to produce the energy needed
  • More expensive at the current time
  • Less energy on cloudy days, higher latitudes
  • No energy at night
  • An energy storage device is required
  • Negative aesthetics

    • Rethink Solar

    Solar Thermal

    Pro:
    the 10 MWe Solar Two power tower demonstration facility with molten salt receiver and storage at Barstow in California, US SUNLAB
  • Sustainable
  • Low cost
  • Well suited to providing power in home or single building applications
  • Available all over the world
  • Well proven technology
  • Non-polluting
  • Tax incentives
  • Low maintenance

    • Con:
  • Less energy on cloudy days, higher latitudes
  • No energy at night
  • Negative aesthetics
  • Large power plants are land intensive
  • Negative aesthetics

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    Passive Solar

    Pro: Passive solar heating
  • Sustainable
  • Non-polluting
  • Save on energy use
  • Zero/ low maintenance cost depending on design
  • Natural lighting
  • More consistent heating and cooling

    • Con:
  • Can have an increase on building costs
  • Dependent on site suitability, in most cases some degree of passive design can be applied

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    Wind Energy

    Pro: Wind turbine
  • Sustainable
  • Non-polluting
  • Energy source is perpetual
  • Low maintenance cost
  • Well proven technology

    • Con:
  • Unreliable and its strength depends on local weather patterns, temperature, time of year and location.
  • Equipment is very expensive compared to other energy sources.
  • Initial expense is high
  • Can have a negative impact on aesthetics
  • Lack of highly specialized maintenance personal

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    Hydroeletric

    Pro: Hoover Dam
  • Sustainable
  • Non-polluting
  • Flood control
  • Reservoirs are created by damming
  • Recreational opportunities
  • Low energy costs after initial start up

    • Con:
  • Changes to natural river flows
  • Degraded water quality
  • Blocks seasonal fish migration
  • Impacts on fisheries
  • Ecosystem damage
  • Flooding large areas of land

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    Geothermal Energy

    Pro: Geothermal
  • Sustainable
  • Non-polluting if performed correctly
  • Energy can be produced continuously day and night with mimamal downtime
  • Energy produced is practically free, after initial start up costs
  • Power stations are relatively small, and have a lesser impact on the environment than tidal or hydroelectric plants.

    • Con:
  • Geothermal reservoirs are limited
  • Need to recharge the reservoir with water that previously escaped as steam
  • Potential contamination of groundwater
  • Carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) and hydrogen sulfide can be released by geothermal plants
  • Many geothermal reservoirs are located in sensitive and pristine wilderness areas

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    Tidal Energy

    Pro:
  • Non-polluting
  • Sustainable
  • Tides are very reliable
  • Cost of technology likely to fall

    • Con:
  • Relentlessly harsh environment
  • Not proven on a commercial scale
  • Environmental and marine safety issues
  • Technology is currently expensive and in its infancy
  • Limited geographically

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    OSU Wave energy buoy

    Wave Energy

    Pro:
  • Non-polluting
  • Sustainable
  • Is constant
  • Cost of technology likely to fall

    • Con:
  • Not proven on a commercial scale
  • Installation would damage the sea-bed
  • locally Environmental and marine safety issues
  • Technology is currently expensive and in its infancy
  • Limited geographically

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    Marine Current Turbines

    Pro: Marine current turbines
  • Non-polluting
  • Sustainable
  • Cost of technology likely to fall

    • Con:
  • Not proven on a commercial scale
  • Environmental and marine safety issues
  • Technology is currently expensive and in its infancy
  • Limited geographically

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    Natural Gas

    Pro: CH4, Methane hydrocarbon molecule
  • Low cost presently
  • Produces less CO2 than coal or oil
  • Production can be throttled up to supply peak demand
  • Can be idled down when not needed

    • Con:
  • Non-sustainable
  • Produces carbon dioxide (CO2), which is an important greenhouse gas
  • Natural gas reserves are limited
  • Prices will fluctuate with supply and demand

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    Ethanol

    Pro: Corn
  • Reduced greenhouse gas emissions
  • Increasing energy security by providing an alternative to fossil fuels

    • Con:
  • Use of food crops
  • Increase pressure on food prices and livestock feed
  • Takes more energy to produce then it makes
  • Use of crop subsidies of witch mostly go to large ethanol-producing corporations
  • Does not transport well
  • Very corrosive on some metallic parts

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