Renewable Energy: Too Little, Too Late
Renewable Energy: Too Little, Too Late
Presented by Michael Kane at the NYC PetroCollapse Conference,
October 5th, 2005
When you combine the seven deadly sins with high technology, you get some really serious problems. You get turbo-sins. It’s dreadful to imagine what goeth after turbo-pride.
James Howard Kunstler
Renewable energy may offer a way into a sustainable future, but not without massive conservation efforts and a drastic shift in human consciousness. – MK
This paper focuses on the limitations of big renewable energy technologies and, more importantly, how society lacks the proper mind state and will to address the Peak Oil crisis appropriately. I conclude by taking a look at what people can do to prepare themselves for what is to come, as well as looking at small renewable technologies which may be helpful going forward.
***
WHO IS ACORE? WHAT’S THE CURRENT REALITY OF RENEWABLES?
The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) is the leading national advocacy group for renewable energy. ACORE members include former CIA and military officials, as well as many individuals in all sectors of the energy industry. [1] Recently ACORE unintentionally revealed exactly why renewables offer no escape from the certain Peak Oil crisis.
A recent ACORE press release stated, “What are the national policies that will result in renewable energy contributing 20%, 30%, 40% of national energy supply by 2020- 2030-2040?” [2]
20% renewable energy by 2020 is no solution for the Peak Oil crisis that is here now, and there are other participants at this conference who will show that the crisis is upon us now: at best we have till 2007 especially considering that The Powers That Be are behaving as if Peak is happening now.
We are in a race against time.
So what does an energy intensive society do as it begins to run out of its main energy source? You use whatever you’ve got. And that is what ACORE is calling “Phase 2.”
Phase 2 is the mass deployment of renewable energy projects in America, which is way behind that of the Europeans. I will be speaking about a number of renewable energy sources and what they have to offer a society of over-consumption.
But what is critical to understand at the outset is that renewables are not being viewed as a way to transition away from, or even to limit, the consumption of hydrocarbons, but rather to supplement over-consumption.
Sylvain Santamarta of Shell Renewables confirmed this fact at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum in NYC (REFF – Wall St) in June of this year, when he stated Shell will continue to invest in renewables – especially wind – since they are a valid and valuable supplement to hydrocarbons.
So why do I say the problem is lack of proper mind state and will?
Shell, BP, GE and other oil majors have big interests in renewable energy. Big Oil IS Big Renewables. Now renewable projects are being massively deployed by the military to fine tune its killing machine as it battles for dominance over the last remaining hydrocarbon reserves on the planet. This is what I call SUSTAINABLE DESTRUCTION.
With renewables being used to supplement over-consumption and promote SUSTAINABLE DESTRUCTION, there is no possible way renewable energy can offer a path to true sustainability. A massive shift in human consciousness is a prerequisite to any hope of technological mitigation of the Peak Oil crisis.
WIND
Without question, wind is the biggest economic winner in the field of renewables to date. Wind farms can produce hundreds of megawatts of energy, putting them on par with many traditional power plants. But the challenges facing the wind industry are vast, and the limitations are enormous, especially in comparison to hydrocarbons.
The most optimistic estimates by the Global Wind Energy Council show that, at best, wind could represent 12% of global energy supply by 2020. The American Wind Energy Association estimates that America could possibly have 6% of its energy provided by wind in 2020. [3]
But that is just the value on paper.
Wind farms operate at around 40% efficiency. So the actual energy would be approximately 6% of global capacity and 3% of America’s by 2020. This number may be slightly higher when we consider that offshore wind farms have a higher efficiency rating than those onshore. While the financial institutions are ready to put up the needed capital for offshore projects, there are mostly cold feet throughout the industry as everyone wonders whether these projects will ultimately be profitable. I will discuss offshore wind farms later in this paper.
Europe is light-years ahead of America in wind energy, and Germany leads the world.
The German numbers are painting a dismal picture for wind’s capacity. E.ON Netz – one of the world’s largest private energy providers – owns over 40% of Germany’s wind generating capacity. They released a report titled “WIND REPORT 2004” stating that wind energy requires “shadow stations” of traditional energy on back-up reserve in case the wind forecast is wrong. They state that reserve capacity needs to be 60% to 80% of the total wind capacity! So as more wind comes on line, it is all but certain that more hydrocarbon reserve capacity will be required, further demonstrating how renewable energy is used to supplement over-consumption. [4]
The main problem with wind energy is intermittency: the wind doesn’t always blow.
