The topic of this paper’s research is Florida’s energy; where it comes from, and how Florida’s power compares to the rest of the nation. The purpose of this paper is to discover and analyze Florida’s power sources, as well as my personal power provider, their plans for energy generation in Florida, and show where Florida stands on energy when compared to the rest of the nation. Then lastly propose my own ten-year plan for future power generation in Florida.
The topic of power consumption and where we get that power is very important not only as responsible citizens of our country, but to future generations of the world. Climate change is particularly important to Florida, as Florida is very flat and most of Florida is surrounded by water. Rising
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In Florida, electric utilities use natural gas as their main source of generating power. In 2015, Florida generated 156 Terawatt hours of electricity from natural gas (PSC). This vastly overwhelms other sources such as coal, at 47 TWh, nuclear, at 28 TWh, renewables, at 3 TWh, or oil, at a meager 592 GWh (PSC). This excessive use of natural gas puts the majority of Florida dependent on a resource that probably will not be around in a hundred years. The capacity of Florida’s renewable sources is rather disappointing. The total capacity is only 1,860 Megawatts, compared to a total non-renewable capacity of 56,561 MW (PSC). Additionally, solar only accounts for 14.2 percent of Florida’s renewable capacity (PSC). This means that Florida’s capacity from solar in 2015 was only 264 MW. The potential solar capacity for Florida is estimated to be 2.8 TW (“Renewable Energy”). This potential capacity is ten thousand times the current capacity. My power provider, Florida Power & Light’s ten-year plan is as follows. FPL plans to add 2,086 MW of solar capacity by 2023, reduce coal-fired power generation of 636 MW by 2019, modernize old fossil-fuel units with extra efficiency by 2020, and pursue new nuclear generating facilities by 2021 …show more content…
Unfortunately, in Florida there is a very low potential capacity with current turbine technology. On land, the potential is a tiny 400 kW, and off shore, a better 9.64 GW capacity (“Renewable Energy”). These numbers do not get close to the 36.8 GW capacity of natural gas. For wind power to be viable in Florida, the wind turbine needs to have a hub height of 140 meters, which is equivalent to the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza (DOE 19). In 2013, the average hub height of wind turbines was 80 meters tall (DOE 8). The next generation of wind turbines will not be ready within the next 10 years, so wind power is just not practical in Florida right now. When it is ready, transporting the pieces of the next generation of wind turbines will be even harder than it is now. Currently, turbines can barely clear some bridges. The future turbine components will have a diameter too large to pass under these same bridges (DOE 23). One final concern for wind in Florida is hurricanes. While turbines do have storm modes that stop the rotors from spinning during severe weather, sometimes this fails and causes massive damage. Certainly, many more advances must be made before wind can become a viable power source in
Here at the University of Florida, the field of wind engineering is a subject to which a lot of research and manpower is dedicated, particularly concerning hurricanes and the large wind loads associated with them. These powerful storms are generally associated with the eastern and gulf coasts of North America, but they can and do form elsewhere. Hawaii, surrounded by the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, is not typically associated with hurricane activity, but in September of 1992 the island state was struck by Hurricane Iniki. Within a lifespan of a little more than a week, Iniki was able to completely change the relationship Hawaii had with Hurricanes by battering the islands with strong winds and exposing the complacency fostered by years of mild hurricane seasons. In the years to come, this storm was to serve as the basis for Hawaii’s push to better prepare for potential storms and avoid another disaster of this magnitude.
The article “California Leads a Quiet Revolution” by Beth Gardiner discusses about the California’s goal of increasing the utilization of renewable energy sources. With its modern technologies, politics, and its abundant sunshine, California has managed to overcome their energy crisis problems by utilizing renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. While the achievement is remarkable, difficulties have also appeared. The influx of solar and wind power has changed the pattern of electricity production, resulting in a mismatch between the said influx and the demand, while the storage devices that would solve said problem are deemed to be too expensive. Even though there are several problems, the addition of clean energy hasn’t resulted
Since Texas is one of the largest producers of wind and solar power, it should encourage the use of renewable energy. If some Texas coal mines and oil drilling were to swap to wind and solar power the overall renewable energy will increase. For instance, “the increase in wind power and the retirement of almost 6,000 megawatts of coal-fired generating capacity, coal-fired power plants supplied 18 percent of state generation in 2021, down from a 36 percent share in 2011.” (U.S. Energy Information Administration, Page 4).5 Due to coal power becoming an outdated energy source, wind power can make a large contribution to the modern world all while being cheaper
The turbines have to be a certain number of feet in the air. Are there trees, buildings and other obstacles that would block the wind? Is there a fast flowing waterway in which you would have rights and access to so you can install hydro generators if needed? Fourth Concern: Natural Disasters Is the property in a flood zone? Zones change all the time, and even if not in a so-called flood zone is there a chance the property could be flooded.
