Similarities And Differences Between Solar And Wind Environmental Sciences Essay

Similarities And Differences Between Solar And Wind Environmental Sciences Essay At present, human beings are living in a society which is developing rapidly, facing a severe crisis of energy. As the population is increasing in a high speed, the ecological environment has been damaged by human activity. At the same time, with industry highly developed, the environment has been polluted seriously. Therefore, other alternative energies should be found instead of fossil fuels, which is green, efficient and renewable. Thus, people began to discover the importance of renewable energy sources, for instants, solar, biogas and water. In fact, the majority of renewable energy sources come from the solar energy, which means they can be exploited for centuries and even millennia. In this essay, wind energy and solar energy are put in a comparison. Both of them are clean energy and environmentally-friendly, although they differ in cost and efficiency. The first important similarity of wind energy and solar energy is that both of them are renewable. Solar energy is the most abundant energy resources that human can make use of. It is estimated that during the past thousands of years the sun consumes only 2% of its own energy (Duncan, 2002). In the next few billion years there will not be significant changes to the sun, so the sun can be used as a permanent source of energy. Likewise, wind energy is also unlimited. Because it is generated by air flow on the Earths surface. Wind is everywhere, no matter it is in the vast grasslands or mountains. Wind power can be extracted by wind mills. As the wind makes wheels rotating, it is changing the wind power into electric power. Obviously, these two kinds of energy both come from the nature, which are totally recycled. Another similarity is that both wind energy and solar energy cause almost no pollution to the environment. Compared to the environmental effects of traditional energy sources, the environmental effects of solar energy and wind energy are relatively minor. Coal, oil and other fossil fuels emit harmful gases and residue, while the use of solar energy will not bring about pollution. Moreover, it will not produce any adverse effects on the environment, which is a clean source of energy. Meanwhile, after the extensive use of solar energy, the temperature will be slightly increased, although this temperature will not cause adverse effects on the environment and the ecological balance (Friis-Christensen and Lassen, 1991). Wind power consumes no fuels, and emits no polluted air. Wind energy is abundant, almost endlessly used, widely distributed and clean. Furthermore, both of them dont produce carbon dioxide, which do not cause the greenhouse effect. All in all, both of them bring peace to t he environment. In spite of these similarities, wind energy and solar energy are different in some aspects. At present, the use of solar energy technologies has the disadvantage of high cost. Topfocus (2007) stated that the cost of generating electricity by solar power is about 7-12 times higher compared to the normal electricity, and 6-10 times higher compared that of generating electricity by wind power. Furthermore, in many rainy areas with short period of sunshine, it is very difficult to completely rely on solar power supply. This means unless there are a large number of solar panels or there is a more sophisticated solar energy technology, it is still difficult to produce a large number of power supplies to meet the daily needs. In addition, solar panels have a limited lifespan, which is about 10-20 years. This means the cost to deal with the technical problems is extremely high (Brignall, 2010). In contrast, the wind turbines have longer lifespan, although it requires a lot of land to build. As long as the turbines have been built, it can be used for hundreds of years. In the short term, the base costs of wind turbines are relatively cheap. (Alvesta, n.d.) Another difference exists in the efficiency. Using solar energy is more efficient than wind energy. According to Duncan (2000), about 70% of sun energy can be received by the earth. In order words, more power can be collected by the solar panels. Furthermore, the materials used on the solar panels are silicon, which has less resistance in the power generation process (Ffbing, 2009). Compared to the solar energy, wind energy has short effective time and need to be built near the sea. When wind power is transformed into electric power, the efficiency is only about 20 % (Chapo, 2006). In conclusion, after comparing solar energy and wind energy, both of them have advantages and disadvantages. The solar energy solve the problem that human will not afraid there are no energy to use. However, the technologies still need to improve. Using wind energy is cheaper and more direct, although it needs high technology to be more efficient. At present, Chinas environmental pollution problems highlight the fragility of ecosystems. A large number of mining and the use of fossil fuels make a great impact on the environment, especially in Chinas energy consumption structure. The high proportion of coal, carbon dioxide emissions growing faster, which has a great impact on climate change. Development and utilization of renewable energy plays an important role in optimizing energy structure and protecting the environment, which reduces greenhouse gas and cope with climate changes. In my opinion, the renewable energy will play an important role in peoples life and let human have a bet ter future.

