Energy Plan
Part 1: Production
A combination of energy sources are needed to provide the daily demand of energy for Americans to continue doing all of their daily activities. The first step of improving energy in America is getting rid of coal. This natural resource has left the America and the rest of the world dealing with the consequences of global climate change. Natural gas, a source that produces significantly less pollution than coal, will become the next main energy producer until the whole country can become completely dependent on pollution-free energy sources. Solar power is a great way to uses a renewable resource to our advantage. Solar panels, solar water heaters, solar, and solar-powered EV charging stations are some of the ways that the sun is being used for energy. Solar power currently creates enough megawatts to power over 1.3 million homes yearly in the United States. The United States government would continue to provide incentives, such as tax rebates, to help increase the number of Americans installing solar panels and solar powered water heaters in their households. Wind power is a source of energy that has been starting to pop up throughout the United States. Wind turbines uses its blades to silently turn kinetic energy, produced by the wind, into electricity. These tall white structures produce enough megawatts to power over 1.6 million homes yearly in the United States and are predicted to produce enough energy to power over 25 million homes by 2020.
Part 2: Transmission
The current grid system being used in America will only become more outdated as we switch to solar and wind power. The cost of transmission accounts for 7% of people’s utility bill, and this percentage can be lowered dramatically if we just update the way we transport electricity. There are places in this country that would produce an abundant amount of solar and wind energy. A majority of these places will not use all of the energy they produce, so there needs to be a way for the excess energy to be brought to places that use high amounts of electricity or do not get enough sunlight as needed. More money needs to be put into developing a cheaper and easier way to convert DC power, solar and wind, into AC power, which is a more reliable way of transmitting electricity. More than 300,000 Megawatts, about 20% of our electricity needs, of wind energy are waiting to be connected to the current grid in the United States.
Solar power has a couple innovations needed to make it more attractive to potential users. Currently, power companies are crediting solar panel owners when they make more electricity than they use, but with the increasing number of solar panels being installed, power companies are starting to complain. Local grids for solar panels need to be created in areas where solar power is popular. Also there needs to be a way for homeowners to store some of the extra energy they create, so it can be used on less cloudy days.
Part 3: Consumption
The best way to reduce the amount of energy used by Americans is to awareness about the simple things people can do to save energy. Remind people to turn off lights when they aren’t in the room, unplug chargers when they aren’t in use, turn down the heat, and more. Energy efficient items should be lower in cost and provide tax breaks to those who choose to purchase and use them. Bring back trolleys in the cities and update subways and buses. This will create a more appealing source of transportation. Reduce train and plane ticket costs, so more people can afford to travel by air instead of vehicles. Advertise new electric cars and provide tax incentives to people that own them. Doing these things can help reduce the amount of energy used and sometimes wasted by Americans. 
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