Making the Fossil Fuel Industry Change Its Ways
Energy is defined as the capacity to do physical work, that is the power to exert a force that makes an object move. Despite the seemingly difficult definition, its meaning is quite simple: energy is simply the energy that makes things move. If you were to pull a string with your hand and let it hang, if you let it fall, you would exert the energy required to let the string go down. In physics, energy is the only thing that makes things go around and everything that moves is energy.
All forms of energy are nothing more than potential energy. Potential energy is energy that can be converted into actual energy. Kinetic energy is energy that is radiated or otherwise transferred between bodies. These forms of energy are actually the result of the movement of masses of matter from their original state to a final state of vibration or complete rest. The sun’s energy, for example, is a form of electromagnetic energy and is always being radiated out into space, while the sound created by a hurricane is nonrenewable kinetic energy that has been stored in the ground and will be harnessed someday.
There are a variety of different types of renewable energy sources, including hydropower dams, geothermal sources, tidal waves, solar panels, and fossil fuels. While many of these sources of energy are geologically predictable in their distribution and generation over time, there are exceptions such as the energy sources derived from fossil fuels. This form of energy is geologically uncertain and therefore could potentially be exhausted in the near future. Although we currently rely on coal as a primary source of nonrenewable energy, which will ultimately run out in the near future, there are other reliable sources of renewable energy such as wind and solar power that will only become more prevalent in the years to come.
In order for us to continue relying on nonrenewable forms of energy, we must make changes at the governmental level to encourage the development and use of renewable energy sources. One excellent start would be to lower the tax rate for those who purchase a hybrid car. Most individuals would rather pay a slightly higher tax rate for an energy efficient car than for a more costly energy efficient fuel-efficient car that they would have paid much less for if the tax had not been lowered. By subsidizing the production of renewable energy sources at the municipal, state, and federal levels, we can provide incentives for individuals to invest in renewable energy vehicles.
Another way to increase the potential energy available in our surroundings is through the implementation of technology that converts potential energy into kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy that an object possesses if it is trying to move with a certain momentum or speed. Potential energy can be converted from chemical energy into electrical energy simply by applying a constant force, such as by pulling a string, a rubber band, or a spring. Kinetic energy can also be converted from kinetic energy obtained from rotating or moving parts such as wheels to an electric current, which can then be used for things such as telephones, calculators, light bulbs, and personal electronic gadgets.
It has been my belief that one form of energy accounts for about eighty percent of the energy utilized by the entire planet. This energy is known as zero-point energy, and it accounts for the decay of absolutely everything, whether it is a rock, a mineral, an animal, or a person. The idea behind zero-point energy has been around since at least quantum physics was first discovered, but it is only recently that we have learned how to harness this energy and make it accessible for practical purposes on a planetary scale. While the ultimate potential for mankind to convert all available natural energy resources into zero-point energy has not yet been realized, current efforts by humanity are certainly a step in that direction, and I hope that we can one day achieve the goal of producing energy on a planetary scale using nothing more than free energy devices such as solar cells, wind turbines, and other such technologies.