Golden Screen Cinema

Both Golden Screen Cinema and TGV Cinema are been classified as click-and-mortar under the types of e-commerce organization. This is because both of Golden Screen Cinema and TGV Cinema are conducting some e-commerce activities but their primary business is still operating in physical world. For Golden Screen Cinema, users are first been requested to sign up an account on its official website (http://www. gsc. com. my/) before they can buy movie tickets online.After log in to Golden Screen Cinema website, user is able to select their preferable cinema, movie and date to either make reservation or purchase movie ticket. After users select their preference cinema, movie and date, the website will load into another page which request user to select type and amount of ticket and seats as well. After user completed the selecting process, user is provided two types of payment method which are either by direct debit or credit card. The entire process of purchase a Golden Screen Cinema movie ticket which listed above is through digital process.To collect the movie ticket, user is required to bring along their credit card which used to purchase the ticket online earlier, identity card and the confirmation ID for verification purpose and collect the ticket on counters. This show that the product sold, which is movie ticket is a physical product. Lastly, the intermediary which is the staff of Golden Screen Cinema who provides service to users at counters is counted physical agent. For TGV Cinema, user can purchase movie tickets on its official website (http://tgv. com. my/) without register an account.After confirmed customer confirmed the movie, show time, date, cinema and seats, they are require to provide name, email and contact number. TGV Cinema provides more payment options to users such as via paypal, ATM cards with Visa or MasterCard logo, iPay88, Maxis M-Money (Mobile) and more. After payment made, an email notification which contained the booking ID will be send to the customer’s email. The entire ticket purchasing process is physical process. After that, customer will need to collect their tickets from the counters.The product sold, which is ticket and the intermediary which is the staff at counters are classified under physical product and physical agent. Both Golden Screen Cinema and TGV Cinema are been classified as online direct marketing (virtual storefront) under e-commerce models. This is because both of them providing service which is allowing customer to purchase movie tickets online. This online purchasing process helps both companies to eliminate part of their selling process such as customer no longer need to line up to buy movie tickets and save the time of customer to get their movie tickets. This is useful especially during peak session.

1906 San Francisco Earthquake

At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, an estimated magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit San Francisco, lasting for approximately 45 to 60 seconds. While the earth rolled and the ground split, the wooden and brick buildings of San Francisco toppled. Within half an hour of the San Francisco earthquake, 50 fires had erupted from broken gas pipes, downed power lines, and overturned stoves.   The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires killed an estimated 3,000 people and left over half of the citys population homeless. Around 500 city blocks with 28,000 buildings were destroyed during this devastating natural catastrophe. The Earthquake Strikes San Francisco At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a foreshock hit San Francisco. However, it offered just a quick warning, for massive devastation was soon to follow. Approximately 20 to 25 seconds after the foreshock, the large earthquake hit. With the epicenter near San Francisco, the entire city was rocked. Chimneys fell, walls caved in, and gas lines broke. Asphalt that covered the streets buckled and piled up as the ground seemed to move in waves like an ocean. In many places, the ground literally split open. The widest crack was an incredible 28 feet wide. The quake ruptured a total of 290 miles of the Earths surface along the San Andreas Fault, from northwest of San Juan Bautista to the triple junction at Cape Mendocino. Though most of the damage was focused in San Francisco (in large part because of the fires), the quake was felt all the way from Oregon to Los Angeles. Death and Survivors The earthquake was so sudden and the devastation so severe that many people didnt have time to even get out of bed before they were killed by falling debris or collapsed buildings. Others survived the quake but had to scramble out of the wreckage of their buildings, clothed only in pajamas. Others were naked or near naked. Standing out in the glass-strewn streets in their bare feet, survivors looked around them and saw only devastation. Building after building had been toppled. A few buildings were still standing, but had entire walls fall off, making them look somewhat like doll houses. In the hours that followed, survivors began helping neighbors, friends, family, and strangers who remained trapped. They attempted to retrieve personal possessions from the wreckage and scavenge some food and water to eat and drink.   Homeless, thousands upon thousands of survivors began wandering, hoping to find a safe place to eat and sleep. Fires Start Almost immediately after the earthquake, fires broke out across the city from broken gas lines and stoves that had fallen over during the shaking. The fires spread ferociously across San Francisco. Unfortunately, most of the water mains had also broken during the quake and the fire chief was an early victim of falling debris. Without water and without leadership, it seemed nearly impossible to put out the raging fires. The smaller fires eventually combined into larger ones.   South of Market Fire  - Located south of Market Street, the fire was curbed on the east by fireboats that could pump salt water. However, without water in the fire hydrants, the fire quickly spread both north and west.North of Market Fire  - Threatening an important commercial area and Chinatown, firefighters attempted to use dynamite to create firebreaks to stop the fire.  Ham and Eggs Fire  - Started when a survivor tried to make breakfast for her family not realizing that the chimney had been damaged. Sparks then ignited the kitchen, starting a new fire that soon threatened the Mission District and City Hall.Delmonico Fire  - Another cooking fiasco, this time started by soldiers trying to cook dinner in the ruins of the Delmonico Restaurant. The fire quickly grew. With the fires raging out of control, buildings that had survived the earthquake were soon engulfed in flame. Hotels, businesses, mansions, City Hall -- all were consumed. Survivors had to keep moving, away from their broken homes, away from the fires. Many found refuge in city parks, but often those too had to be evacuated as the fires spread. In just four days, the fires died out, leaving a trail of devastation behind. Aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake The quake and subsequent fire left 225,000 people homeless, destroyed 28,000 buildings, and killed approximately 3,000 people. Scientists are still trying to accurately calculate the magnitude of the quake. Since the scientific instruments used to measure the earthquake werent as reliable as more modern ones, scientists have yet to agree on the size of the magnitude. Most, however, place it between 7.7 and 7.9 on the Richter scale (a few have said as high as 8.3). Scientific study of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake led to the formation of the elastic-rebound theory, which helps explain why earthquakes occur. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was also the first large, natural disaster whose damage was recorded by photography.

The Problem with Water Contamination - 1451 Words

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