The idea is to write a profile, if you will, of an advanced energy technology. You should go into greater depth that we’ve covered in class, and it should be pretty specific in subject. What is this technology? Why is it potentially better? What are its drawbacks? Do you think it’ll be widely implemented in the future?
Your paper should be 8 to 10 pages long, double spaced, normal margins, etc., and it absolutely needs a bibliography and in-text citation. I also encourage you to look at a wide variety of sources on your topic (maybe including sources you don’t like) to give yourself a wide ranging view on the matter. If you only look at say, the website of the company making the technology, you’re not likely to get a well rounded view… In other words, are there skeptics of this technology?
What is this technology? Why is it potentially better? What are its drawbacks? Do you think it’ll be widely implemented in the future?
Now an 8- to 10-page paper is too short to be able to assess EVERY reason that source would be adopted or not, and it’d be pretty unreasonable for me to expect you to. That said, I would like you to at least broadly describe the main barriers for a particular technology to become more commonly used. Is it a matter of available technology? Is it a matter of cost? Is it a matter of culture or mindset? Or does it have some other major flaw or obstacle? Most of these will factors will probably have some role, but I want you to be able to identify how they apply to your particular source.
Also, I’d recommend making your topic as specific as possible. It’s much easier to talk about the pros and cons of a particular source (at least in 8 to 10 pages) if you’ve defined it narrowly. In other words, it’s a lot more complicated to talk about the good and bad elements of ALL BIOFUELS than it is to discuss the pros and cons of a particular biofuel (say, algae) or a even a particular method of raising/generating that biofuel (in the case of algae fuels, “racetrack pools” versus photobioreactors, etc). Usually the more specific you can make it, the better your paper.
Remember also that it doesn’t have to be an energy generating technology. Efficiency technologies are also totally appropriate, and I’ve had some excellent papers in the past on things like super efficient windows, natural building methods, etc.
