The Coal Crisis: Coal Energy: Non Renewable Energy Articles: Eco20/20

The Coal Crisis

The coal crisis has been around for decades. Even at the end of World War Two, many countries were calling for a release from the stronghold the coal industry has had over the power sector. As the mines are temporarily or even permanently closed down by accident after accident, causing serious injuries and numerous fatalities, coal remains in high demand as a resource which is used to generate electricity. As high demand remains a constant and the supply is increasingly getting smaller, the world looms on the edge of crisis. Green energy is being touted as one of the greatest answers to the coal crisis in the modern world.

Many people in the modern world say that green energy is too expensive. While it may be more expensive than coal at this time, it may not be long before coal becomes almost extinct. Even now, many countries are facing an electricity crunch from declining coal production. By increasing research and technology in the green energy sector now, it may be possible to decrease the startup cost of green energy construction before the coal crisis intensifies to the magnitude many believe it will reach within the decade.

There are several options already in use throughout the world.

Solar panels and photovoltaic panels are already in use and are continuously being researched and improved for price as well as efficiency. There are many tourist attractions whose biggest boasts are the use of green energy sources, such as the Forest Hotel in Barcelona. This attraction is completely covered with tiny photovoltaic panels equipped LED lights in a variety of colors. These are attached to a mesh net that drapes the building, gathering sunlight and converting the radiation energy into electricity to power the multi-colored LED lights.

Hydropower plants are already in use, and are becoming more and more popular with green activists who previously opposed dams due to the blockage of waterways used by many fish species with migration patterns. As more dams are adding fish ladders or fish lifts, green activists are also becoming green energy activists, and reducing the disputes against hydropower plants.

As many people have begun to debate the ecological impact of deep-ocean turbines, more research and development has taken place, attempting to reduce the impact on marine life. There are already a few that were deployed as a research beta, or as a new energy conversion source. HyWiond and HiPRWind are two well known deep-ocean turbines.

As some people debate the availability of certain renewable resources, it becomes almost clear that many locations could benefit greatly from coexisting green energy conversion processes. In locations that are both near water and have high wind velocity, it would make great sense to use both of these to increase the amount of surplus energy stored in the grid.

As the coal crisis continues to worsen, there are many green energy options that are already available, and are being continuously researched and developed to increase efficiency while lowering costs.

Coal Resources