There’s also problems with species outside of Florida. The problem with exotic plant species in the Virgin islands and Caribbean was intriguing. After the majority of plant species are wiped out by Irma, the exotic plant species will grow back quickest and dominate the area. Also the steep islands in the Caribbeans sediment will be brought into the coral reefs and seagrass beads. This was interesting that the people in the Caribbean would have to monitor different species and areas after a Hurricane.
A solar panel can be used for many things, but the biggest thing is used for capturing the sun's energy in order to make it useful provide energy to the house, buildings even be sold back to the city or town you live in etc.. It works by collecting the sunlight throughout the day, then converts into energy that's usable, then the electricity travels to the net meter then the energy is used for anything. When having the solar panel on a roof you can use it for personal use or even sell it back to the electrical company and they’ll pay you. There are about 73,000 terawatts of energy shining down that's 10,000 times then what we use on daily bases. Perks of having solar panels it's a tax 30% tax write off, doesn’t need any fuel combustion, Securing your energy and not depending on National
Not only are these wind farms beautiful, but they also produce a ton of energy. More than one-third of Iowa’s net electricity came from wind in 2016 (State Profile and Energy Estimates- Iowa). “Iowa's wind resources place it among the nation's leading states in the percentage of in-state electricity generation from renewable resources other than hydroelectric power” (State Profile and Energy Estimates- Iowa). As an Iowan, I am proud that this renewable energy source is helping our state and country become more environmentally
these are reasons why Kentucky needs to convert to renewable resources for a form of energy. People
Background: More than 1.2 million residents in the state of Arizona get their power from Arizona Public Service (APS), a public utility provider (Arizona Public Service, 2023). The corporation manages an extensive portfolio of power plants, some of which are powered by fossil fuels (coal, nuclear, and natural gas), others by renewable resources (solar and wind power), and still others by a combination of these and other energy sources. Nevertheless, APS has been confronting issues connected to costs in recent years. These challenges include increased costs associated with maintaining and operating its old power infrastructure and demand from regulatory authorities to move to greener energy sources (Arizona Public Service, 2023). Challenges:
With green energy supplying electricity to more than 14% of American homes, there is no doubt that it is a worthwhile endeavor.., Though highly contested, the Cape Wind Project, proposes a wind farm to be constructed off the coast of Cape Cod. The Harvard-educated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an opponent of the project, expresses his doubts and criticisms of the project in his op-ed column printed in the New York Times, “An Ill Wind Off Cape Cod” which he composed when he first heard that the company Energy Management is trying to build a wind farm on Nantucket Sound. He utilizes a genuine tone in order to get his thoughts across. Francis Broadhurst, a proponent of the Cape Wind Project and distinguished writer, writes “Cape Wind Is Sound for
Introduction In today’s world, most developing countries are in a race to build up the necessary infrastructure to scale up there operations and become the next global superpower. In this process, a lot of energy is consumed – be it for transportation, manufacturing or construction. This rapid growth of energy use seen over the past two decades have raised concerns for governments and energy-related organizations alike. Questions with regard to the supply, sustainability and exhaustion of energy sources abound, and while most developed countries have taken active steps to reduce consumption of scarce resources, the position of developing countries in this regard is still lacking.
Although the scientists in the 1900s had warned the world about the shortage, many people still refuse to accept the idea that they will eventually be eventually using solar power as the only option. And each year, the debt from the consumer rate increases for every electricity company. For instance, as
As it pertains to wind energy, government has taken the initiative to increase wind turbines. In 2008, the Energy Department put forth a plan that stated that 20% of the U. S’s electricity demand in 2030 would be generated by wind energy ("20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy's Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply"). The Energy Department has determined that to reach this goal they must install 7,000 wind turbines every year; however, in 2006, the U.S only established 2000 windmills ("20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy's Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply").
Wind Energy: Not to Be Blown Away If you have ever traveled from Sacramento to Livermore, California, you cannot help but notice the giant wind turbines that are placed among the hills that are multiple stories high. I have always wondered how beneficial these wind turbines are, and what possible effects does it have on our economy and environment. In an article by the New York Times written by Diane Cardwell, she explains that in 2008 – 2009 the wind industry employed 85,000 people and 10,000 of those jobs have disappeared since, and with continued layoffs on the horizon (Cardwell).
However, using windmills is just another way to just get electricity and power, it's just a more effective way to get it and it doesn't cause pollution, and it doesn't take millions of years just to re-use this source of power. Windmills are a big part of the U.S we use them all over the world. Just one windmill can power a whole city,or even a whole state. Just imagine 10 or 20 in the same Vicinity it can power a lot of stuff, and still have a large amount of electricity left to use. The only thing about using windmills, is you have to have a lot of land and it has to be a very windy region because those propellers on the windmill are as long as a building and that's just the propellers.