For this assignment, we had to watch a video called Power Surge, which a segment that addresses mainly the energy crisis and its potential solution. After watching it, we had to talk about the solutions that are proposed, whether or not I agreed with them, and finally, how accurate is the information given throughout the video.
First of all, I have to point out the fact that I liked approach of this video better than the one from An Inconvenient Truth. This video has a more positive appeal to it. Although they talk about people’s massive carbon emissions, it focuses more on the existent solutions to resolve the energy crisis. Moreover, everyone who they interviewed seemed to have a positive attitude towards this problem.
On the video, many solutions are proposed to solve the energy crisis. I thought it was clever how the professor from Princeton University designed the triangle game. He says that the problem of this crisis relies on the difference between the pollution we plan to emit and the one that we are already emitting, which is 7 billion tons. Although some people say there are no feasible solutions to this problem, he assures that there are actually 15. So what his game intends is to find the perfect combination of 7 smaller solution than combined together will solve this crisis. For that reason, he built various fragments of the triangle that can be distinguished by color. The green is for efficiency like having cars with 60 mpg, the yellow is for solar energy, the red is for tripling nuclear power, and the blue is for cleaning coal plants bearing carbon emissions. Ultimately, depending on the conditions of each country is up to them to figure out the best combination.
The game gave a more general idea of what the solution should be. However, in the video more specific solutions to the problem are explained. For instance, they talk about this technique that uses a material that emulates plants in the sense that they can capture CO2 as well, and also, because it is positioned in a way that it actually looks like a plant. Furthermore, in the video they of course talk about photovoltaic cells as a solution. Mainly, they focused on the production of this type of cells in China, where there is even a city that is chiefly powered by solar power.
As another solution, they feel that it would be more beneficial to invest in technologies that would payoff in practical solutions such like doubling the amount of these technologies by 2035. Also, in areas such as transportation where they can develop biofuel-powered, hydrogen-powered and electricity-powered vehicle technologies even more. In addition, they talked about other solutions that I didn’t care much about. For example, the one involving the engineered yeast that could be used as fuel. However, I did feel that the solution regarding developing new nuclear power plants was a very good alternative to this problem.
Before watching this video, I have to admit that I was impartial to nuclear power. When I thought of renewable or alternative energies, I felt that solar power was the way to go. However, having watched this has been an eye-opening experience for me. I realized that the benefits of having nuclear power plants surpass greatly any bad consequences their usage might have. Therefore, I definitely agree that nuclear power should be considered as one of the main means to obtain clean energy. On the other hand, I disagree with some of the solutions they talked about in the video like the one involving the yeast and the beer simply because they seem too complicated and expensive at the same time. As well as in the case of the material that captures CO2. Although I do feel this would be a more feasible option, I don’t think this is something that can’t help us solve our problems right now as nuclear or solar power would.
Lastly, although I can’t call myself an expert in energy or anything related by any means, I do feel that lately I’ve gained more knowledge in this particular matter. For that reason, I can say that the information given in this energy segment feels more accurate that in An Inconvenient Truth because it is properly presented, and not put in a way that just scares people off. Moreover, their approach seems more realistic than in other things I’ve read or read. I feel that by presenting this problem in a simple and concise way, without resorting to any tricks, people will be more drawn to it, and it will react to he issue even more.
Here’s the link to the video if anyone is interested in watching.
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