Martin Fuchs, CEO of E.ON Netz stated the following at a June press conference in Munich this year:
On 12 September, wind power supplies covered up to 38% of our grid power requirements at times. This was the highest value achieved during the past year. On 30 September, on the other hand, this figure was down to 0.2 % – the lowest value of the year
...
The random nature of the wind energy supply means that control and compensation energy requirements, for the provision of which transmission system operators are responsible, are constantly increasing
Fuchs went on to state that when Germany’s wind capacity increases to its expected 48,000 Megawatt capacity by 2020, it will only be responsible for replacing 2000 Megawatts of traditional, thermally generated power. In short, wind energy – the best renewable energy technology available to date – offers no hope of mitigating the Peak Oil crisis without massive conservation efforts that are nowhere in sight.
Even less known is a study conducted by Scientist David Keith, using computer generated simulations, where it was concluded if the world is eventually over saturated with wind turbines they could change wind patterns contributing to climate change. While this thesis has not been fully explored, it clearly indicates that unless mankind actively seeks to minimize our footprints upon the earth, we are doomed to repeat the same failures of our current energy paradigm: the failure of over-consumption through the exploitation of nature. [5]
OFFSHORE WIND
The big buzz in the wind industry lies offshore.
Offshore wind farms are the next frontier in the industry because these winds are sustained at high rates over long periods of time posing less intermittency. The problem is that no one is jumping into these projects for multiple reasons.
Who will pay for the new transmission lines out to sea? Can you get that energy inland cheaply and efficiently enough to be profitable? What happens if turbines break and you can’t get to them due to harsh weather? Most estimates have shown many offshore wind farms would be inaccessible for repair throughout most of the year.
Many in the industry argue that massive offshore projects are the only way to empower wind on a large scale. Large orders of turbines and services funded by multinational corporations would cause prices to drop dramatically. But regardless, by all estimates, none of these offshore farms have a chance to mitigate Peak Oil even if the best case scenario posed by industry leaders came to pass.
The first offshore project in America – Cape Wind in Cape Cod, Massachusetts – is facing huge NIMBY opposition. The rich folk of Martha’s Vineyard may change their tune when natural gas shortages and price spikes become grim realities.
Perhaps ironically, many “conservatives” already realize this.
For example, Theodore Roosevelt IV, the great grandson of our 26th President and a registered Republican, lives on Martha’s Vineyard and is the managing director of Lehman Brothers, who is providing Cape Wind with financial advisory services. When Cape Wind’s 420 MW of power come online, Roosevelt is certain to be receiving that power into his home.
Meanwhile American “liberals” in Massachusetts are opposing the country’s first offshore wind farm. This includes Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, whose family owns interests in natural gas pipelines in Massachusetts.
The wind industry argues that wind was never intended to solve all of our energy problems, and cannot be viewed in isolation from all other energy sources. This is a concession that everything I have said today is correct. Renewable projects should be developed, but we must be realistic about what they can and cannot provide to society.
BIG SOLAR
There is a technology called “Solar Thermal” or Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) that is just now hitting the market, but it is not new technology. It is over 20 years old and was capable of generating just as much energy when first developed as it does today.
Why was it held back for two decades?
It appears those financially involved with the technology were waiting for the right time to deploy it for the highest profit yield. This technology is being brought to the desert taking up 7 square miles to produce 500 MW of energy 70 miles north of Los Angeles. Thus far this only seems capable of large production in the desert. Other projects using this technology that are not in the desert are designed to produce less than 10 MW.
The environmental impact of these massive installations on the fragile ecosystem of the desert is uncertain, which will likely depend largely on how many of these installations are constructed. This is decent technology, but quite limited. It will ultimately hold a similar capacity to that of wind power generation at best.
If we are extremely lucky, solar thermal and wind will account for a true 15% of society’s energy capacity by 2020. That is simply no replacement for hydrocarbons.
The first major installation of solar thermal technology is headed by Stirling energy in conjunction with Lockheed Martin, Boeing and SAIC – three of the largest military contractors on the planet. This is completely different from photovoltaic (PV) solar panels commonly installed on rooftops.
