Article Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Article Critique - Essay Example While the article is helpful as a general information piece, it lacks any substantive depth, and does not draw any conclusions. The author writes of "millions of new jobs" and "a demand for green jobs, which could provide meaningful work", but offers no specifics or details. The author was further challenged by the topic as he could not even offer a definition for the term green job. Due to the immense scope of the topic, and the relative of the issue in the national spotlight, it would be impractical to devise any research based on empirical data or a quantitative study. Research could best be accomplished by a review of the existing literature on the topic and consulting the writings of industry experts. I would examine the experiences that other countries have had with green technology and how it has impacted their employment and economic outlook. In addition, I would make some conjectures and predictions on the impact of energy on the economy if we do nothing. Solar panel technology for residential housing is an area of green technology that has vast potential. At the current cost of solar cells, they are economically impractical without a government subsidy. Currently the federal subsidy is 30 percent, with some states adding an additional amount ("Northern Arizona Wind & Sun"). If the subsidy were 70 percent, it would take the homeowner just 6 years to recover the cost of a system that has a life span of 20 years ("Northern Arizona Wind & Sun"). As the technology gets more developed and manufacturing reaches scale, the price will drop dramatically and the subsidies could be cut back. The long term effect would be to significantly lower the cost of utilities in America and there would be more money in the economy to spend on cars and houses. Closing the coal fired electric plants and replacing them with nuclear facilities would greatly reduce green house gas emissions and create a