Group 8 has chosen to cover the topic of oil dependence and renewable energy solutions. Our plan right now is to have the white paper address how these renewable energy solutions can reduce our dependence on oil. The topic of renewable energy is a broad spectrum which ranges from some of the most simple solutions to the rather complex. The subtopics we will cover in the report, including pros and cons, will encompass wind power, water power, solar power, nuclear power and smart-grid technologies. In these sub-topics, pros, cons, and currently implemented system examples will be discussed.
According to the government website Fueleconomy.gov, the United States imports over half of our oil, causing corruption, more pollution, and unnecessarily high gas prices. Water power, including waterwheels, hydroelectricity, dam-less hydro, and tidal power, only accounts for a little over 6% of the total United States electricity generation. Using the mechanical energy obtained by the movement of water, even the smallest of these devices can generate upwards of 500 MWh each year. The power of the sun can be collected on panels of solar cells and converted to electricity for our use. According to the HowStuffWorks website, the “sun shines approximately 1,000 watts of energy per square meter of the planet’s surface,…” Wind power most commonly includes turbines that generate energy by harnessing the wind. These turbines have blades that are shaped in order to be easily rotated by the wind. The turning is ultimately connected to a generator that is responsible for creating the subsequent energy. Today, one of the most widely used forms of renewable energy in the United States is nuclear power, accounting for more than 20%, 100,000 MWh, of our electricity. Instead of using coal-burning to heat water to drive a turbine generator, nuclear power plants heat the water by the process of nuclear fission, or the splitting of atoms. The Department of Energy website talks about smart-grid technologies and their future in the United States. In short, the term smart-grid refers to the efficient functioning of the energy system that will deliver service more affordable with less of an environmental impact. The proposal will cover simple explanations, including pros and cons of each of these topics.
The primary audience for our white paper will be political leaders that we would be trying to garner support from for the increased use of alternative energy. Our secondary audience will probably be the general public that would benefit from these alternative energy solutions. As a group, we decided possible tertiary readers could be some oil companies or renewable energy companies that might be reading the white paper. The gatekeepers for our paper would more than likely be the government officials or legislators that are reviewing the subject.
Potential sources of research for the entire project will definitely include the Department of Energy website because it is definitely considered a creditble source. Because of the context of how important renewable energy is in today's society, we will also be reviewing both opinionated and unbiased news print, including books, magazines, and several web sources that are available to us.
The design of our white paper will be very straight forward. We will be focusing on how these alternative energy sources can reduce our dependence on oil. Brief explanations of each topic will be presented, along with positives and possible drawbacks. Technical specifications will be given when they are needed. We plan to allow the reader to understand the technical information by presenting it in comparison to common technology and the use of analogies. Another important aspect that we plan to include is the amount of money that can be saved and dangerous emissions that can be eliminated. Effectively, convincing the general public will be a way of convincing the political leaders to take action.
Because this is an online class and many of us are loaded down with other project and coursework, the division of labor for this project will be complicated. Our team decided on each member of the group being responsible for one major milestone of the project. After a rough draft of each document is written, it will be posted on the google docs area and each member will add/remove things and edit the draft as they see fit. The idea behind dividing the labor this way is to keep each member involved in each step of the project, while not requiring us to get together in a computer lab and work.
re: Group 8 - White Paper Proposal
Overall, this seems like a very solid proposal. You are presenting competing options in an unbiased way to an audience that must select from among them. I'm not sure that the second paragraph is necessary in this document, but I think I have a solid idea of your topic and workflow.
The only thing that caught my eye as I was reading was this line: "The primary audience for our white paper will be political leaders that we would be trying to garner support from for the increased use of alternative energy." That's an OK place to begin, but you want your audience to be more specific. The situational needs and options to act at different levels of the government are very different. That is to say, world leaders can do some things, American federal policy makers can do others, state policy makers can do others, and municipal policy makers still others. Also, the situational needs of government officials in different areas are pertinent. Think of the different situations of China, Norway, and Brazil—or Alaska, Colorado, and Texas, for example. Some options simply won't make sense for them for one reason or another.
You should focus your primary audience more tightly, but otherwise this proposal looks good. I'm interested to see where it goes.