Read the texts “Energy Sources” and “Alternative Energy Sources.” As you read, record your ideas in the table. Add more ideas and notes as needed to list the details and evidence that support each important idea in the sources. ANSWER:

Important Ideas,
Details, and Evidence

Idea 1: Because our supply of conventional energy sources is limited, scientists and environmentalists are looking for renewable energy sources.

Notes

“coal and oil are examples of fossil fuels,” which are nonrenewable and therefore limited in supply
It takes “millions of years” for fossil fuels to form.
“one day we will run out of” fossil fuels
renewable energy sources: sources that can be “replenished”
Idea 2: There are many types of renewable energy sources.

Notes

Wind energy can be stored for later use.
Solar energy “harnessed using solar panels” can be used to generate electricity.
Geothermal energy comes from the heat in Earth.
Water from a dam or river goes through a turbine to create hydroelectric energy, which “activates a generator to produce electricity.”
Conclusion

Based on ideas and information from the text, we should replace conventional energy sources with renewable energy sources because we will eventually run out of conventional sources of energy, such as oil and coal.

Source 2: “Alternative Energy Sources”
Important Ideas,
Details, and Evidence

Idea 1: In contrast to conventional sources of energy, which are limited, alternative energy sources can be created over and over again.

Notes

Conventional energy sources, such as coal and oil, “are available in limited quantities and will run out eventually.”
Examples of alternative energy sources include “solar energy, wind power, hydroelectric energy, biomass or the energy from plants, and geothermal energy.”
Idea 2: Although it may be expensive and time consuming to switch from conventional to alternative sources, there are many good reasons to use alternative sources.

Notes

Alternative energy sources are better than conventional ones because they “do not cause pollution…like coal and oil,” which “release harmful gases.
Idea 3: Denmark shows how a country can successfully switch from using conventional energy sources to mostly using alternative sources.

Notes

“In the 1970s, Denmark imported oil to generate 92 percent of the energy it needed.”
Today, Denmark uses wind farms to generate 50 percent of its energy.
“…this country has shown that it doesn’t cost a ton to use available natural sources of energy.”
Denmark uses “renewable energy sources to produce over 40 percent of the electricity it consumes.”
Denmark’s goal is to stop using fossil fuels by the year 2050.
Conclusion

Based on ideas and information from the text, we should stop using fossil fuels and start using renewable forms of energy for several reasons. For one, fossil fuels are limited and will run out, while alternative energy sources are renewable. Additionally, alternative energy sources don’t cause pollution the way conventional ones do. Finally, Denmark has shown that it is possible to get a majority of energy from renewable sources at a relatively low cost.