Alternative energies

Discussion in 'Debate Corner' started by Noroz, Dec 23, 2011.

  1. Noroz I Wish Happiness Always Be With You

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    So. Please keep this civil.

    Personally, after doing research, I do not believe people are responsible for the climate change. Regardless of this, I do realize we'll run out of oil eventually, and that we need an alternative energy source.

    Which energy do you consider to be the best alternative energy source?
    For me, it's nuclear energy. It is safer than people believe, and honestly, even if it's not exactly renewable, the amount of energy received is immense.

    Debate.
     
  2. Arch Mana Knight

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    Annihilation of particles and anti-particles. It holds way more energy than nuclear fusion. Though seeing as how that's currently a stupid idea to try...>> Nuclear fusion. Though I guess since people whine about the slim chance of a meltdown I'd have to add in using Geothermal energy because that alone could power the planet for a few thousand years though it'd be ridiculously expensive to tap into a volcano.
     
  3. Cloudrunner62 Twilight Town Denizen

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    We have centuries of oil left. But starting to move off of it is a good thing. Nuclear for now, but others when they become cost effective and feasible.
     
  4. Misty gimme kiss

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    Regardless of whether or not we are causing global warming, I still thinking finding alternative energy sources is important--and personally, I'd rather believe that global warming is a threat and use that to push me to look for clean energy than to just adopt the "well, it's not going to be a problem in my lifetime" mindset.

    I'm wary of nuclear energy because of the dangerous byproducts, and the potential of radiation damage to workers & those living near the plants. I haven't done very much of any research on nuclear energy, though (I think the last was a project in the sixth grade, haha), so if I'm wrong about either point feel free to correct me. ;o

    I find solar pretty convincing, though. Wind as well. The manufacture, installation, and maintenance of both could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, something the US economy needs, and we should treat our planet well. It just makes sense.
     
  5. Technic☆Kitty Hmm

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    Yea, this is probably gonna sound crazy. And you might want to call shenanigans . . . but has anyone seen the anime Gundam00. You remember the towers they had going into space with solar panels attached. I think that is (very expensive) a good idea. Though maybe not completely in space and in a tower, but if we could make fields of solar panels that would be a start. We would still need other resources to get us through the night when there is no solar rays. Just a few thoughts.
     
  6. KeybladeSpirit [ENvTuber] [pngTuber]

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    Just so you know, the input:output of a solar panel isn't 1:1. They tend to store energy for later use. There's also the fact that when it's night on one side of the world, it's day on the other. There's no reason why we couldn't share those.

    Anyway, to build off your idea, why not make a Dyson Bubble to surround the sun? It would take a while, but would certainly do us all some good and go much farther than the towers you proposed.
     
  7. Peace and War Bianca, you minx!

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    And what about crops, and the ecosystem as a whole? Animals wouldn't be able to hunt during the day, their seasonal balance would be gone, and just in general wouldn't it mess with the whole balance of Earth? Maybe a far away star, but our dear Sol is the only sun we have we can't simply pump it for all it's got. And to make it would cost an amount larger than I believe has ever been spent by the human race in the entirety of it's time using currency. The raw materials altogether alone would be around the size of Mars. It's mainly a concept way closer to science fiction than reality at the moment.

    To save on the use of fossil fuels, we need to start building self sustaining households. Basex on the construction of certain isolated houses somewhere in Nevada if I remember, these houses were built to be self containing and sustaining homes, water and waste was recycled, houses were built using old bottles and natural clay, food grown in a specific green house room, and all the energy coming from solar panels located on the roof.
    All the amenities that you regular have such as TVs, Sound Systems, Game Consoles, Dishwashers, Microwave, Electric Ovens and stoves, lighting, etc. If we began to reduce our intake of the energies at the moment, the more time we would have to figure out an alternate source in the future, since I very much doubt we have discovered a sustainable source of energy at this moment in time. We need to make time to discover/create that energy source.
     
  8. KeybladeSpirit [ENvTuber] [pngTuber]

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    A Dyson Bubble is different from a Dyson Sphere in that the panels do not completely cover the star, but instead use solar sails (which the Japanese have kindly made real for us) to float above the star at evenly spaced intervals. This way the star's light can still reach every planet and still get quite a bit of energy from the sun. We also do a similar project with Earth, having large solar panels floating around a half AU away from the planet and absorbing any light that they happen to intercept. This would also be much more feasible than one around the sun. It's closer to home and thus will be easier to repair if necessary. And again, it wouldn't fully enclose the Earth.
     
  9. Peace and War Bianca, you minx!

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    The resources and cost are still to high for us to even conceive the scale of a project like this for around another 500 years, i'd say.
    I don't know, but I doubt that we would solely be relying on this energy source in the future to come. Still I am open to its possibility, even if its practicality is a bit of a stretch for now.
     
  10. Te Deum Hollow Bastion Committee

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    Solar Panels? Water turbines? Windmills? We already have a bunch of alternative energy resources.

    If something happens to those resources, then I guess I'll have to go with Nuclear Energy.
     
  11. KeybladeSpirit [ENvTuber] [pngTuber]

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    Even if it isn't feasible now, there are definitely things that can be done now to start such a project. 500 years isn't really that long when it comes to something like this and the sooner the project is started, the more likely humanity will come across better and more efficient ways of making it happen. In my experience, starting before you are able to finish tend to help you finish faster. But yes, you are right about the price issue.
     
  12. Peace and War Bianca, you minx!

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    A lot can happen in a moment, and there are a lot of moments in five centuries. I doubt it would actually happen in the time I've stated, there will be other pressing matter to occur in that time, wars, revolutions, food shortage, viral outbreaks, etc. I doubt this kind of project will become a priority in years to come when outle basic necessity's are threatened, so I don't know where this could go.

    I mean, the access to that amount of resource raw materials in order to build these things would likely include tons of rare metals, and other element in order to compose it, not to mention materials in order to make repairs or new ones altogether if they are lost or destroyed. And the. They'll be political discussions over which countries are given certain amounts of energy levels over another, further dividing the rich and poor countries of the world. I don't really see it as optimistic as you do, since a lot more could happen that messes up the project than promotes its growth. Oh well...