Alternative Energy Should Not Be Pursued Summary

“Alternative Energy Should Not Be Pursued” was written by Jerry Taylor and Peter

VanDoren. The authors’ purpose in writing this article is to expose the fallacy in assuming that renewable energy is an economically viable alternative to fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal. The authors make the assertion that the cost of renewable energy is much more than advertised due to the fact that the government pays subsidies and these payments are not included in the final displayed price of production. Another point the authors make is the fact that renewable energy plants (namely wind turbine farms) do not maintain energy production consistently. Compared with fracking sites and ocean oil drilling, wind farms cost more to maintain and produce less energy resources. The authors’ final proclamation is that even though energy companies believe the extra cost of renewable energy is worth it since it has less impact on the environment, the average customer is not willing to spend extra on utilities powered by renewable energy. This article declares the earth needs to be conserved, but there are less expensive means of doing this than converting to renewable energy.

The authors point out that the reality is not so black and white. They use energy data, tax information, and science to debunk this energy myth. However, they do not lose the uninformed reader in a sea of scientific jargon. The authors are sincerely interested in helping the average American become more informed about the current energy conditions. They give estimates of the exact cost of alternative energy compared with fossil fuels and how effective renewable energy will be in the