HYDROGEN AND BIOFUELS
The cruelest of all myths concerning renewable energy is known as “the hydrogen economy.” We have yet to see any significant indication that hydrogen fuel cells will be capable of successfully moving the transportation sector away from fossil fuels. There are some vehicles being tested today, but they are literally time bombs waiting to explode, as a hydrogen fuel cell can be very dangerous if compromised in an accident. More importantly, the net energy gained compared with the net energy used in the process of storing energy in a hydrogen fuel cell is low. It is not an energy efficient system. Fuel cells function at lower than 40% efficiency, often much lower.[6]
There is a lot of rhetoric claiming one day hydrogen cars will be powered by renewable energy on the grid. This will never happen – not on the scale of 700 million automobiles. The intermittent nature of renewables cannot sustain such a massive system of inefficient over-consumption. The only way the hydrogen economy becomes remotely feasible is with a massive deployment of nuclear power plants.
When you hear “hydrogen economy,” think “nuclear power.”
Biofuels are good-and-fine as long as there is plenty of oil to burn. Getting a massive feedstock of corn husks to create biodiesel can only be done within the hydrocarbon intensive world of petro-farming. Once hydrocarbons are removed from the picture, try harvesting all of that corn by hand. Try not using petroleum-based pesticides and see what your yield will be. Try finding a replacement for the commercial fertilizers that are derived from natural gas.
And if you wanted to power every single truck in America (excluding cars) with biodiesel you would have to cover the entire nation’s surface with crops dedictated to the creation of fuel. Biofuels are great for recycling, not for fueling a massive society of over-consumers.
SYNTHETIC FUELS
Synthetic fuels are soon to be coming to market much more aggressively as the oil crunch tightens. One technique for creating such fuel is by extracting hydrogen from water, recycling CO2 from coal-fired emissions, and processing the two together to form a synthetic hydrocarbon.
The first problem is that there aren’t many facilities that can make synthetic fuels, so massive investment into infrastructure is needed. The second problem is that this is not a highly efficient way to produce fuel. Electricity is needed to extract hydrogen from water and to capture CO2 from coal emissions. And no one is considering the fact that the world is starting to run out of fresh water to exploit due to over-consumption. Desalination is not the answer to that problem, as it is energy intensive and environmentally disastrous. Lastly, but most importantly, the CO2 that is captured from coal emissions will eventually be released into the atmosphere when consumed as fuel, further contributing to global warming.
This is not a renewable technology. At best, this is a band aid that will be placed on a severed artery. If synthetic fuels become a major part of our energy paradigm we will soon be facing both a coal shortage and yet another environmental crisis. Hitler made synthetic fuel during World War II when Germany no longer had access to abundant oil reserves. It was inefficient, but the war machine must have oil.
So must America.
SUSTAINABLE DESTRUCTION: The Military Marriage with Renewables
The military has documented all renewable energy projects within 100 miles of their installations. It is army policy to purchase renewable energy whenever possible, and many military installations are installing renewables on base.
The Naval base at Guantanamo Bay has wind turbines on base to supplement power needs.
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=33704
Ethanol/Diesel blends are being tested at military bases
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=34180
National Guard Training Center Goes Solar http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=aJxQmFtXV9jd?id=35491
Camouflage Solar Panels
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=aWNH14gpzaGg?id=28183
Solar Powered Tents in the Military
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/000989.html
CURRENT MIND STATE = DESTRUCTION IS PROFITABLE
POWERDOWN is the only solution. That is, the intentional decrease of energy consumption by the entire industrial world to avoid a die-off. But at the second Peak Oil Conference in Paris, Dutch economist Maarten Van Mourik stated that it may not be profitable to slow the decline of Peak Oil.
So then what would be profitable?
Perhaps it was best stated by Ray Liotta in the acclaimed mafia film Good Fellas when he said, “you light a match”.
Torch the place. Burn the American economy to the ground and make money on the way down. The super-rich know how to profit off of a depression. America represents 5% of global population consuming 25% of the resources. Unless consumption is intentionally slowed down, Americans may be the sacrificial pigs.
Is this the plan of the elite? Who knows, but especially in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it can’t be ruled out.
WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS
Small wind turbines should be investigated, and perhaps, invested into by those who can afford to do so. However it may not be possible to install such systems in urban or suburban areas. Law likely prohibits this, and it may be a good time to take strides towards finding out what the legislation is in your area and how, or if, this can be changed. There is a good online handbook addressing small wind turbine installations. Wind and solar hybrid systems are discussed and look somewhat promising. [7]
Fire places and wood burning stoves are good investments. It is best to burn cedar and maple woods, seasoned for at least 6 months. After 4 years the wood may start to lose carbon content and burn less efficiently. A good tarp covering the wood to avoid getting water logged is important.
