Energy, whether it be fossil fuels, solar, nuclear, wind, wave or hydro-electric is a necessity for our current lifestyle needs and required for any type of large scale production. Here is an enlightening chart made by the
Lawernce Livermore Natural Labratory that shows US energy efficiency, or how much energy we use compared to how much energy we waste. In 2009 the energy produced in the US was used 46% of the time, while 54% was rejected (or was not used). This may seem a bit confusing as we continue to look for new ways to produce energy at the cost of
Mountain tops,
River Systems, and
Entire Regions, just to name a few of the bigger issues. Large scale projects have a greater chance to be inefficient than those that are on a smaller scale. Like getting solar panels or a wind turbine for your house or one town would be more efficient than one dam for Oregon. Just as a local government is more likely to find the best ways to use funds to support their own community than the Federal Government could. Comment below with your thoughts!
That is very interesting. I find it really sad to hear that the US wastes more energy than it uses. It makes sense though that large energy projects are incapable of knowing what's best for everyone in the huge amount of area that they are providing energy to.
ReplyDelete~Mia Colt
Good point Mia, why do you think large energy projects get subsidized and approved if it continues to be so difficult for them to project their own energy efficiency?
ReplyDelete