Computer Engineer and tech guru Eliseo Delgado Jr. has witnessed the rise of renewable energy in America from think-tank innovations to mass-distributed consumer products. Here, he talks about how wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources are expected to surpass coal usage across the country within the next two years.
Interested in all things technology, Eliseo Delgado Jr. has followed renewable energy sources closely as they developed prominence in the last couple of decades. Thanks to pressure from scientists and climatologists, the technology has grown into a widespread alternative to coal and other fossil fuels in recent years and now powers a large portion of households across America.
“More homes in the country run off solar power than ever thanks to a competitive industry and easy accessibility from a number of power companies,” says Eliseo Delgado Jr. “In the past two decades, some sources credit America with gaining as much as nearly 70% more clean energy.”
For years, one of the largest sources of power here in the country has been coal, but projections from the Institute for Energy Economic and Financial Analysis claims that renewable energy sources are set to replace coal usage by 2021. This means that solar and wind power, two of the most popular alternative energy sources, will likely take the crown for most widely-used in homes.
This news comes fresh after the United Nations recently warned countries everywhere that they essentially aren’t doing enough to help keep climate control from reaching near-catastrophic levels. However, new statistics demonstrate how the coal industry is collapsing in favor of renewable energy, though many worry that it may not be happening fast enough.
“The problem with climate change is that it takes a while for our environment to display the effects of its pollution,” says Eliseo Delgado Jr. “The results we witness today in our ice caps melting and changes in temperature is largely a result of the damage done in the 80s and 90s. That’s why we have to reverse fossil fuel usage and replace it with something clean for our environment as quickly as possible.”
Coal has been the leading source of energy for twenty years, and provided nearly half of all America’s power in the decade between 2000 and 2010. However, after discovering an abundance of natural gas, we began shifting to this cheaper alternative, and it toppled coal usage by 2016 according to the US Energy Information Administration.
One of the biggest blows to the coal industry was the bankruptcy of Murray Energy in October, which has long been the country’s largest private coal mining company. In addition, numerous utility companies, such as Xcel Energy and PSEG, have shifted from coal usage to alternative forms that can produce carbon-free electricity to help combat climate change.
“We’re seeing some major turnarounds in energy in America, which isn’t credited to political leaders who vow to bring the coal industry back, but to the electric companies who are finally having a change of heart,” says Eliseo Delgado Jr. “And that may mean the difference between a healthy future for our planet or not.”