It would be wise to have supplies for a minimum of 2 weeks on hand in your home. Lighters, matches, candles, flashlights, batteries, crank radio, heavy blankets, bottled water, and canned goods are necessities in times of blackouts, crisis or shortages. Make sure to store things that you need as opposed to accumulated junk from years past. In case of problems with municipal water systems, it is worth having multiple buckets/barrels that could be used to collect rainwater or rainwater run-off.
Run-off comes from your roof and is quite an efficient form of water collection. However, roofing shingles are made with petroleum which may present a problem for human consumption. Perhaps a tarp can be set up to gather water and funnel it into a barrel or bucket. Let your roof or tarp be pounded for a long period of time before starting your collection – this should help rinse off chemicals. Jan Lundberg can go into further detail on this, as I first read about this from his own experience living in the redwood forest.
Relocation should be considered. Water and food are primary concerns. Electricity is a luxury that is not required for survival; you can go to sleep when it is dark, and wake to the sun. Ready yourself for a humble lifestyle, as the Indigenous Natives of what is rightly called Turtle Island [8] have told us for so long.
Ultimately – based upon the current will and mind state of society – I am convinced there won’t be any tech-“no-logic” solutions, as my dear friend Tiokasin Ghost Horse has profoundly stated on many occasions. Internalizing critical knowledge and cultivating spiritual practice are the only way forward to true sustainability.
peace eternal
m>k<
For more information on Renewables, see:
Renewables Part 1 by Michael Kane
Renewables Part 2 by Michael Kane
Renewables Part 3 by Michael Kane
The Demise of Business as Usual by Thomas L. Wayburn, PhD
more on renewable energy here:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/010305_energy_deployment.shtml
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/040405_writing_wall.shtml
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/040405_writing_wall.shtml#1
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/072605_world_stories.shtml#1
Matt Savinar Esq. on renewable energy
***Explore Matt’s entire web site for high quality information on how to survive Peak Oil.
Surviving Peak Oil – Dale Allen Pfeiffer’s website
***EXCELLENT resource for low-tech solutions that will ultimately be of greater value than solar panels or wind turbines.
Alice Friedemann on Hydrogen
end notes and sources:
[1] Former CIA Director James Woolsey, who is currently a VP with Booz, Allen & Hamilton, is on ACORE’s advisory board. And Michael Eckhart, a former Principal of Booz, Allen & Hamilton, is the ACORE President.
[2] http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/market/business/viewstory?id=36533
[3] http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=30&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=8&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=673b3730b0
[4] While hydropower can also be used as back-up capacity for wind, nuclear power cannot due to technical limitations. Hydropower is a good counterbalance for wind energy where it is available. The problem with hydro capacity is drought, and as climate change continues there are signs that drought will worsen as the world water crisis deepens.
[5] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4161624
[6] http://www.energybulletin.net/2401.html?ENERGYBULL=3f111b51386b890bdf16abbd3c38e150
[7] http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/permitting.pdf
[8] “Turtle Island” is the true indigenous name for what is commonly referred to as “North America.”
c. Michael Kane, 2005
Presented by Michael Kane at the NYC PetroCollapse Conference,
October 5th, 2005
When you combine the seven deadly sins with high technology, you get some really serious problems. You get turbo-sins. It’s dreadful to imagine what goeth after turbo-pride.
James Howard Kunstler
Renewable energy may offer a way into a sustainable future, but not without massive conservation efforts and a drastic shift in human consciousness. – MK
This paper focuses on the limitations of big renewable energy technologies and, more importantly, how society lacks the proper mind state and will to address the Peak Oil crisis appropriately. I conclude by taking a look at what people can do to prepare themselves for what is to come, as well as looking at small renewable technologies which may be helpful going forward.
***
WHO IS ACORE? WHAT’S THE CURRENT REALITY OF RENEWABLES?
The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) is the leading national advocacy group for renewable energy. ACORE members include former CIA and military officials, as well as many individuals in all sectors of the energy industry. [1] Recently ACORE unintentionally revealed exactly why renewables offer no escape from the certain Peak Oil crisis.
A recent ACORE press release stated, “What are the national policies that will result in renewable energy contributing 20%, 30%, 40% of national energy supply by 2020- 2030-2040?” [2]
20% renewable energy by 2020 is no solution for the Peak Oil crisis that is here now, and there are other participants at this conference who will show that the crisis is upon us now: at best we have till 2007 especially considering that The Powers That Be are behaving as if Peak is happening now.
We are in a race against time.
So what does an energy intensive society do as it begins to run out of its main energy source? You use whatever you’ve got. And that is what ACORE is calling “Phase 2.”
