Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research Proposal - Essay Example Pursuance of green sources of energy led Nevada and other neighbouring state to establish Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) regulation, which mandated the increase production of energy from renewable sources. For the state of Nevada, the RPS regulation required all energy producers to gradually increase the production of energy from renewable sources to 25% by the year 2025 out of which 6% must come from solar energy sources by the year 2016 (NECD, 2011). The strong emphasis on the use of solar energy is representative of the fact that Nevada is one of the best places in the United States where solar energy can be used. The purpose of this study is to establish the potential of Nevada's solar energy and its suitability as a source of energy for fulfilling current and future energy needs of Nevada in comparison with other alternative sources of energy. Statement of the Problem As the state of Nevada have been actively pursuing the strategy of using more renewable resources then conve ntional ones, research has been done measuring the total potential of each renewable resource in the state of Nevada. ... This research will also include a comparative study of suitability of other renewable resource and how they compare with solar energy. The purpose of the Study The primary purpose of this project is to find out if solar energy resource in Nevada State is sufficient enough to be utilized for energy needs of Nevada. This project will also demonstrate the utility of GIS in carrying out such suitability study. The research will make use of data, maps and images of Nevada available from MapCruzin website as well as other resources. Buffer Analysis will be utilized through ArcGIS software in establishing the suitability of solar energy. Literature Review Nevada is considered one of the most versatile states in the US when it comes to renewable energy. It has excellent a wide range of excellent sites which could be developed for all four renewable resources. At the moment a significant amount of state's energy is generated through renewable resources. This is due to the Renewable Portfolio Standard regulation passed in 2001, according to which 15% of the state's electricity is required to be produced through renewable resources by 2013 which would then eventually rise to 25% by 2025. Among the widely available renewable energy sources that have already been utilized for electricity production are Wind, Solar, Geothermal as well as hydropower (Energy Atlas, 2011). Geothermal Geothermal energy industry is also one of the more mature ones in Nevada, as the state is the second largest user of geothermal energy for electricity production in the US while a total power production of 550 megawatt and an untapped potential of a further 1000 megawatts make it number one in utilization of geothermal energy per capita. Nevada