Competency Assessment
This Competency Assessment assesses the following outcome(s):
SC200-2: Compare and contrast discipline-specific scientific concepts.
GEL-1.02: Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard English.
The Future of Energy: Guiding Decisions with Evidence
To reduce the negative environmental impacts of an ever-growing human population and increasing demands for energy as technological advances continue, individual countries, states, cities and even households could shift their energy sources to those that are renewable. However, not all locations are equally amenable to any form of renewable energy. For this Assignment, you will assess your own location, existing energy use, the advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources, and ways to reduce energy demand through conservation.
Be sure to explore the following resources to begin your research and to support your ideas with accurate facts. While the provided resources focus on the United States, you are welcome to explore the energy situation within your own state of residence, one that you would like to live in or have visited in the past, or an international location. Use only one region for your entire argument.
Review the Assignment resources.
For additional information on different energy sources review the Science Center Resource.
Your Assignment should be a compare and contrast essay written using APA formatting. The assignment should include a title page, introduction, and conclusion. The paper will require you to include details from research including the course materials and sources you locate on your own. Use APA format to cite your sources of information, both within parenthetical citations and also within a reference page at the end of the Assignment.
Your paper should include all the following parts.
- Assess your own energy use. Think about how you rely on different types of energy throughout your day. Identify the energy source you use to do the following tasks and indicate if the energy source is renewable or nonrenewable.
- The main energy source you use to heat your home if applicable
- The main energy source used to cool your home if applicable
- The main energy source you use to run your household appliances (reminder: if you use electricity you will need to do some research to determine what energy source is used to generate your electricity)
- The main energy source you use for transportation
- Using the provided materials, determine and discuss the renewable source of energy that would be the most, and the renewable source of energy that would be the least appropriate for use in your chosen location. Explain how you arrived at your decisions so it is clear why one is the most appropriate and why one is the least appropriate.
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the energy sources you currently rely on as well as the two renewable energy sources you identified above. Include both the economic (costs/benefits) and ecological impacts of each.
- In your opinion, should the US pursue the use of more renewable energy sources going forward? Should any policies be put in place to encourage people to use more renewable energy sources? Support your position with reputable sources.
Minimum Submission Requirements
- This Assessment should be a Microsoft Word (1000 words) document, not including the title and reference pages.
- Include a title page.
- Double spaced, font size 10 or 12.
- Reviewed for grammar and spelling errors.
- No evidence of plagiarism.
- Respond to the questions in a thorough manner, providing specific examples of concepts, topics, definitions, and other elements asked for in the questions. Your paper should be highly organized, logical, and focused.
- Your paper must be written in Standard English and demonstrate exceptional content, organization, style, and grammar and mechanics.
- Your paper should provide a clearly established and sustained viewpoint and purpose.
- Your writing should be well ordered, logical and unified, as well as original and insightful.
- A separate page at the end of your research paper containing a list of a minimum of five references, in APA format must be included. Use your textbook, the Purdue Global Online Library, and peer reviewed academic sources.
- Be sure to cite both in-text and reference list citations where appropriate and reference all sources. Your sources and content should follow proper APA citation style. Review the APA formatting and citation style found in the Writing Center. To access the Writing Center, select this link.
SC200 | Assignment Resources U.S. Department of Energy: • Energy Saver. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.energy.gov/