Phase 2 is the mass deployment of renewable energy projects in America, which is way behind that of the Europeans. I will be speaking about a number of renewable energy sources and what they have to offer a society of over-consumption.
But what is critical to understand at the outset is that renewables are not being viewed as a way to transition away from, or even to limit, the consumption of hydrocarbons, but rather to supplement over-consumption.
Sylvain Santamarta of Shell Renewables confirmed this fact at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum in NYC (REFF – Wall St) in June of this year, when he stated Shell will continue to invest in renewables – especially wind – since they are a valid and valuable supplement to hydrocarbons.
So why do I say the problem is lack of proper mind state and will?
Shell, BP, GE and other oil majors have big interests in renewable energy. Big Oil IS Big Renewables. Now renewable projects are being massively deployed by the military to fine tune its killing machine as it battles for dominance over the last remaining hydrocarbon reserves on the planet. This is what I call SUSTAINABLE DESTRUCTION.
With renewables being used to supplement over-consumption and promote SUSTAINABLE DESTRUCTION, there is no possible way renewable energy can offer a path to true sustainability. A massive shift in human consciousness is a prerequisite to any hope of technological mitigation of the Peak Oil crisis.
WIND
Without question, wind is the biggest economic winner in the field of renewables to date. Wind farms can produce hundreds of megawatts of energy, putting them on par with many traditional power plants. But the challenges facing the wind industry are vast, and the limitations are enormous, especially in comparison to hydrocarbons.
The most optimistic estimates by the Global Wind Energy Council show that, at best, wind could represent 12% of global energy supply by 2020. The American Wind Energy Association estimates that America could possibly have 6% of its energy provided by wind in 2020. [3]
But that is just the value on paper.
Wind farms operate at around 40% efficiency. So the actual energy would be approximately 6% of global capacity and 3% of America’s by 2020. This number may be slightly higher when we consider that offshore wind farms have a higher efficiency rating than those onshore. While the financial institutions are ready to put up the needed capital for offshore projects, there are mostly cold feet throughout the industry as everyone wonders whether these projects will ultimately be profitable. I will discuss offshore wind farms later in this paper.
Europe is light-years ahead of America in wind energy, and Germany leads the world.
The German numbers are painting a dismal picture for wind’s capacity. E.ON Netz – one of the world’s largest private energy providers – owns over 40% of Germany’s wind generating capacity. They released a report titled “WIND REPORT 2004” stating that wind energy requires “shadow stations” of traditional energy on back-up reserve in case the wind forecast is wrong. They state that reserve capacity needs to be 60% to 80% of the total wind capacity! So as more wind comes on line, it is all but certain that more hydrocarbon reserve capacity will be required, further demonstrating how renewable energy is used to supplement over-consumption. [4]
The main problem with wind energy is intermittency: the wind doesn’t always blow.
Martin Fuchs, CEO of E.ON Netz stated the following at a June press conference in Munich this year:
On 12 September, wind power supplies covered up to 38% of our grid power requirements at times. This was the highest value achieved during the past year. On 30 September, on the other hand, this figure was down to 0.2 % – the lowest value of the year
...
The random nature of the wind energy supply means that control and compensation energy requirements, for the provision of which transmission system operators are responsible, are constantly increasing
Fuchs went on to state that when Germany’s wind capacity increases to its expected 48,000 Megawatt capacity by 2020, it will only be responsible for replacing 2000 Megawatts of traditional, thermally generated power. In short, wind energy – the best renewable energy technology available to date – offers no hope of mitigating the Peak Oil crisis without massive conservation efforts that are nowhere in sight.
Even less known is a study conducted by Scientist David Keith, using computer generated simulations, where it was concluded if the world is eventually over saturated with wind turbines they could change wind patterns contributing to climate change. While this thesis has not been fully explored, it clearly indicates that unless mankind actively seeks to minimize our footprints upon the earth, we are doomed to repeat the same failures of our current energy paradigm: the failure of over-consumption through the exploitation of nature. [5]
OFFSHORE WIND
The big buzz in the wind industry lies offshore.
Offshore wind farms are the next frontier in the industry because these winds are sustained at high rates over long periods of time posing less intermittency. The problem is that no one is jumping into these projects for multiple reasons.
Who will pay for the new transmission lines out to sea? Can you get that energy inland cheaply and efficiently enough to be profitable? What happens if turbines break and you can’t get to them due to harsh weather? Most estimates have shown many offshore wind farms would be inaccessible for repair throughout most of the year.
