Baker 1

Jesse Baker

Wilson 2

AP Language and Composition

25 February 2011

Annotated Bibliography

Andersen, Glen. “The First Fuel”. State Legislatures Vol. 34, No. 3. March 2008: 12-15.

SIRS Researcher. Web. 06 Feb. 2011.

Andersen takes a different approach to addressing today’s energy problem.

Instead of advocating alternative energy, he advocates improving energy

efficiency. He uses statistics and citing of authority to show that unless we

actually cut our energy use, alternative energy sources will do us no good. He

claims that if we take simple measures such as turning off light bulbs or using

more efficient lights, sustainable energy sources will be more useful while

they are still being researched. This article may not have a specific place in

my argument, but it provides me with statistics of energy use and projected

energy use over the next few years. It seems to me, however, that reducing

energy use in our world today is hardly plausible.

Brinkman, Matt and Tanya Martella. “A Winning Combination: Government and

Utilities Partner on Renewable Energy Projects.” Power 154.12 (2010): 66-

70. Science & Technology Collection. EBSCO. Web. 9 Feb. 2011

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This article is important because it covers just what the title suggests. The

authors begin by explaining government mandates that require companies to

increase their use of renewable energy sources and follow this with a chart of

data that includes the projected renewable energy percentage increases over

the next few years by state. The authors see these government mandates as

being very important because it effectively increases the use of safe

alternative energy sources and creates a sort of contract between the

government, utility companies, and third party investors. This article is

important to my argument because the chart provides good logical evidence

that suggests the increase of alternative energy in the future. Also, the

author’s ideas about government becoming involved in advancements in

energy can be used to support my thesis that alternative energy sources need

to be pursued in America as soon as possible.

“Business and Industry Review.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia

Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 6

Feb. 2011.

Although this article is from 1996, it provides a good background on the

origins of alternative energy sources before the 21st century. This article

simply breaks fuels in 1996 into sections such as petroleum, coal, nuclear,

natural gas, and alternative energy sources. It then goes in depth in

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describing each one and the amount of each used in 1996 based on statistics

and provides predictions for future energy use. This article is helpful because

it gives be background on my topic and I can also use these statistics from

1996 to compare to statistics on energy consumption I have attained from

other sources.

Cowley, Steve and Chris Llewllyn Smith. “The Path to Fusion Power”. Philosophical

Transactions of the Royal Society A. 368.1914 (2010): 1091-1108. Print.

This article extensively outlines the status of fusion power in America, the

progress that is being made, and the challenges that face that progress. The

authors go into great detail describing the principles of physics that go into

fusion such as the breaking down of atoms for example. The article also

offers evidence that fusion energy works (the Joint European Torus in 1997)

and goes on to explain that the challenge is to make it work reliably on a

large scale. The article also includes very detailed diagrams and pictures that

outline the process of nuclear fusion that can be very helpful. The arguments

contained in this article will be very important to my thesis because the data

included supports the idea that fusion is ready to take over as an energy

source once a few challenges are overcome. I also intend to use the diagrams

in my argument to show the process of fusion.

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“Energy Conversion.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online

School Edition. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 6 Feb. 2011.

This article is rather long but it essentially outlines every step in the process

of energy conversion. In other words, it explains how energy made by a wind

turbine for example can be converted into electrical energy in our house. It

outlines these processes with a series of formulas and data from several

experiments that demonstrate the efficiency of each form of alternative

energy. This article is important to my argument because knowing the

efficiency of each form of alternative energy will aid me in arguing which

ones should be pursued first and foremost and which energy sources can be

put aside for now.

Jeffries Elisabeth. “Energy Efficiency, Rediscovered.” World Watch (Vol 22, No. 1).

Jan/Feb 2009:22 SIRS Researcher. Web. 09 Feb. 2011.

In this article, Jeffries shows how energy problems in South Africa will cause

blackouts during the 2010 World Cup. She then describes the troubles of

South Africa’s main energy company, Eskom. She explains that the energy

demands in South Africa are increasing much more rapidly than its supply.

As a result, Eskom’s customers have to limit their electrical use to avoid

losing power. This article is important to my argument because it provides a

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real-life example of the energy problems we are experiencing today. It also

reveals the effects those problems are having on society.

Kerr, David. “Marine Energy” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A

365.1853 (2007): 971-992. Print.

This article outlines developments made in marine energy over the past few

decades. It first outlines how marine energy is created and shows positive

aspects of it such as it being renewable, carbon-free, and environmentally

friendly. However, the article addresses problems such as the location of

marine energy plants, which are mostly far away from large cities or where

the energy is needed. Also, long-term performance of marine energy is

questionable. This article will allow me to address a counterargument

(marine energy) in a respectable light, while also giving me the facts

necessary to prove that nuclear fusion energy is a better alternative.

Krauss, Clifford. “The Energy Challenge: A Longstanding Promise”. New York Times

(New York, NY). Jan. 25 2007: C1+. SIRS Researcher. Web. 09 Feb. 2011.

