Electricity
Electricity as a power source has been around since the end of the 19th century and has been generally accepted as a boon to society. Electricity as a power source in cars offers several advantages over standard petroleum-based fuels and electricity produced by household power sources (wind, solar, water) offers homeowners a greener solution as well as possible added income. However, half of electricity produced in the United States comes from coal-based plants that release many toxic byproducts into the environment.
Advantages of Electricity in Automobiles
Electric Car
Electricity as a power source has been around since the invention of the automobile, but only in the last years of the 20th century has electricity started to make headway against standard petroleum-based fuels. The benefit of electricity as a power source is the absence of toxic chemicals released into the air, as opposed to standard gasoline and diesel engines which release high amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Advantages of Home-Produced Electricity
Electric Meter
As alternative energy buzz continues to spread across the country, more and more individuals are investing in "green" energy producers, such as solar, wind and water energy to produce electricity for their cars and homes. And one benefit of these individual systems is a program known as net metering where individual home power sources are tied into local electric power plants. If, after the home owner has produced enough energy (through solar or wind, etc.) to power his or her home, there is excess electricity produced, the power company will buy the excess energy to be absorbed and used by other houses elsewhere. According to a recent study by the Edison Electric Institute in 2006, 40 states had already adopted some kind of net metering program and the number of households utilizing this program is growing day by day.
The Disadvantages of Mass Electricity Production
Coal Plants
People who use electricity as a power source are not necessarily helping the environment because half of the electricity produced in the United States comes from power plants fueled by coal. According to author Paul Tullis in the January/February 2010 issue of "Sierra," the Navajo Generating Station in Arizona, which is a coal-fired electric plant, "spew[s] mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, and other substances that poison rivers and crops [...] throughout the Four Corners region," and release 20 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the air every year. Toxic pollution created by the Navajo station in one year is equivalent to the total annual emissions of 3 million cars.
