In order to reduce the negative environmental impacts of an ever growing human population and increasing demands for energy as technological advances continue, individual countries, states, cities and even households have the opportunity to shift their energy sources to those that are renewable. However, not all locations are equally amenable to any particular form of energy. For this Assignment you will assess your own location, existing energy use, the advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources, and ways to reduce energy demand through conservation. View the rubric.

Be sure to explore the following resources to begin your research and to support your ideas with supporting facts. While the provided resources focus on the United States, you are welcome to explore the energy situation within your own state of residence, one that you would like to live in or have visited in the past, and also an international location. In order to focus your discussion, be sure to focus on a specific region.

Resources:

• U.S. Department of Energy:
  • http://www.energysavers.gov
  • http://energy.gov

• U.S. Energy Information Administration:
  • http://205.254.135.7

• State energy profiles provided by the U.S.E.I.A.:
  • http://www.eia.gov/state

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory:
  • http://www.nrel.gov

• Energy4Me:
  • http://www.energy4me.org/energy-facts/energy-sources

Your Assignment should be written in an essay format, with an introduction and conclusion. The paper will require you to include details from research including the course materials and sources you locate on your own. Use APA format to cite your sources of information, both within parenthetical citations and also within a reference page at the end of the project.

Your paper should include all of the following parts.

• Assess your own energy use: What forms of energy do you currently rely on and where do they originate from? Be sure to consider the energy that you use at home, during travel, and at work or in school. Include at least five specific examples. Consider whether each energy source is renewable or nonrenewable.
• Using the provided materials, determine which renewable sources of energy would be the most and least appropriate for use in your chosen location. Be sure to discuss the energy form identified by your instructor as well as two other forms of renewable energy, for a total of three forms of renewable energy. Explain how you arrived at your decisions. For example, you may find that solar energy is not a potential resource due to seasonal changes making sunlight inconsistently available throughout the year.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the energy sources you currently rely on as well as the three renewable energy sources you identified above. Include both the economic (costs/benefits) and ecological impacts of each.
• Describe how technological advancements have facilitated the implementation of renewable energy technology. Be sure to examine how technology has influenced our ability to generate and distribute renewable energy to a broader consumer base over time.
• In addition to using alternative forms of energy, energy conservation is also a significant way in which ecological impacts can be reduced on the environment. Determine areas where you may already practice energy conservation and also identify at least three ways in which you can reduce your energy use at home, work, or in other areas you engage in on a regular basis.
• A template for the Unit 4 assignment is provided. You are welcome to modify this template to suit your needs, being sure to meet the Assignment requirements.

At least 750–1000 words not counting the title or reference pages

Include a title page, double space, font size 10 or 12

Include a highly developed viewpoint/thesis, purpose, and exceptional content

Demonstrate superior organization: use logic

Free of grammar and spelling errors

No evidence of plagiarism

Use the APA style for all citations

Here is the unit 4 template

Your Name (Note: Please change this before you submit your paper!)

Kaplan University

The first paragraph is always the introduction with thesis statement. Please visit the KUWC for tutorials on writing introductions, writing transitions between paragraphs, and on writing strong paragraphs. (Note: Please replace the sample paragraphs with your content before you submit your paper!)

Energy Self-Assessment

Describe a minimum of five daily life situations (2-pts each) requiring renewable or nonrenewable energy.

Discuss the origin of the energy sources used in the previous paragraph and their renewable/nonrenewable status. For example, my household energy comes from both a coal-fired power plant (nonrenewable fossil fuel) and the Bonneville Dam (renewable hydropower) (Pacific Power, 2013).

Renewable Energy Analysis

Analyze at least three forms of renewable energy (4-pts each) including one assigned by instructor. The instructor assigned: __________. Please pick two additional renewable energy sources to discuss, such as biomass/biogas, hydro/wave/tidal, wind, or solar (NRDC, n.d.; National Atlas, 2013; Union of Concerned Scientists, 2012).

Identify the most and least appropriate forms of renewable energy for your location. For example, solar, hydroelectric, biomass, wind, and geothermal are appropriate here in Oregon (Pacific Power, 2013; Solar Oregon, n.d.).

Economic Costs/Benefits and Ecological Impacts

Discuss the economic advantages and disadvantages of current energy sources and the three identified renewable energy forms (the two you picked and the one the instructor assigned:__________). For example, my current energy sources are coal, hydropower, and solar and I must discuss geothermal, too. Each has economic advantages and disadvantages.

Discuss the ecological impacts of current energy sources and the three identified renewable energy forms (the two you picked and the one the instructor assigned:__________). For example, my current energy sources are coal, hydropower, and solar and I must discuss geothermal, too. Each has ecological impacts.

Role of Technology

Discuss the role of technology in the implementation and distribution of renewable energy sources.

Energy Conservation

Describe the actions you currently take to conserve energy. For example, I purchase energy efficient light bulbs and use smart power strips.

Identify and describe at least three more energy conservation techniques (3-pts each) in addition to the actions you currently take.

The last paragraph is always the conclusion. Please visit the KUWC for tutorials on writing conclusions. (Note: Please replace the sample paragraphs with your content before you submit your paper!)

References

(WARNING: Only list a source on this References page if you have also cited it parenthetically in text. And please DELETE this warning and the example references before you submit your paper!)

The Natural Atlas of the United States. (2013, January 14). Renewable energy sources in the United States. Retrieved from http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/people/a_energy….

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). (n.d.). Renewable energy for America. Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/

Pacific Power. (2013). Fuel source & environmental impact. Retrieved from http://www.pacificpower.net/ya/po/otou/fsei.html

Solar Oregon. (n.d.). Does solar work in Oregon? Retrieved from http://solaroregon.org/residential-solar/residenti…

Union of Concerned Scientists. (2012, March 19). Our energy choices: Renewable energy. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choi…

 

Do you need a similar assignment done for you from scratch? We have qualified writers to help you. We assure you an A+ quality paper that is free from plagiarism. Order now for an Amazing Discount!
Use Discount Code "Newclient" for a 15% Discount!

NB: We do not resell papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.