This article shows the ways in which the U.S. is not moving toward a future

where energy is more efficient and environmentally friendly. Krauss argues

that the U.S. is researching environmentally friendly energy sources, but

most of the money is still invested in environmentally harmful resources. He

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begins by recalling the founding of the National Renewable Energy

laboratory in Colorado 30 years ago by President Carter. He then explains

that government spending focused toward this lab has not increased over the

last 30 years. He continues the article by relating alternative forms of energy

to the Bush administration, using statistics to show that Bush is all talk with

respect to alternative energy. Krauss concludes by claiming that Bush simply

doesn’t want to spend the money it would take to increase solar and wind

energy in America. This article is important to my argument because it

provides an intro and background for my point of view, which is that the U.S.

needs to increase spending in alternative energy areas as soon as possible.

The statistics used in this article are very supportive of a shift to alternative

energy.

Leithead, W.E. “Wind Energy” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A

365.1853 (2007): 957-970. Print.

This article discusses the developments regarding wind energy that have

been made over the last few decades and explores what wind energy can

provide us with in the future. The article’s thesis is that wind energy is one of

the most important forms of alternative energy. It attempts to prove this

with an overview of technology and presenting several statistics, like the US

Department of Energy’s goal of having wind energy supple 6% of the nation’s

energy by 2020. However, the article does discuss multiple challenges that
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wind energy faces such as public acceptance, technical issues, and

environmental impact. Although this article strongly advocates wind energy

as a renewable energy source, I plan to use it in my argument to show that

wind energy is less capable of providing our nation with energy than is

nuclear fusion. The challenges mentioned and the statistic that is may only

supply 6% of our nation’s energy by 2020 will contribute to the

counterargument.

National Atlas of the United States. Nationalatlas.gov. USA.gov, 2011. Web. 9 Feb.

2011

This article doesn’t exactly make an argument, but it provides very good

background information on all of the forms of alternative energy being

pursued in the U.S. The article provides a short explanation of what

renewable energy is, and then divides it up into hydropower, wind power,

solar power, geothermal power, and biomass power. In each section, the

form of energy is explained as well as its pros and cons and where it can be

pursued in America. It provides many pictures to show each form of energy

“in action”. This article may not be cited directly in my argument, but it

definitely helped me get a grasp on all the various forms of alternative

energy.

P.P. Edwards, V.L. Kuznetsov, and David, W.I.F. “Hydrogen Energy” Philosophical

Transactions of the Royal Society A 365. 1853 (2007) : 1043-1056. Print.

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This article discusses the pros and cons of hydrogen energy, or fission.

Fission is like nuclear fusion, but the process works in the opposite direction.

The authors use multiple diagrams and statistics to demonstrate the

effectiveness of hydrogen energy, which is projected to be used in cars. The

many challenges to hydrogen energy outlined in the article makes it very

easy to argue against hydrogen energy in my argument. I plan to use this

article in my argument in order to deal with the counterargument of

hydrogen energy while still addressing it in a neutral manner.

“Renewable Energy.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online

School Edition. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 6 Feb. 2011.

This article is short but outlines the decline of fossil fuels and the growth of

renewable fuels in the 21st century. For example, the article notes that fossil

fuels provide 80% of our fuel, but have a number of negative side effects such

as environmental impacts. On the contrary, renewable energy sources

provide 20% of our resources but that percentage is quickly rising whether it

be wind energy, photovoltaic energy, nuclear energy, or any other form of

alternative energy. This article probably won’t have a specific place in my

essay but it instead gives me a good idea of what my thesis is going to be.
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Thinnes, Billy. “Growing the Fuel Pool”. Hydrocarbon Processing 89.12 (2010): 13.

Science & Technology Collection. EBSCO. Web. 9 Feb. 2011

This article begins by explaining why zero carbon fuels are necessary and

includes information on all the American legislation regarding new fuels. The

body of the article is packed with statistics and hard evidence, including

citations from experts. The article concludes with an explanation of

greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on our natural environment. This

article is important to my argument because it includes ethanol supply

statistics and also demonstrates an example of an advocate of alternative

energy and why alternative energy is important.

Unknown. “Renewable Energy Consumption and Electricity 2006 Statictics”

Renewable Energy Consumption and Electricity Preliminary 2006 Statistics.

Aug. 2007 : 1-9. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 06 Feb. 2011.

This article is mainly just a compilation of statistics in lists and bar and pie

graphs which show the increase or decrease in uses of specific types of

renewable energy from 2002 to 2006. Overall, the data indicates that the

renewable energy consumption increased by 7% during 2006 and that in

2007 the renewable energy plants will increase from 95 to 110. These data

are very important to my argument because they offer reliable logos that

support my argument. I also plan to use one of the graphs in my argument.

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Wald, Matthew. “Edging Back to Nuclear Power”. New York Times 22 April 2010,

New York ed.: F1. Print.

This article argues that fusion power is the most reliable source of

alternative energy for the future by citing authority and using statistics to

support fusion and to address counterarguments (other forms of alternative

energy). For example, the article mentions that nuclear fusion provides 70%

of carbon-free energy and that 62% of Americans favor nuclear fusion.

Deaths cause by wind energy, coal mining, or hydroelectric power plants are

mentioned to address those counterarguments, and it is stated that there

have been no deaths due to nuclear power plants in the last decade in the U.S.

This article, like “The Path to Fusion Power will assist me in addressing

counterarguments in my argument and also in explaining the benefits of

nuclear fusion.