In this unit, you became familiar with environmental sustainability efforts by industry including conventional and new renewable energy alternatives.
For this assignment, you will write an essay describing a fossil fuel (coal, oil, or natural gas), a conventional energy alternative (nuclear power, bioenergy, or hydroelectric power), and a renewable energy source (solar or wind). There may be other types of energy sources in each category, but only choose one from each category that is listed.
In your essay, describe each of your three selected energy sources. Be sure to mention if you are discussing the energy source as an electricity source or as an overall energy source. For instance, natural gas can be used for heat by simple combustion or can be used for electricity by heating water to steam and then using the steam to turn a turbine generator.
Your essay should address the following for each of your three energy sources:
- impact on the environment and ecosystems,
- conservation strategies,
- energy use,
- environmental policies related to pollution prevention,
- energy options for industry, and
- power company initiatives related to sustainability.
Your essay should be at least three pages in length, not counting the title or reference pages. Support your essay with at least two academic articles from the CSU Online Library. The articles that you select from the CSU Online Library should have been published no earlier than 2000. In addition to your two academic sources, you may also use the textbook and other sources to support your essay. Be sure to properly cite and reference all sources using APA format.
