On my drive to the cabin where I spent the last three weeks, I spent several hours among hills dotted with windmills. All through the California countryside, I was mesmerized by their gentle motion, a continuous circular whoop.
At said cabin, a set of solar panels stood affixed before the pond, powering the entirety of my one-bedroom temporary home. They sparkled in the sunlight and provided continuous power well into the night, even on non-stop cloudy days.
It has me thinking about alternate energy — and the opportunities we have for the future.
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Traditional Energy: Coal, Oil and Gas. When I was in Ohio, I saw firsthand how support of the traditional energy industry (coal, oil and gas) completely revitalized small towns. These towns were dying, one man told me. There were no jobs, no money — and now look at it.
Turning to his face to the blue sky, he closed his eyes: God bless President Trump.
Critics say that these traditional energy sources are harmful for the environment. They’re not viable in the long run, I was told, as they are continuously depleted by how much we use. We have the technology to shift into other forms of energy, one man told me, but no one will do it. Why would they give up now, when they’re making money hand over fist?
Those in favor, on the other hand, say that there is far more available than critics want you to believe. All that talk about it running out, one man in West Virginia told me, is nonsense. We have more available than we can possibly need. A man in New York pointed out how the industry employs hundreds of people in the area — people who would be without jobs if the industry went another direction.
Wind Energy. In Texas, Oklahoma, California and all through the country, I have come across miles of windmills dotting the countryside. The gentle whoop during the day, the flashing red lights through the night, illustrate energy in constant collection.
Those against wind energy say that they are expensive to produce and not as effective as traditional energy sources. They’re ugly and they’re loud, one woman from Oklahoma told me in disgust. A company wanted to put one on the corner of her property — acres away from her home — and she feared being able to hear the constant whoop through the night.
Supporters, on the other hand, say that these mills have several benefits. They provide a cleaner source of energy, I was told, that can be gathered through both day and night. The fields themselves create dozens of new jobs, both in building the mills and in continued maintenance, for years to come.
Solar Energy. I met a man from Kentucky who told me about a solar field that was being built, right in the middle of coal country. The field, he said, was funded by thousands of dollars from a Japanese company — and it was bringing in thousands of dollars to the local economy, while opening up jobs for local workers.
Critics say that solar panels could not possibly produce the amount of energy we need to power the country. They take up too much space, a man from West Virginia told me. They’re too expensive, and it’s not realistic, one from Oklahoma said.
Those in favor, on the other hand, point out the opportunities for more jobs…possibly even jobs building the panels right here in the United States. The sun emits more energy in a single hour than we could use in a year, one man told me. We just need a way to capture it — and that means the industry has to change.
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So where do we go from here? It would take a massive overhaul to change the way we handle energy in this country — a significant output in expenses and innovation.
But does that mean it’s not worth pursuing? After all, changing direction could provide even more jobs, both in implementation and in maintenance, for long into the future.
Why not get started now, before traditional energy sources become nonviable and it’s a race against time?
