Solar Energy – The Way of The Future

Tidal Energy

There are many disadvantages of tidal energy making it inefficient and unreliable. The first is the impact on the environment. Building generators and motors into the seabed will not only harm marine life but disturb the eco-system in the bay by changing the vegetation and altering the tidal currents. Secondly, tidal energy is limited to coastal areas such as the shorelines where it is suitable to effectively receive and generate the tidal energy. Transferring the energy to inland countries has yet to be mastered. Another disadvantage of tidal energy is the unreliability. Some days, the water may be still. Also, calm days would mean that the water is still and generating zero energy. Finally, the construction of these sites upon the shoreline would also mean either destroying land or destroying natural habitat. This would be greatly opposed by environmentalist groups. Tidal energy is not eco-friendly and has many harmful effects on the natural habitat.

Nuclear Energy

Next, nuclear energy has a few costly disadvantages. The most distinct disadvantage is the waste products it produces. The radioactive waste material is both harmful to humans and wildlife in nearby areas. The waste cannot be disposed as there is no suitable place to store this radioactive waste and must be sealed and kept in a safe location. Another disadvantage is the cost of this type of renewable energy. A single nuclear power plant can cost anywhere from $3 billion – $5 billion to construct [Disadvantages of nuclear energy: 2009: Internet]. Nuclear energy also poses a nuclear weapons threat. With countries such as North Korea and China, the safety of Australia’s uranium supply must be carefully guarded. Nuclear warfare is an increasing threat on a global scale with warning signs at the hearing of a nuclear weapon test launch. Lastly, nuclear energy is not completely renewable as the supply of uranium is not endless. Although uranium supplies are higher than fossil fuels, it too will not last forever. Nuclear energy is a type of energy which is not worth the investment and should not be contemplated for household electricity.

Hydro Energy

Hydro energy, similar to tidal energy, has disadvantages affecting the efficiency of this energy. Firstly, the cost of constructing a dam large enough to produce enough electricity is not within an average family’s budget. Similar to tidal energy, hydro energy also has negative environmental impacts. Dams cover large areas of land. The alteration of the eco-system would destroy large areas of natural habitat. The flooding of these areas contributes to the damage to nearby habitat. Hydro energy is the most unstable of these types of renewable energy. The sustainability of some areas may be overlooked and can cause damn leaks. Hydro energy is not cost-effective and destroys large areas of natural environment.

Conlusion

To sum up, solar energy is definitely the most cost- effective and efficient form of renewable energy. The other forms of energy have inconsistencies which render them not friendly to the household family. Hydro, tidal, nuclear and wind energy are otherwise inefficient and because they are not yet perfectly developed are also not cost effective. Therefore, it is safe at this point in the advancement of renewable energy that solar energy is the more reliable source of renewable energy.

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