The Real Problem with Renewables by Robert Bryce

Analysis of Renewable Energy Essays
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The Real Problem with Renewables by Robert Bryce
The raging debate on the dispensability of renewable energy by non-renewable energy continues to be quite intriguing. The hot debate is between the scientists and the economists. The scientists insist that renewable energy should replace the non-renewable energy for the purposes of health, environmental protection and sustainability. The economists on the other hand, say that it is totally impossible as the two fail to share the same market shares. Robert Bryce, the author of the above named article is in this category and this essay analyzes his work. Renewables will only be effective if they were produced alongside the non-renewables.
Mr. Bryce in his article foresees the decision of the Congress due to the continued oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. He says that the congress is likely to pass a bill that the production of renewables to be increased. As much as this may sound good, Mr. Bryce says that the renewable are losing the market share. They may end up being a burden than a remedy. This is because they produce low-density power at a higher cost compared to the non-renewables.
Renewable energy is quite costly and thus switching to it is not as easy as it may sound. It is true that the oil spill and the emission of greenhouse gases can be dealt with effectively if the fossil fuel stays in the ground. However, it is pretty expensive to capture the renewable resources. Furthermore, most of the renewable resources are intermittent. This means that using them on a large scale becomes complicated. The change of consumption and distribution of energy can only be effective with sufficient capital resources over a period of time. The best thing to do is to gradually implement the idea.
The intermittency of the renewables makes them unable to meet the energy demand. Solar and wind for instance, are weather dependent and therefore unreliable. They still need fossil fuel backup. As Mr. Bryce argues, “But doing so will mean replacing high-power-density sources that are reliable and low cost with low-power-density sources that are highly variable and high cost.” This is to say that the power the renewable will produce will only be costly but not meet the growing demand for energy.
The renewable are costly as discussed above. They require large tracts of land as Mr. Bryce says. Mr. Bryce says that to replace a high-power density resource with a low-power density resource means consumption of more resources. The resources he mentions are steel, land and transmission lines that are ultra long. The fact that they are produced with no heavy subsidies from the government adds to the cost.
Renewable energy is the best solution when it comes to health and environmental protection. Howeve...