United States' Untapped Alternative Energy Sources

United States consumes over 20 billion barrels of oil per day. United States consumes more oil than any other country in the world. That amount of oil consumption is staggering, especially when oil is a non-renewable resource. Burning of fossil fuels has also been attributed to global warming. While United States has the highest oil consumption, United States also possesses a large amount of alternative energy sources.

United States produces a large amount of geothermal energy. Geothermal Education Center stated, "The United States alone produces 2700 megawatts of electricity from geothermal energy, electricity comparable to burning sixty million barrels of oil each year." Over the last year, geothermal projects in America grew even further. According to the American-German Business News, "Geothermal power projects grew 46% in 2009." American-German Business News also stated that geothermal powering is being used by, "include Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nev.; ACT based in Iowa City, Iowa and NASA's new Ames Research Center in the San Francisco Bay area." Geothermal is just one alternative power source being produced by America.

United States is also a large producer of hydroelectric power. USGS described the top hydroelectric power generating countries as, "China is the largest producer of hydroelectricity, followed by Canada, Brazil, and the United States." Currently, the United States produces about 7% of its energy from hydroeclectric power; however, hydroelectric power is still largely untapped. USGS explained that 2/3 of the United States hydroelectric capacity has yet to be tapped.

United States' geography also makes it ideal for producing wind power. United States contains large mountain ranges that lead down into valleys and plains. Such geography is great for producing large amounts of wind. In fact, one United States city is run exclusively by wind power. Rock Port Missouri is the first United States town to be run completely from wind power. Science Daily reported, "Rock Port Missouri, with a population of just over 1,300 residents, has announced that it is the first 100% wind powered community in the United States."

Discussion about alternative energy sources is only beginning. As scientists learn more about global warming and dwindling oil supplies, the need for alternative energy sources will only increase. Often, alternative energy discussions turn to developing new sources such as biofuels. However, the discussion should also include fully tapping into current alternative energy sources. Alternative energy sources such as geothermal, hydroelectric power, and wind power are not fully tapped. These sources can make further contributions to ending the global energy crisis.

References

Consumption (most recent) by country. NationMaster.com. Retrieved on March 16, 2010 from http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_oil_con-energy-oil-consumption

Rock Port, Missouri, First 100 Percent Wind-Powered Community In U.S. Science Daily. Retrieved on March 16, 2010 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715165441.htm

Hydroelectric power water use. USGS. Retrieved on March 16, 2010 from http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html

Geothermal Power Projects Grow 46% in 2009. American-German Business News. Retrieved on March 16, 2010 from http://americangermanbusinessnews.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/geothermal-power-projects-grow-46-in-2009/

Geothermal Energy Facts. Geothermal Education Office. Retrieved on March 16, 2010 from http://www.geothermal.marin.org/pwrheat.html#Q8