An Alternative Source of Energ essays

An Alternative Source of Energ essays Alternative Solution for Hawaii=s Future Source of Energy What would life in Hawaii be like without energy? We would have no lights, no refrigerators, no TVs, no VCRs, no gas. We would have to do without automobiles, airplanes, banks, movies or mail. Imagine Hawaii with no cooking, no air conditioning, no computers, no traffic lights, and basically no jobs. We would have very little left of what we take for granted. Imported oil is used to supply about 90 percent of Hawaii's energy needs. No place else in the United States is so critically dependent on imported oil. Unlike the Mainland, Hawaii can't turn to neighboring states to make up for any temporary or permanent energy shortages. Unlike any other state, imported oil is the single thread that can completely unravel Hawaii's future. But Hawaii is blessed with a variety of other energy sources lots of sunshine, strong winds, fastgrowing crops, flowing streams, geothermal heat, and both warm and cold ocean waters. All these resources have the potential to help produce energy and reduc e our dependency on imported petroleum. Hawaii is determined to explore the best ways to take advantage of its renewable energy resources. Each of the renewable energy resources will defiantly help slow the process of global warming by reducing air pollution. Every barrel of oil or ton of coal replaced with these renewable resources will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is considered by many as one of the major contributors to global warming. The State of Hawaii is actively supporting the development of a mix of renewable energy resources including solar power, biomass, hydro power, wind power, geothermal energy, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). But just how actively is the State of Hawaii supporting these alternative renewable natural energy=s? In this paper I will briefly summarize the operations of OTEC and the...