Allocation of Funds in the DOE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Allocation of Funds in the DOE - Essay Example This document will show the reasons for the re-allocation of the monies toward viable sources of energy, and will also outline the importance of energy conservation as a tool in adjusting from hydrocarbon fuel sources to the alternative energy source formats. Current Distribution of Funds, in millions, for 2011 Projected Distribution of Funds, in millions, for 2012 $100M Nuclear Energy $100M Nuclear Energy $145M Fossil Fuels $45M Fossil Fuels, until projected phase-out $75M Alternative Energy Sources ($40M for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells) ($90M for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells) ($15M for Solar Energy) ($10M for Wind) ($25M for Wind) ($10M for Biomass) ($0 for Water Power) ($40M for Water Power) $30M Energy Conservation and Weatherization $50M Energy Conservation and Weatherization Our planet is in crisis. We are technologically more advanced than ever, but our advancement comes at a price. We need to face the reality that our energy consumption is far exceeding the fuel resources we are using to sustain our lifestyle. Wood, coal, petroleum - each resource we have employed since we discovered how to turn energy into power has become a part of the global problem which it is now too late to solve: how do we save our planet from ourselves? In reviewing the alternatives for energy sources and the technologies currently exploring those alternatives it is my recommendation, based upon the book The End of Oil by Paul Roberts, that the following areas merit the bulk of the available funds: Energy Conservation and Weatherization, Nuclear Energy, and of the alternative energy sources that have been explored, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. The abundance of a given resource is a deciding factor in determining which technologies merit funding. The question is which resource will carry us the farthest, making it the most worthy of investment? Let us consider the merits of the various resources, starting with coal, which falls under the category of fossil fuels. Coal was literally the corner stone of the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the last century. (27, Roberts) However, in the twenty-first century, with a century of pollution having adulterated our environment, Roberts points out that we have no choice but to consider cleaner sources of energy. Coal did, however, replace wood as an energy source, and it was able to achieve a technological leap previously impossible with wood: â€Å"Newcomen’s engine took the process one step further, by converting the heat energy from combustion into the physical, or mechanical, energy of work.† (28) Still, as a renewable energy source, it is found lacking. Coal and other fossil fuels are finite resources, making them unworthy of further financial investment. The Department of Energy is hereby charged with managing the re-allocation of funds to renewable sources of energy. The Department of Energy must also utilize the re-allocated funds in the Energy Conservation category to maximum advantage, for the following reason: â€Å"Changing our energy sources has historically been a highly disruptive process.† (15, author) This is to say that whenever people have negotiated the transition from one energy source to another, the change is slow to take effect because the existing technology works best with the resources currently