Title: Week 3 Writing Assignment
Course: ASTRON103: The Evolving Universe: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology (001) DHH SU18 > Section: Week 3

The Impact of Clean Energy

Fusion of Hydrogen into Helium releases energy and is the power source of our mighty Sun. For this assignment, you will consider a reality in which we have access to unlimited and clean fusion power as an energy source here on Earth.

Tasks

1. Research our current sources of energy on Earth today:
  1. What are the most common sources of energy?
  2. What are some pros and cons of different energy sources?
  3. What is the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy?
2. Imagine a world where we have figured out how to control a fusion reaction to produce clean and unlimited power and consider the following questions:
  1. How would our everyday lives change?
    1. Societal changes
    2. Economic changes
    3. Environmental changes
  2. What may happen to the remaining energy sources (i.e. coal, oil) on Earth?

Write-Up

Your final write-up should be 1–2 pages in length (around 800 words), uploaded as a Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) file.  You must incorporate all of the points mentioned above in your written piece for full credit. You may (and are encouraged to) expand your piece to cover any other topics or issues you find interesting, but please limit the length to 2 pages.

Important Note: This assignment will be due on Thursday, July 5^th so that you can enjoy your July 4^th Holiday!