FOSSIL FUEL

Replacement for Fossil Fuel



Strategic Management

Introduction

Coal and petroleum are sources of fossil fuel. When fossil fuels are burned, large amounts of carbon that had been immobilized for eons are released into the atmosphere, increasing levels of carbon dioxide beyond the capacity of living plants and other earth systems to absorb it. In 150 years of increasing fossil fuel use since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased from 150 parts per million to 330, causing the atmosphere to retain heat (the greenhouse effect) and resulting in global climate change(Krajick,2001).

There is ongoing debate about short-, medium-, and long-term political, economic, and environmental costs of this volume of fossil fuel consumption, there no longer is any doubt that, if consumption levels are to continue on their current trajectory, it would not only mean eventual depletion of fossil resources, but also ever more global competition over scarce resources, and translate into irreparable harm to the environment (Glick,2004).

Discussion

Following are some of the alternative energies sources available to replace fossil fuel:

Solar

The sun gives energy to the Earth every hour. The Sun gives earth only that much energy to the earth which the human beings use in a year. Solar energy can be acclimatized from acquiescent solar heating, rooftop solar beef that catechumen sunlight to electricity, and ample solar plants that use the sun's calefaction to accomplish steam.

PV cells use thin polysilicon film to convert sunlight into electricity. The power produced by a solar array, a set of PV cells, will depend on weather conditions, the sun's position, and the capacity of the array. During suboptimal conditions, solar energy can be stored using molten salts, which are low-cost and can efficiently deliver heat. Thin film nanotechnology panels, which cost half as much as traditional PV cells, are expected to be widely available by 2010. The average price for a PV module was $100 per watt in 1975; it is expected to drop to $2 per watt by 2010.

Wind

Wind power is the production of wind energy using wind turbines. Most wind power generates electricity, although windmills are also used to grind grain or pump water. Individual turbines can provide electricity to isolated areas, while large-scale wind farms connect to electrical grids. Although wind power has relatively low production costs, windiness varies. Much of the energy comes in short bursts when wind speeds are higher. Wind energy has less consistent output than fuel-fired ...