Powering A Generation

The usage of power has become so extensive that the lives of men would be greatly affected without it. According to the World Bank, electric power consumption in the Philippines was last measured at 61,496,000,000 (kWh) in 2011. In 1879, Thomas Edison was able to create the first incandescent light bulb. By 1935, the Rural Electric Administration was created to bring electricity to rural areas. At the start of the 21st century, the transmission system developed into a truly interconnected network with more than 150,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines. According to Brown, electric transmission is receiving more attention than ever, not only because of recent blackouts. The goal of today’s politically charged debate about transmission is to determine how to use a combination of technology and policy to shore up the weak sections of the network.


The technological benefits of electricity are endless. It is cost effective, easy to produce, and easily stored. According to Benefit Of, fuels like hydrogen have the tendency to pre-ignite if not stored under proper conditions, thus posing danger to people and places where they are stored. Alternative sources of fuels like electricity are produced at power plants and supplied for domestic and industrial use. There is no risk associated with storing electricity. Almost all countries have the requisite technology for producing electricity. No country therefore needs to bear obligations and costs associated with purchasing a source of energy from other countries.With mobile phones, tablets, and computers, communication became faster and more efficient. Electricity has improved transportation. Diesel was once used to run trains, but to improve the speed and to reduce smoke, diesel and steam engines were replaced with electric engines. Electric cars are being developed to lessen carbon emissions. Food is a lot faster to produce due to agricultural, manufacturing, and packaging machinery. The causes of many diseases are being identified using equipment like scanning machines and x-rays. With the computer generated images, the doctor can view the organs and diagnose the disease. These contributes a lot in increasing the life span of human beings.


In order to produce electricity, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal is needed. According to DLIST Benguela, The combustion of fossil fuels releases various gases that are hazardous to the environment and the atmosphere. During combustion it gives off carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the main greenhouse gas that is linked with global warming. It produces emissions such as sulfur, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury, which can pollute the air and water. Sulfur mixes with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide (SO2), a chemical that can affect trees and water when it combines with moisture to produce acid rain. Emissions of nitrogen oxide help create smog, and also contribute to acid rain. Mercury that is released into the air eventually settles in water. This mercury in the water can build up in fish and shellfish, and can be harmful to animals and people who eat them. Although governments of the world are establishing various environmental laws and policies that are targeting the prevention of the impacts of burning fossil fuels, their use is still detrimental to the extent that it is contributing to global climate change.


Bagyong Ondoy_ID2


References:
Brown, M. (2004, June). Electricity Transmission National Council on Electricity Policy
  Retrieved August 2, 2015, from http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/oeprod/DocumentsandMedia/primer.pdf

Trading Economics.
  Retrieved August 2, 2015, from http://www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/electric-power-consumption-kwh-wb-data.html

Energy Sources: What are the Pros and Cons.
  Retrieved August 2, 2015, from http://www.dlist.org/burning-issues/energy-sources-what-are-the-pros- and-cons