Evaluation of news articles about sustainable development

Report on Sustainable Energy Resources
University of Portsmouth

Abstract

This Report compares four articles on the subject of sustainable solar energy resources. The Report will discuss the articles in terms of there accuracy, authority objectivity and credibility. Articles are wide

ranging in source from the Economist to MIT review. The sustainable development issue under discussion is the future direction and likely outcomes of the use of sunlight in future energy solutions.

My Evaluation

‘Making diesel from CO2 and sunlight’

Kevin Bullis wrote the article for the ‘Technology Review magazine’ on the subject of a new renewable fuel program called “electrofuels” funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (arpa-e) which is

a funding body in the US Department of Energy. The article is recent being submitted on the 10th of December 2009. The article notes that Electrofuels are a variation on biofuels. Biofuels are produced

when photosynthetic plants convert captured sunlight and CO2 into sugars. This generates biomass that can be fermented to produce Ethanol. Bullis (2009) states advanced research has shown this can

also be achieved by producing liquid fuels directly without the fermentation stage and therefore “could be more efficient than photosynthesis”. The full text of the funding opportunity can be verified on the

arpa-e website and the text there supports this article. The source information is clearly stated with key quotes from individuals and there sources. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is an

academic US government funded body and therefore will have funding from arpa-e. There is however no evidence to suggest this influenced the article. The article contains a number of grammatical errors

e.g. starting a sentence with “And”, also the lack of quotation marks when the author quotes Arun Majumdar and Bruce Logan.

The primary purpose of this article is to relay the facts behind this new funding to a mainly academic audience. The article deals in the main with factual issues however some of the quotes from academics

do express opinions. I think the author, Bullis (2009), has a neutral point of view on the topic and the article does not contain emotional language. When Bullis writes about the facts it does not appear to be

his own knowledge, having said that I do believe that he does understand the information in the article. Although the article is dealing with funds for research there is already some research in the area

which adds evidence that future work in this area may produce further worthwhile results. After looking over Bullis’ profile on the technology review website I was unable to discover what qualifications he has

achieved that may improve his knowledge of the topic. However he does have an interest in energy business and materials which would show knowledge without academic studying. Bullis has written many

articles on a wide range of environmental issues such as “A New Way to Make Useful Chemicals from CO2”. This would suggest a good level of experience in this field and would earn the author a high

credibility. Working for a highly rated magazine (Technology Review) shows that he is trusted with tasks bestowed upon him. The author can be contacted either via comments on the web or via the business

network Linkedin. Vast amounts of agricultural land would be needed to ensure that a healthy supply is produced to meet the demands for diesel in today’s society. This would consist of either, taking over

existing land and putting many farmers out of business or allowing more deforestation in order to provide the millions of acres a development on this scale will inevitably need. So do we sacrifice our well

being or natures? My personal opinion is that at some point we are going to have to make huge compromises, but to what extent. When the time comes when all the fossil fuels have run out consumers are

going to demand to next best thing at the time. So even though I do agree on making development plans for the future, it is the futures technology that is going to be wanted.

‘Plastic Solar cells roll into unlit villages’

Peter Fairley (2009) wrote the article for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) which is a non-profit professional organisation. The IEEE’s website states that the “IEEE is the

trusted “voice” for engineering, computing and technology information around the globe” and is a well respected body. The primary purpose of the article, posted on the ‘IEEE website’, is to discuss a new

use for solar panels. He states, Fairley (2009), that ‘the electronic devices that Frederik Krebs rolls off his printing presses’ could ‘provide an affordable alternative to kerosene lighting’. From my own

knowledge of this technology it has been possible to make these devices for many years it is however the affordability of the units that makes Krebs device of interest. So the fact that someone is just making

a lightweight compact version for domestic use is valuable cause to suggest this article is based on fact, however Krebs does not have them in production yet. The article is aimed at professional individuals

and the article is factual. The author’s point of view highlights the poor quality of the technology while admitting that the main attraction is cost. The author Fairley (2009) is again not directly involved in the

development but does show some background knowledge about the subject. Like Bullis (2009) Fairley refers to the scientists behind the development and uses their quotes to support the facts; however

phases such as “anaemically inefficient” do show emotional language. The author, Fairley (2009), has a good understanding of the technology the article is balanced and not biased. Fairley is highly

qualified with a degree in molecular biology from McGill University in Montreal, so he is qualified to explain the fundamentals of someone else’s research. While using experts’ knowledge and quotes he is

able to elaborate with his own understanding and construct this article. The author can be contacted via the comments section on the website and there is no evidence to show a commercial link between

the author and Krebs. There were no spelling mistakes in the article and no significant grammatical errors. The effects on the economy and society will be quite sufficient. Society will benefit immediately

through the uses and advantages it brings. They will finally have access to a modern lighting system that provides ‘reading light’ but can be used for minor outdoor use and indoor domestic day to day

activities. The economy on the other hand will take a little more time to settle as initial costs will be high and until the demand for the lamps increases the price will hardly change. As a result there will be an

economy boost.

