ABSTRACT

This essay explains why solar energy is the best alternative energy source out there compared with other availaible sources while taking a postion at the same time.

The earth will not be able to sustain any living organism on the planet as it is slowly dying from the damage we, human beings, are causing with the excessive use of fossil fuels which is a potential greenhouse gas producer. For this reason, the search for “clean coal” or environmental friendly alternative energy sources has been highly requested. However, when seeking for a new energy source, one must consider how convenient the source is and the quantity of energy it can produce as it has to be sufficient to provide the entire population. Indeed, solar energy is a potential candidate that meets these requirements because it comes in massive quantities at affordable costs and is highly convenient.

Solar energy can be obtained directly and indirectly through three types of solar energy mechanisms: photovoltaics (PV) concentrating solar power (CSP), and solar thermal plants. Photovoltaics are also known as solar cells which are installed in satellites, on watches, and on homes, and serve to collect sunlight that is eventually converted directly into electricity as they are made of semiconducting materials that facilitate direct energy conversion. Concentrating solar power (CSP) converts massive heat energy from sunlight into electricity (Glenn 2005). Lastly, solar thermal plants use sunlight to heat water into steam which is an indirect form of electricity (Gale 2015).

Photovoltaics has been proven to be the most efficient method of obtaining solar energy, out of the three methods previously mentioned, because it converts up to 14 percent of sunlight into electricity (Blanchfield 2011), resulting in sufficient shares of energy for the population. However, the production cost can be a bit too pricy for most users because it nearly costs four dollars a watt and for a system that produces up to 1,000 watts, the total installation cost turns out to be about $4,000 (Blanchfield 2011). Nevertheless, these prices seem to be lower than those in 2004 when PV cost was $7-$10 per watt. Therefore, ways to reduce the production cost are possible as the industry specialized in PV production has kept growing over the past few years (Glenn 2005) and is expected to improve its solar electricity supply in the years ahead (Haugen 2008). Adding on, experts believe that further research will make solar energy more reliable, efficient, and less expensive (Haugen 2008). Overall, the sun is a massive star fully packed with large amounts of energy, thus, having it as our main source of energy secures a future dependent on only clean energy and a long-lasting place to live.

The sun provides plenty of energy at a low cost, but there is another characteristic that makes it even more convenient, the fact that it is renewable and can easily adapt to any type of space. The reason why solar energy causes no harm to the environment is because it pays back the energy used to produce them in about one year due to its ability to renew itself at a sufficient and fast rate. Unlike other energy sources, solar energy systems do not have to be built in specific open areas because sunlight can be found anywhere, is abundant and comes in very spread out quantities (Haugen 2008). For this reason, solar panels can be placed on rooftops, where sunlight hits the most, which is very convenient when it comes to providing direct space heating, resulting in the increase in building efficiency.

Others may argue that the best place to obtain highly concentrated quantities of solar energy are deserts and one major issue with having solar electric systems in deserts is the long distance it takes for the energy to be delivered to cities. Another serious matter is that there is not enough roof space. For instance, in cities, buildings are tightly packed together, resulting in them having rooftops proportionally small to the space they occupy. Consequently, the size of photovoltaic cells must be minimized so will its energy production (Haugen 2008). However, solar cells do not have to be in rooftops because they can be placed on top of utility poles, street signs, or street lights, this way we can increase solar energy efficiency along with the installed panels in roof spaces.

Solar energy is convenient when it comes to efficiency because it provides a greater supply of energy compared with other sources. Furthermore, solar energy is easily accessible solely because there are no significant challenges that can be encountered throughout the process of gathering solar energy as it can be collected anywhere at any time of the year, making it widely accessible for everyone. Another benefit is the decrease in the production cost of solar energy due the significant growth in the solar industry and the further research on ways that could maximize its production at lower costs. All in all, with solar energy, there will be nothing to fear of in the coming years.

Works Cited

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “Solar Energy Can Effectively Provide Electricity.” Global Resources, edited by David M. Haugen, Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/EJ3010139273/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=39b5f2fd. Accessed 25 Oct. 2018. Originally published as “Myths About Solar Electricity,” nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/32529.pdf, Jan. 2003.
• Hamer, Glenn. “The Use of Solar Energy Should Be Increased.” What Energy Sources Should Be Pursued?, edited by Stuart A. Kallen, Greenhaven Press, 2005. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/EJ3010331209/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=9c678fcc. Accessed 25 Oct. 2018. Originally published as “Solar Power 2002,” World & I, vol. 17, June 2002.
• Hayden, Howard C. “Solar Energy Is Inefficient and Impractical.” Global Resources, edited by David M. Haugen, Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/EJ3010139274/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=a2c64705. Accessed 25 Oct. 2018. Originally published in The Solar Fraud: Why Solar Energy Won’t Run the World, Vales Lake Publishing, LLC, 2004, pp. 181-207.
• “Alternative energy sources.” Environmental Encyclopedia, edited by Deirdre S. Blanchfield, Gale, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/CV2644150058/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=64394a2a. Accessed 25 Oct. 2018.
• “Renewable Energy.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3010999388/OVIC?u =cuny_centraloff&xid=e5da7750. Accessed 28 Feb. 2018.

Reflection Paper

The process of creating a position paper is different from an informative review paper because the process of conveying information is generally different as in a position paper a position is taken, there is no neutrality so you will have to make go back and forth between concessions and counterarguments but you will assure that your argument is being supported with enough evidences in order to build a strong foundation for the issue you are arguing. Since you are convincing, there will not be any need to be highly informative because a position paper has the purpose to generate support on a known issue or one that is currently under debate. The audience in a position paper is mainly primary because the audience may have prior knowledge of the issue and understands it well because most position paper’s readers are biased as they have strong fixed views on a certain topic. The genre of a position paper is more on the biased side as you are supposed to support a position. The stance should be formal in order to remain as general as possible. The design of this position paper followed the APA format and should include at least one visual image on the cover page. The exigence of my paper’s topic was based on the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels and the production of greenhouse gases through increased use of solar energy and the key issue was that there was not enough roof space to install solar cells which will minimize its energy production. The strategy used to make concessions and counterarguments is the use of key words and phrases such as however, nevertheless, etc. For instance, “the production cost can be a bit too pricy for most users because it nearly costs four dollars a watt and for a system that produces up to 1,000 watts, the total installation cost turns out to be about $4,000 (Blanchfield 2011). Nevertheless, these prices seem to be lower than those in 2004 when PV cost was $7-$10 per watt.” I found the sources that I had to retrieve myself using one of CCNY’s library database called Opposing Viewpoints which provides useful and suitable sources for a position paper, and I chose these sources because they provided interesting information that could potentially serve as a strong foundation to my topic. The strategy I used to identify the motivating issues in the scholarly sources was the annotation and underlining of important aspects about the issue proposed. The collaborative and social aspects of this assignment helped me prevent possible mistakes and gave me an idea of what key aspects I should include on my paper. I used the hand-outs given in class to understand better what solar energy is which made the assignment less difficult and time consuming. Lastly, a piece of evidence from my writing that support any of these claims is the following, “Consequently, the size of photovoltaic cells must be minimized so will its energy production (Haugen 2008).” This proves that I did actually use outside secondary sources.

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