Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

Bioenergy power plantsWind farmSmall solar-cellpower plantsRooftop solarcellarraysFuel cellsSolar-cellrooftopsystemsTransmissionand distributionsystemCommercialResidentialSmall windturbineIndustrialMicroturbinesFigure 18-32 Solutions: decentralized power system in which electricity is produced by a large number ofdispersed, small-scale micropower systems. Some would produce power on site and others would feed thepower they produce into a conventional electrical distribution system. Over the next few decades, many energyand financial analysts expect a shift to this type of power system.decentralization to dispersed, small-scale micropowersystems that generate 1–10,000 kilowatts (Figure 18-32).This shift from centralized macropower to dispersed micropoweris analogous to the computer industry’s shiftfrom large centralized mainframes to increasinglysmaller, widely dispersed PCs, laptops, and handheldcomputers.Figure 18-33 (p. 406) lists some of the advantagesof decentralized micropower systems over traditionalmacropower systems. The potential for financial gainby companies and investors in micropower systems ishuge, with a $10 trillion market projected by 2018. Decentralizedmicropower systems could also work wellfor 1.7 billion people in isolated villages in developingcountries.18-10 A SUSTAINABLE ENERGYSTRATEGYWhat Roles Will Economics and PoliticsPlay in Our Energy Future? RewardsPay OffGovernments can use a combination of subsidies,tax breaks, and taxes to promote or discourage useof various energy alternatives.To most analysts the key to making a shift to more sustainableenergy resources and societies is economicsand politics. Governments can use two basic economicand political strategies to help stimulate or discourageuse of a particular energy resource.http://biology.brookscole.com/miller14405