{"id":292,"date":"2020-01-21T15:53:46","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T15:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/21\/finding-solutions-to-americas-energy-challenges\/"},"modified":"2020-01-21T15:53:46","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T15:53:46","slug":"finding-solutions-to-americas-energy-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/21\/finding-solutions-to-americas-energy-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Solutions to America\u2019s Energy Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The United States is the second-largest energy consumer on
\nthe planet. Over the past dozen years, domestic production of oil and natural
\ngas has grown thanks in part to the innovation of shale extraction. The surge
\nin energy production has been further advanced by lower costs of renewable
\nsources, such as wind and solar power. As a result of the increased supply of natural
\ngas and renewable energy, the coal industry has declined significantly, and more
\nthan 200 plants have closed.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

Today, renewable sources account for more than 10% of U.S.
\nenergy production.2<\/sup> According to the Institute for Energy Economics
\nand Financial Analysis, the United States is expected to generate more power
\nfrom renewable energy than from coal starting next year, in 2021. Texas has
\nalready passed that threshold: Wind energy represents 22% of Texas\u2019 overall
\npower generation compared to 21% from coal.3<\/sup><\/p>\n

One of the lessons we can take from this shift is that
\ninnovation requires us to adapt to new ideas. For a while we may cling to past
\nsolutions. However, when innovation begins to provide cost-effective solutions
\nthat offer other benefits \u2014 both for humans and the environment \u2014 it can make
\neconomic sense to embrace the changes. <\/p>\n

The same could be said for one\u2019s personal insurance outlook.
\nIf you have older insurance policies that do not offer some of today\u2019s newer
\nfeatures and benefits, it may be worth exploring what is now available. This is
\nan opportunity for you to evaluate your current strategy and make sure you are working
\ntoward your long-term goals and objectives. Let us know if you\u2019d like help
\nreviewing your insurance policies.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny, though. With innovation, there are always new
\nproblems and challenges. We tend to accept new technology when we recognize that
\nthe negatives of the previous option are more onerous than the drawbacks of the
\nnew solutions. For one case in point, consider electric vehicles, which are
\ntouted for their advantages of mileage economy and eliminating exhaust
\nemissions. However, there is growing concern about the disposal of the
\nvehicles\u2019 lithium-ion batteries after their 15- to 20-year lifespans. Lithium-ion
\nbatteries cannot be buried in landfills because they are flammable and could
\nrelease toxic chemicals into the environment.4<\/sup><\/p>\n

One solution to this problem could be yet another innovation,
\nan alternative to lithium-ion batteries: molecular thermal solar storage systems.
\nWhile still in the early stages of development, this concept takes a liquid
\nmolecule made up of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen that, when exposed to
\nsunlight, draws in the sun\u2019s energy and holds it and then can be triggered to
\nrelease that energy as heat. This innovation conceivably could store energy for
\nsmaller enterprises, such as homes and automobiles, for a much longer period
\nthan that of lithium-ion batteries. Developers are focused on heating; it
\nremains to be seen whether such a system could generate electricity.5<\/sup><\/p>\n

Perhaps the good news about America\u2019s energy challenge is
\nthat many traditional energy companies are motivated and well-positioned to
\nhelp address these issues, seeking new solutions to address demand. <\/p>\n

Content
\nprepared by Kara Stefan Communications.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

1<\/sup> BP. CNN. 2019. \u201cAmerica\u2019s role in the dual energy
\nchallenge.\u201d http:\/\/advertisementfeature.cnn.com\/2019\/bp-america\/<\/a>. Accessed Dec. 15, 2019.<\/p>\n

2<\/sup> Ibid.<\/p>\n

3 <\/sup>Matt Egan. CNN. Nov. 26, 2019. \u201cSolar, wind and hydro
\npower could soon surpass coal.\u201d https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/11\/26\/business\/renewable-energy-coal\/index.html<\/a>. Accessed Dec. 15, 2019.<\/p>\n

4<\/sup> Katie Hunt. CNN. Nov. 6 2019. \u201cThe rapid rise of
\nelectric vehicles could lead to a mountain of battery waste.\u201d https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/11\/06\/business\/electric-vehicles-battery-waste-scn\/index.html<\/a>. Accessed Dec. 15, 2019.<\/p>\n

5<\/sup> Adam Popescu. Bloomberg. Nov. 3, 2019. \u201cAn Energy
\nBreakthrough Could Store Solar Power for Decades.\u201d https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2019-11-04\/moth-poulsen-s-energy-trapping-molecule-could-solve-solar-storage<\/a>. Accessed Dec. 15, 2019.<\/p>\n

We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement
\nstrategies using a variety of insurance products to custom suit their needs and
\nobjectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help
\nyou understand basic retirement income strategies and should not be construed
\nas financial advice. <\/em><\/p>\n

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable,
\nbut accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be
\nused as the sole basis for financial decisions. If you are unable to access any
\nof the news articles and sources through the links provided in this text,
\nplease contact us to request a copy of the desired reference.<\/em><\/p>\n

1047519B<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States is the second-largest energy consumer on the planet. Over the past dozen years, domestic production of oil and natural gas has grown thanks in part to the innovation of shale extraction. The surge in energy production has been further advanced by lower costs of renewable sources, such as wind and solar power.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ladintax.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}