Running head: MICHIGANS ENERGY FUTURE 1

Michigans Energy Future

Sam Memon

Western High School

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Despite having no natural coal resources, Michigan produces 66.7% of its energy from

coal. Other major sources of energy include nuclear, with 21.5%, and natural gas, with 7.9%.

The remaining amount consists of hydroelectric, biomass, and wind, as well as traces of other

sources. Renewable sources such as wind, solar, and biomass are currently growing and are

expected to be able to produce a third of Michigans total electricity needs by 2030. Research is

also being done on other sources to increase efficiency and reduce limiting factors to their

success.

Michigan, like most areas, utilizes a composite of all energy types in its energy

production. As stated previously, coal, nuclear, natural gas, hydroelectric, biomass, and wind are

the most significantly used sources of energy in Michigan. Other trace sources include oil, solar,

geothermal, and hydrogen. As people have started to recognize the byproducts of energy

production on the environment, some have shifted more towards renewable types. Each energy

type has its own set of advantages and drawbacks, so there are certainly some that have less

severe effects on the environment, but they may be deficient in other aspects. For example, solar

energy production has a much lower environmental impact than various other types of energy

production, but it is more expensive and can be less efficient. In comparison, coal and oil

production is relatively inexpensive but has harmful environmental effects.

Currently, the most utilized form of energy in Michigan is coal. Coal is an abundant,

inexpensive, and versatile energy source, but is nonrenewable and has high emissions and

pollution levels. Michigan has no natural coal sources, which means that all coal in Michigan is

imported from other areas. This coupled with coals environmental impacts makes it a

less-than-ideal candidate for Michigans main energy source in the long term. The second most
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commonly used energy source is nuclear. Nuclear has low emissions and is cheap to run, but is

expensive to build and has the devastating product of nuclear waste, which is extremely

hazardous and must be properly managed. Unless more effective means of handling this waste

are developed in the future, nuclear will likely remain a secondary energy source. Natural gas is

the cleanest of the fossil fuels, but is still nonrenewable and one way of extracting it, fracking, is

not environmentally friendly. Because natural gas is cleaner than coal, it could be a long-term

alternative to coal. In addition, Michigan has among the largest natural gas reserves in the US

and more natural gas storage capacity than any other state.

Hydroelectric has a high net energy yield, but high land disturbance and disturbs aquatic

ecosystems. Due to its location on the Great Lakes, Michigan has ample water sources with

which to generate hydropower, so hydroelectric could be a primary/secondary energy source in

the future. Biomass is a readily available renewable energy source with potentially zero carbon

dioxide emissions. However, it does produce other gases and if not practiced sustainably can

contribute to deforestation. But if it is managed sufficiently, biomass could be a major energy

source in the future. Wind energy is clean and efficient, but requires backup systems when winds

are weak. Wind energy is situational and would only be effective in areas where there is ample

wind and would only be active when there is ample wind. However, its high net energy yield

gives it a possibility of becoming a major energy source in the future.

Oil is an abundant and inexpensive energy source that has significant emissions and

pollution levels. Michigan has some natural oil production, but because it is nonrenewable, it is

unlikely to become a primary energy source. Like wind energy, solar energy is clean and

efficient, but requires backup systems for when there is no/low sunlight. However, solar cells are
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expensive to install. Even so, the decreasing cost of these cells will allow them to become a

major energy source. Geothermal energy has low emissions, but the cost and efficiency vary with

the site. Michigan is not an ideal location for a geothermal plant because of the characteristics of

the land, so geothermal energy is unlikely to become a primary source of energy. Hydrogen can

have high efficiency and low emissions, but has a negative net energy yield, which severely

limits its potential. Because of this, hydrogen would have to be used in combination with

another energy type to counteract its negative energy yield.

Because nonrenewable energy sources are nonrenewable, they are not reliable in the

long-term. So I propose that coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy be phased out while more

emphasis be placed on solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, and hydrogen. Geothermal energy

could be considered for research purposes of increasing its effectiveness, but should not be the

primary focus. Natural gas seems to be the most desirable of the fossil fuels, so it could be used

while coal and oil are being reduced. Specific areas that receive optimal wind speeds could focus

on installing wind turbines while areas with preexisting water flow could move to hydroelectric

power. Solar energy could be utilized in various areas, with the other energy sources making up

for its partial runtime. Hydrogen could utilize the production of hydrogen from other renewable

sources to minimize emissions and counteract the negative net energy yield.
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Works Cited

1. http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/media/state-regs/pdf/Michigan.pdf

2. http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/smart-energy-solutions/increase-renewables/renewa

ble-energy-in-michigan.html#.WOxnEdLyvIU

3. https://www.eia.gov/state/seds/seds-data-complete.php?sid=MI#Consumption

4. https://www.eia.gov/state/seds/data.php?incfile=/state/seds/sep_use/tx/use_tx_MI.html&s

id=MI

5. https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=MI

6. http://homepages.spa.umn.edu/~larry/ADVANTAGE_DIS_ENERGY.pdf

7. https://www.eia.gov/state/seds/sep_prod/pdf/PT2_MI.pdf

8. http://theconversation.com/coal-industry-thriving-but-at-what-social-and-health-cost-926

9. http://sydney.edu.au/news/84.html?newscategoryid=1&newsstoryid=10393

10. http://www.nardep.info/uploads/Brief16_SocioEconomicNuclearPower.pdf

11. https://www.quora.com/How-does-natural-gas-impact-society-in-good-and-bad-ways

12. https://www.iucn.org/content/small-scale-hydro-power-impacts-nature-and-people

13. http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/Documents/MSc_2002/stavroulia.pdf

14. https://sites.google.com/a/cornell.edu/wind-energyjwk84/social-impacts

15. http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/social-impacts-solar-energy-8517.html

16. https://teeic.indianaffairs.gov/er/oilgas/impact/drilldev/

17. http://midwestenergynews.com/2011/08/15/michigan-towns-turn-to-geothermal-to-reduc

e-energy-costs/
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18. http://planetsave.com/2016/02/11/geothermal-energy-advantages-and-disadvantages/

19. Living in the Environment