Michigan's Energy Ashley D

Where does Michigan's energy come from right now? Gas Nuclear Coal Wind Geo thermal These energy sources are the top five.

What I think the percentages for Michigan's energy should be 25% should be Hydro power. 25% should be wind. 25%should be gas 25% should be Active solar.

Hydro power I think we should use hydro power because we have a lot of lakes in Michigan. The lakes would be a great place to set it up at. Advantages about using this system would be that we are not contributing to air pollution or any green house gasses. This would be very simple and easy once you get it going it does not need much maintenance. Some disadvantages are that it may effect ecology if set up wrong could cause environmental problems.

Wind I think we should start using more wind because its re-usable and friendly to the environment. This system has inexpensive maintenance and operating. The space needed isn't very large and can have scales from small to big. Some disadvantages are that the turbines are not cheap the turbine may kill a bird or be in a migration path.

Gas Transporting gas is cheap and easy, there is a large supply in the US and increasingly is used for energy. We already heat houses and buildings with it, however it is not eco-friendly. The bad thing about gas is that gas takes millions of years to make and drilling extractions can cause serious problems. It produces pollutants such as carbon dioxide. Once we run out of gas we cant get any more.

Active Solar If we could use active solar 25% it will reduce house hold energy costs used to heat water and heating systems. The maitentence costs are extremely low too. Some disadvantages are that it may involve you to power a pump witch could cost some money.

Why I Think Michigan should invest in these resources I think Michigan should invest in these resources that I picked because ¾ of the energy is eco friendly and re-usable. Gas is not, but I don’t think that we can just stop using it. The systems I picked are perfect to go in Michigan's environment. Hydro power is good because we have so many lakes. Wind is a good choice because it wouldn’t take much room and we have some windy days. Active solar is perfect because mostly everyday is sunny even when it snows! That is why I think we should invest in these types of energy.

Citing my sources http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/hydropower-plant.htm http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/hydro/ http://www.discover-eu.com/water-reservoir-provence.html http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/china-now-the-world-leader-in-wind-power.html http://unination.com/ http://www.prlog.org/10515951-gas-boiler-load-optimisation-controls-can-rectify-dry-cycling-and-reduce-energy-costs-by-25.html http://biofuels-energy.com/2011/07/19/natural-gas-energy/ http://www.top-alternative-energy-sources.com/active-solar-energy.html http://www.invitinghome.com/green-design/green-design_solar-energy.htm http://www.solarforyourhome.co.uk/active-solar-energy/ http://windenergy1.com/?p=5 http://www.eere.energy.gov/topics/wind.html http://ecopolitology.org/2010/08/20/new-jersey-to-take-lead-in-offshore-wind-energy/