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TECH ISSUES |
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HOME |
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THE FACTS |
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ETHICAL ISSUES |
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RESOURCES |
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LEADERSHIP ISSUES |
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Leadership Issues |
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Overview:
There are leading individuals and companys which have produced innovative technologies, marketing techniques, and research in the fields of electricity generation through wind, solar, tidal, and fusion methods. Several large departments were able to become leaders in their fields due to sufficient government funding, such as EERE. Leaders were prompted to develop better technologies in these fields due to human overuse of fossil fuels and other nonrenewable resources. Scientists and businesses alike have been competing to develop new methods of generating electricity which are cost efficient, easy to maintain, and which produce little harm to the environment. Principle challenges for the leaders of each of the fields (wind, solar, tidal, & fusion) include funding, avaliability of resources- including locations for plants or turbines, government-backing, and support from the population. |
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LEADERS IN WIND ENERGY |
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The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is a leader is supporting wind energy technology in America. Randall Swisher is the AWEA Executive Director, to watch a video clip of his speech at the WINDPOWER show follow this link: ESHOW. The Association's website includes numerous resources for expanding the public's educational knowledge base on wind energy. AWEA cooperates with the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. |
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AWAE logo |
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LEADERS IN SOLAR ENERGY |
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The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is responsible for organizing the National Solar Energy Conference, organizing the National Solar Tour, forming a Solar Action Network, and publishing SOLAR TODAY magazine. ASES is a branch of the prominent International Solar Energy Society (ISES). ISES is a global network of societies wishing to promote awareness and spread the technological capabilities of solar energy. ISES announces information about the World Solar Congress and other international meetings, such as April 2006 International Conference on Energy and Education held in Budapest, Hungary. |
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ISES logo |
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LEADERS IN TIDAL ENERGY |
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SwanTurbines Company is a leader in today's field of production of tidal energy. With the company's revolutionary Swanturbine design, the turbine is guaranteed to have a "low cost, low visual impact, high predictability, small environmental footprint" (Swanturbines, 2006). This company is based in the UK. The design is cost-efficicient and more environmentally friendly.
In 2003, the Department of Trade and Industry and the European Commission's energy programme financed the project which produced the world's first offshore tidal energy turbine, located off of the Devon coast. For more information on this project, visit this link: BBC News |
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SwanTurbines in Action
Swanturbines |
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LEADERS IN FUSION ENERGY |
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The Los Alamos National Laboratory located in New Mexico is directed by Siegfried Hecker. Los Alamos research supported the Tokamak program and the laboratory receives annual funding of approximately two million dollars for fusion energy research and two million for plasma science, as plasma stability disruptions are related to the Tokamak program (as studied in NIMROD project by Los Alamos). The leading facility in the world for creating safe tritium handling methods for fusion is the Tritium Systems Test Assembly (Nuclear Fusion, 1998). |
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