Hello Stews,
As the year ends, I have realized the great impact River
Stewards has had upon my experiences in my collegiate career. I have a much greater appreciation for the
city of Dayton, the great water resources available and how the city utilizes its
resources. I have also learned a great
deal about sustainability through River Stewards and joining Sustainability
Club on campus.
One part of sustainability that has really caught my
interest is in energy. I am currently
studying to be an electrical engineer and co-op at an energy company, Duke
Energy. During the River Steward summer
orientation, I made a joke, to Leslie’s disliking, that I work for a company
that pollutes our air and water, and I felt like I needed to balance that out
with something that protects our environment.
Although this was meant as a joke, it is not a joke that energy
production is a large contributor to pollution today. However, being an employee of a large energy
company has given me a unique perspective on sustainable energy and what is
being done to make our energy as clean as possible.
A hot topic in clean energy is renewable energy. In the United States, this clean energy has
received a large push by many people and governments to become a more prominent
way for our energy to be produced. I am
all for renewable energy, but there are many issues with it for energy
companies who would be the ones most using this new means of energy
production. For example, many wind farms
have been built across the USA. A major
problem with wind farms is that large energy companies lose money by allowing
the windmills to produce energy.
However, the government gives companies money for producing wind energy
to cover the costs. With the shape our government is in now, I am not sure how
much longer this subsidizing will last.
There are many advancements in renewable energy that need to be made in
order for this to be a main producer of energy for our nation, but I am
optimistic for these future advancements.
In the Midwest, against our liking, coal is a main source of
energy because of its availability, price, and efficiency. To our liking, the government has put many
environmental regulations on the production of coal that is causing many coal
plants to be shut down because they cannot meet these regulations. Because of
the regulations, there are many investments being made by energy companies to
make our energy cleaner. Many coal power
plants have scrubbers installed that remove about 95% of sulfur oxide from the
smoke from coal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCMchx6Q9Is
Energy companies, including Duke Energy, are also investing
in a new way of burning coal through an Integrated Gasification Combine Cycle
(IGCC). This process turns coal into a
gas so harmful chemicals can be removed from the coal before it is burned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28UrjfyAh-U
Although it would be ideal to stop burning coal all
together, the reality is this is not economically possible based on demand and
profit. Next week I will begin my second
co-op term with Duke Energy and am very excited to see other steps that can be
done with our energy companies to better protect our environment. My experiences as a River Steward have
allowed me to make connections from my job to the effects on the environment
and I am excited to continue to learn and apply more as a River Steward.
Drew Bolubasz – 2015 Cohort
