http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/energy Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Fri, 05 Jun 2026 18:02:07 -0400 Fri, 05 Jun 2026 18:02:07 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1738/wind-energy-legislation-strategies-for-the-lone-star-state By Elizabeth A. Weis - Texas introduced Senate Bill 277 as its first wind energy siting law during the 2017 Legislature. The bill combats radar interference between wind and military equipment by exempting any wind farm within thirty nautical miles of a military base from tax deductions. This rule does not make sense for several reasons: it defies the economic logic grounding Texas’ decision to pursue wind energy, it addresses an issue traditionally handled by the federal government, and employs inefficient tactics the Department of Defense no longer uses. The inadequacies of this legislation point out that lawmakers... Fri, 11 May 2018 09:31 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1738/wind-energy-legislation-strategies-for-the-lone-star-state http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1535/an-analysis-of-the-threat-of-ontarios-hydroelectric-dams-on-its-river-ecosystems By Nicholas Scrivens - Dams have been used for centuries to assist with the development of human civilization. Access to drinking water, flood control and agricultural irrigation are historical reasons for the development of dams and river impoundments. The abundance of large rivers in Ontario has enabled 22% of the province's power generation to be based on renewable hydroelectric power. The composition of Ontario's energy portfolio is shifting away from carbon intensive energy production and towards hydroelectric power, which presents a threat to Ontario's rivers. What is the extent of the threat of storage and hydroelectric... Wed, 30 Nov 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1535/an-analysis-of-the-threat-of-ontarios-hydroelectric-dams-on-its-river-ecosystems http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1555/sweden-the-worlds-most-sustainable-country-political-statements-and-goals-for-a-sustainable-society By Maria Mänsson - Sweden, a small country with almost 10 million inhabitants, is the world's most sustainable country according to some reports that compare environmental, social, and governance components between nations. Sweden plays a significant role in the European Union's work for a sustainable society in the European Union. Strict environmental policies and governmental initiatives that encourage all members of the society to invest in climate change projects are among the reasons that put Sweden on top of sustainable ranking lists. During the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, a number... Sun, 30 Oct 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1555/sweden-the-worlds-most-sustainable-country-political-statements-and-goals-for-a-sustainable-society http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1532/ecosystems-as-stakeholders-to-urban-air-pollution-mitigation-decisions-in-toronto By Conner Tidd - This paper explores the role that ecosystems can have in the decision making framework for urban air pollution mitigation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The focus is on management planning of green roof implementation to mitigate the effects of urban air pollution. The importance of Toronto's impact on surrounding ecosystems, conservation areas and their fragile habitats is often overlooked. Through a literature analysis of primary sources, the need for consideration of these nearby ecosystems in management planning is shown. Toronto's proximity to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems causes the dual... Sun, 31 Jan 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1532/ecosystems-as-stakeholders-to-urban-air-pollution-mitigation-decisions-in-toronto http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1184/impact-of-nitrogen-fertilization-on-arbuscular-mycorrhizal-fungi-abundance-in-association-with-panicum-virgatum By Elana V. Feldman - Energy researchers have recently taken interest in the use of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a biofuel. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which are known to increase plant acquisition of nutrients through a symbiotic relationship, may be used alongside nitrogen fertilizers to promote optimum biomass yield for the production of biofuels. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of nitrogen input on the abundance of AMF to anticipate biomass yield. Samples from two years and varying nitrogen treatments were analyzed for glomalin related soil protein and extra-radical hyphae to determine... Wed, 30 Sep 2015 10:13 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1184/impact-of-nitrogen-fertilization-on-arbuscular-mycorrhizal-fungi-abundance-in-association-with-panicum-virgatum http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1332/breaking-the-cycle-changing-alberta-in-the-present-to-save-the-future By A. Rachelle Foss - Alberta's resource power lies within the energy sector; in particular, the oil and gas industry. However, this same energy sector is contributing heavily to the destruction of the landscape and is contaminating the environment. This destructive pattern may seem unrelated to the province's economy, but a closer look shows that they are, in fact, closely connected. This is largely due to a failure by both the industry and political leaders to have a vision for the economic future. Although oil and gas royalties, paid to the province for the right to use crown land for capital gain, provide considerable... Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1332/breaking-the-cycle-changing-alberta-in-the-present-to-save-the-future http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/978/exchanging-oil-sands-expansion-for-renewable-energy-growth-in-canada By Scott Sutherland - An important pipeline, called the Keystone Export Limited (XL) pipeline, connecting Alberta oil sands to refineries on the Texas gulf cost would hasten this process. It is estimated that between 2010 and 2025, more than $379 billion will be invested in oil sands development.[1] As a result, oil production is expected to more than double, to roughly 3.7 million barrels a day by 2021.[2] With the current debate surrounding the oil sands, this doubling of production will have major implications for Canada and the world. Based on a thorough analysis, I will demonstrate that further oil sands development... Fri, 09 Jan 2015 01:14 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/978/exchanging-oil-sands-expansion-for-renewable-energy-growth-in-canada http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/953/opportunities-and-challenges-of-allocation-of-alternative-energy-resources-in-japan By Karin Snyder - In the case of Japan, which lacks any significant fossil fuel reserves (Gasparatos & Gadda, 2009, pp. 4038-4048) some alternative forms of energy production have been implemented. Japan has implemented alternative energy options such as nuclear power, photovoltaic power, hydroelectric power, and other various energy alternatives and renewable resources. These alternatives have the potential to lessen climate change. Japan is becoming an example of the economic and environmental outcomes associated with alternative energy sources. Following the Fukushima disaster, the Japanese government addressed... Fri, 19 Dec 2014 08:47 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/953/opportunities-and-challenges-of-allocation-of-alternative-energy-resources-in-japan http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1194/icelands-clean-energy-economy-a-roadmap-to-sustainability-and-good-business By Ólafur R. Grímsson - President Grimsson studied economics and political science at the University of Manchester, and in 1970, became the first person in Iceland to earn a PhD in political science. In 1973, he became a Professor of Political Science at the University of Iceland. He was the University of Iceland's first Political Science professor. He served as a Member of Althing (Iceland's Parliament) from 1978 to 1983. He served as the Chairman of the People's Alliance executive committee from 1983 to 1987. From 1987 to 1995, he was Leader of the People's Alliance; during this time, he served as Minister of Finance... Sat, 01 Nov 2014 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1194/icelands-clean-energy-economy-a-roadmap-to-sustainability-and-good-business http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/949/deconstruction-over-demolition-manasc-isaac-architects By David Campbell - Everyday activism is a topic that encompasses a variety of sustainable processes and behaviours like turning off lights in a room that is not in use or turning off water taps while brushing teeth, but also challenging large-scale projects. This sentiment has been embraced by Manasc Isaac, an Edmonton, Alberta based architectural firm with a focus on sustainable design. The company has won a plethora of honours for both its design style and sustainable practices. In addition to being recognized for designing Alberta’s first C-2000 green building, Manasc Isaac also designed Alberta’s... Tue, 30 Sep 2014 04:36 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/949/deconstruction-over-demolition-manasc-isaac-architects http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/890/the-consequences-of-food-waste By Kyra K. Payne - The copious amounts of forgotten and disregarded food that are tossed mindlessly into our landfills are a global travesty of massive proportions. Americans alone waste enough food in a day to transform the Rose Bowl, a football stadium capable of seating 90,000 people, into a landfill (Bloom, 2010). As an affluent nation, securely cushioned by wealth and privilege, America expends vast resources to feed its population, producing over 590 billion pounds of food annually and simultaneously squandering between 25 and 50 percent of the food that is produced (Bloom, 2010). In a recent study by the... Tue, 22 Apr 2014 10:52 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/890/the-consequences-of-food-waste http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/859/the-chinese-pollution-problem-and-the-politics-of-airpocalypse By Vikrant Bhatnagar - In 1992 during his famed Southern Trip, Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader of the Communist Party of China, proclaimed that "To Get Rich Is Glorious[1]." This slogan ignited the economic revolution in China. It is through this very notion of economic productivity and the search for wealth that China also adopted another motto – growth at all costs. Two decades later, China is no longer the third world country that Deng Xiaoping lived in, but an economic powerhouse that has turned a blind eye towards its environment. Whether you look outward towards the water, or inward towards the land,... Fri, 17 Jan 2014 11:35 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/859/the-chinese-pollution-problem-and-the-politics-of-airpocalypse http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/738/sleep-quality-among-university-students-evaluating-the-impact-of-smoking-social-media-use-and-energy-drink-consumption-on-sleep-quality-and-anxiety By Omar Afandi et Al. - Objectives: Identify the factors affecting quality of sleep, and assess the impact of low quality sleep on the daily activities of students. Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was done, using self-administered questionnaires. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data was collected, sleep quality was determined, and then data was analyzed using SPSS v.17 software. Results: This study included 290 university students of different majors aged 17-29 years. Analysis of sleep perception revealed that 67.2% of students suffered from poor... Fri, 07 Jun 2013 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/738/sleep-quality-among-university-students-evaluating-the-impact-of-smoking-social-media-use-and-energy-drink-consumption-on-sleep-quality-and-anxiety http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/678/seeking-sustainability-adopting-sustainable-and-renewable-energy-sources-to-create-a-maintable-world By Kelton T. Busby - While this is a broad concept for one word to contain, it is an excellent representation of how we refer to sustainability. The next important concept is the difference between energy and power. There is a simple way to think about the difference between the two as long as one has a basic understanding of the concept of work, which is a force that displaces an object over a distance. With that in mind, energy is the ability to do work, whereas power is work over a specific time. Another important concept is that of a primary energy source. All of the energy we use comes from primary energy sources... Wed, 15 Aug 2012 10:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/678/seeking-sustainability-adopting-sustainable-and-renewable-energy-sources-to-create-a-maintable-world http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1081/the-resurgence-of-russia-and-its-relations-with-europe-a-true-transformation-or-a-superficial-change By Krzysztof Siczek - The first decade of the twenty-first century was a period of change for Russia. The crisis of the 1990s was/were overcome and its international posture has improved. However, the scope and the stability of the shift are debatable and there is no agreement in the literature over its meaning for European security. On the one hand, it is argued that Russia has become the energy superpower1 successfully pursuing an independent foreign policy. Dmitri Trenin2 has gone so far as to state that Russia has left the West politically. The adherents to this line of reasoning point to the macroeconomic revolution3... Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1081/the-resurgence-of-russia-and-its-relations-with-europe-a-true-transformation-or-a-superficial-change http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1106/the-north-pole-shall-we-race By Sofiya Kartalova - The territorial claims on the North Pole are the latest contentious grey area amongst world forces – Russia, Canada, the USA, Denmark and Norway. The events could have been the perfect opportunity for a lesson in puppet mastery on the international political stage conducted with precision and panache. Instead, the political leaders provided their fair share of immature tantrums and pointless boasting. They enjoyed being in the spotlight, boosting the national confidence by flexing their muscles in front of cameras and voters. And as ever the obliging media gladly followed suit and fitted... Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1106/the-north-pole-shall-we-race http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/353/big-oils-stranglehold-on-america By Regina L. Diamond - Big oil’s ruthless supply and demand tactics have monopolized the entire energy industry by shredding competitors’ attempts to offer alternatives. Consumers are thus forced to surrender their right to choose due to the aggressive techniques being used by the oil industry to prevent the use of clean energy. Unfortunately, the American government has historically sided with the oil tycoons. In the movie Who Killed the Electric Car the executive director for Energy and Climate Solutions, Joseph J. Romm accurately declares, “There’s no question that the people who control the... Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:22 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/353/big-oils-stranglehold-on-america http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/23/cost-effective-renovations-and-other-improvements-for-creating-more-energy-efficient-homes By Joshua G. Bassett - Just by flipping through television channels or walking through the aisles of a grocery store, it is easy to see that the popularity of “Green” and “Sustainable” lifestyles is growing everyday. With an impending energy crisis on our hands, people want to find ways to reduce their energy consumption, and a major benefit of that is saving money on energy costs. People who want to make their home more energy efficient need to understand that it can be done without “going green”. On the Planet Green channel there are shows like Greenovate or World’s Greenest... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:58 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/23/cost-effective-renovations-and-other-improvements-for-creating-more-energy-efficient-homes