Self-paced
The following passage was written in the mid-1990s.
The demand for electricity in certain countries has been projected recently to grow by 50 percent by the year 2010. Unfortunately, the increased use of fossil fuels to generate this electricity may ultimately damage human and environmental health.
In rural Brazil, for example, millions of citizens do not have electricity, and the lack of necessary infrastructure has limited efforts to provide it. In 1992, an energy agency from the United States developed a joint project with two Brazilian states to install 800 household solar electrical systems and train local personnel to service them. Under the project's terms, local utilities install, maintain, and own the systems, and collect fees from users. Backers hoped the project would attract enough private investment for substantial expansion throughout Brazil. But the project directors rejected the relatively high bids of local Brazilian companies to produce the solar collectors and thus missed an opportunity to stimulate local production. Consequently, a short-term savings in start-up costs precluded the long-term benefits deriving from the development of local production capacity and technological skill, which eventually would have led to independence from costly foreign expertise. As a result, participating utilities can generate only enough income to cover operating and maintenance costs, which makes further investment and expansion unlikely. Thus, the movement toward a sustainable, rural electricity system in Brazil remains stalled.
But some efforts have avoided these pitfalls. In the mid-1980s, a Danish energy agency helped agencies in India build three modern wind turbine plants and gradually develop local technical capacity. Local participants were trained in planning, operation, maintenance, and construction of turbines. Indian firms subsequently began manufacturing turbines and, as more locally manufactured equipment became available, Indian utilities were able to increase their use of wind energy profitably. The success of these small projects spurred enthusiasm; Indian utilities were soon ordering more equipment and private investment in wind energy surged.
14.
Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?
a
While some later efforts to implement renewable energy systems have been plagued and eventually halted by economic conflicts, early renewable energy projects relying more heavily on local involvement enjoyed a larger degree of success.
Although the author does describe one early (mid-1980s) example of a renewable energy project that’s more successful than one later one (1992), the overall point isn’t to suggest that early projects were more successful. The author uses the fact that the project was successful to support the point that local participation is an important factor in the success of a renewable energy project.
b
Investors in renewable energy projects should consider not only financial factors but also the potential gains in human and environmental health from using this technology—gains that are not always readily measurable.
The main point isn’t advice directed to investors and what they should consider. The author’s point is to present renewable energy as a solution to the problem of increasing demand for electricity and to identify one factor that’s important for the success of a renewable energy project.
c
Renewable energy sources represent a promising means for addressing many countries' energy demands and environmental concerns, but the necessary technologies can be implemented most effectively in countries that have continuing access to foreign investment or expertise.
Not supported, because the author doesn’t identify continued foreign involvement as important to the success of a renewable energy project. Rather, local participation is what’s important.
d
Though renewable energy sources represent a promising means for meeting the rising energy demands of certain countries, the exploitation of these resources is unlikely to succeed unless long-term, local participation at all levels is seen as integral to renewable energy projects.
This best captures the main point, which is that renewable energy is a viable solution to the increasing demand for electricity, but local participation in the implementation is important. The author makes this point through the examples of energy projects in Brazil and India.
e
Certain types of renewable energy sources, such as wind-generated electricity systems, are more likely to be successful than other types, but continued investment and experimentation are necessary to establish which renewable energy projects will succeed.
The main point isn’t about the need for continued investment in order to identify which projects will succeed. The author doesn’t suggest it’s important to identify the kind of project that will succeed. Rather, the author emphasizes that local participation is important for the success of a renewable energy project in the long term.