Leaner and cheaper

This article is published in the Economist (2009). This article discusses the position of First Solar in the thin film market of solar power. The author is not specified by the source which suggests that it was

written by a team of editors who all contributed to the finished item. Although there is the ability to add comments at the foot of the article the author or authors cannot be contacted directly. This makes it hard

to research what qualifications the writers have. The information sources in this article are well labelled with the names of company that contributed the information and also what the companies specialise

in e.g. “From the solar shingles recently unveiled by Dow, a big chemical company, (a roof’s worth costs $27,000)”. The information is gleaned from company press releases and therefore does not have the

authority of an article quoting academic sources. This article is aimed more towards the investor audience and the general public rather than an academic audience. The article is an investment article with

development facts to increase the understanding of the readers to help convince them to make a purchase. The authors’ opinions have been influenced by the statements issued from the original sources

and with the information given. The article comes across as very biased by saying that this technology is the best in the market at the end of 2009. Verification of the information is difficult as the sources are

mainly the marketing departments of large corporations and therefore not peer reviewed. The author fails to capitalise compound names such as “Cadmium Telluride” and metals such as “Copper”. The

author also quotes Steve Milunivich but does not use quotation marks. The author does not offer a point of view on the merits of the technology or the standings of the companies mentioned and the

language used is passive and non emotional. The monetary accounting figures used in the article are verifiable from the company’s annual reports however other material is questionable. The Economist

is part of a commercial publishing organisation and relies in some part on advertising revenue from the companies mentioned, this makes the detail in the document much less reliable as the Economist

would not wish to offend advertisers. If the organisation who developed this technology is the only company who manufacture it they will become a market leader. Also if it doesn’t share the ideas with other

market competitors it can have the ability to manipulate the market and the economies that are interested in implementing it into their societies. However it will benefit economies even better if the market

leaders did share their developments to competitors as this would provoke competitive prices. Companies therefore would have to research ways to produce the technology cheaper resulting in a drop of

RRP (recommended retail price).

Land of the rising subsidy

Published in the Economist (August 2009). This article is a report about the changing markets and readiness of Japanese companies to endure the downturn in the demand for solar cells. The article also

discusses the growth of companies such as Sharp and how new companies have come into the market due to an increase in the international demand. The information sources are in the main clearly

indicated. The article has no named author therefore contacting and verifying the credentials of the author is difficult. The authors quote figures about the introduction of new companies, “solar technology

matured and demand grew, new companies emerged, notably in China and Taiwan, eroding Japanese firms’ share of the market to around 20%. Sharp slipped to fourth place among manufacturers in

2008” Land of the rising subsidy (2009). These figures can be verified from the company’s annual reports. The impression I get from reading the article is that the authors’ are not biased in this piece, they

are just passing on market information so that market enthusiasts can find out what changes are happening. Also competitive companies would access the information on the Economist website to

discover what other companies’ market positions are. The article offers little in addition to what the companies quoted have released in terms of web and press releases making the article at best a

comparison of the major players in the market. The Author does not project or offer any opinion as to what they feel about the market and the language is not emotional in any way. The author does not

correctly quote Joe Boyce of Gala Consulting or Travis Bradford of the Promethius Institute by the use of quotation marks. There is little independent evidence to support the opinions in the article and the

quotations do not appear with the source in some cases. The effects on economy related to this article differ from the others. This section is talking about subsidising companies that manufacture energy

saving products and it is only until consumers in the market are fully dependent on these technologies will the manufactures be able to funds themselves. Once this is the case then all major economies

around the world will benefits as the prices decrease, demand increases and customers are saving money by providing themselves ‘free energy’.

References

Author, Unknown. Publisher, Kawasaki. Economist print edition (27th August, 2009). Title of article. Land of the rising subsidy. Japanese makers of solar panels are well placed to endure the present glut.
Retrieved from
http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_TQPNSPVJ

Author, Kevin Bullis. (10th December, 2009). Title of article. Making Diesel from CO2 and sunlight. A new program will develop novel approaches to renewable fuels.
Retrieved from http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24125/

Author, Kevin Bullis. (15th January, 2010). Title of article. Making A New Way to Make Useful Chemicals from CO2. A copper-based catalyst helps turn the gas into antifreeze and household cleaners.
Retrieved from http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24369/

Author, Peter Fairley. (November, 2009). Title of article. Plastic Power: Plastic solar cells integrated with batteries and LEDs could replace kerosene lamps.
Retrieved from http://spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/solar/plastic-solar-cells-roll-into-unlit-villages

Author, Unknown. Publisher, Washington, DC. Economist print edition (22nd October, 2009). Title of article. Leaner and Cheaper. The future of solar power is not only bright but also thin.
Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14710800

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