Many in the industry argue that massive offshore projects are the only way to empower wind on a large scale. Large orders of turbines and services funded by multinational corporations would cause prices to drop dramatically. But regardless, by all estimates, none of these offshore farms have a chance to mitigate Peak Oil even if the best case scenario posed by industry leaders came to pass.
The first offshore project in America – Cape Wind in Cape Cod, Massachusetts – is facing huge NIMBY opposition. The rich folk of Martha’s Vineyard may change their tune when natural gas shortages and price spikes become grim realities.
Perhaps ironically, many “conservatives” already realize this.
For example, Theodore Roosevelt IV, the great grandson of our 26th President and a registered Republican, lives on Martha’s Vineyard and is the managing director of Lehman Brothers, who is providing Cape Wind with financial advisory services. When Cape Wind’s 420 MW of power come online, Roosevelt is certain to be receiving that power into his home.
Meanwhile American “liberals” in Massachusetts are opposing the country’s first offshore wind farm. This includes Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, whose family owns interests in natural gas pipelines in Massachusetts.
The wind industry argues that wind was never intended to solve all of our energy problems, and cannot be viewed in isolation from all other energy sources. This is a concession that everything I have said today is correct. Renewable projects should be developed, but we must be realistic about what they can and cannot provide to society.
BIG SOLAR
There is a technology called “Solar Thermal” or Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) that is just now hitting the market, but it is not new technology. It is over 20 years old and was capable of generating just as much energy when first developed as it does today.
Why was it held back for two decades?
It appears those financially involved with the technology were waiting for the right time to deploy it for the highest profit yield. This technology is being brought to the desert taking up 7 square miles to produce 500 MW of energy 70 miles north of Los Angeles. Thus far this only seems capable of large production in the desert. Other projects using this technology that are not in the desert are designed to produce less than 10 MW.
The environmental impact of these massive installations on the fragile ecosystem of the desert is uncertain, which will likely depend largely on how many of these installations are constructed. This is decent technology, but quite limited. It will ultimately hold a similar capacity to that of wind power generation at best.
If we are extremely lucky, solar thermal and wind will account for a true 15% of society’s energy capacity by 2020. That is simply no replacement for hydrocarbons.
The first major installation of solar thermal technology is headed by Stirling energy in conjunction with Lockheed Martin, Boeing and SAIC – three of the largest military contractors on the planet. This is completely different from photovoltaic (PV) solar panels commonly installed on rooftops.
HYDROGEN AND BIOFUELS
The cruelest of all myths concerning renewable energy is known as “the hydrogen economy.” We have yet to see any significant indication that hydrogen fuel cells will be capable of successfully moving the transportation sector away from fossil fuels. There are some vehicles being tested today, but they are literally time bombs waiting to explode, as a hydrogen fuel cell can be very dangerous if compromised in an accident. More importantly, the net energy gained compared with the net energy used in the process of storing energy in a hydrogen fuel cell is low. It is not an energy efficient system. Fuel cells function at lower than 40% efficiency, often much lower.[6]
There is a lot of rhetoric claiming one day hydrogen cars will be powered by renewable energy on the grid. This will never happen – not on the scale of 700 million automobiles. The intermittent nature of renewables cannot sustain such a massive system of inefficient over-consumption. The only way the hydrogen economy becomes remotely feasible is with a massive deployment of nuclear power plants.
When you hear “hydrogen economy,” think “nuclear power.”
Biofuels are good-and-fine as long as there is plenty of oil to burn. Getting a massive feedstock of corn husks to create biodiesel can only be done within the hydrocarbon intensive world of petro-farming. Once hydrocarbons are removed from the picture, try harvesting all of that corn by hand. Try not using petroleum-based pesticides and see what your yield will be. Try finding a replacement for the commercial fertilizers that are derived from natural gas.
And if you wanted to power every single truck in America (excluding cars) with biodiesel you would have to cover the entire nation’s surface with crops dedictated to the creation of fuel. Biofuels are great for recycling, not for fueling a massive society of over-consumers.
SYNTHETIC FUELS
Synthetic fuels are soon to be coming to market much more aggressively as the oil crunch tightens. One technique for creating such fuel is by extracting hydrogen from water, recycling CO2 from coal-fired emissions, and processing the two together to form a synthetic hydrocarbon.
The first problem is that there aren’t many facilities that can make synthetic fuels, so massive investment into infrastructure is needed. The second problem is that this is not a highly efficient way to produce fuel. Electricity is needed to extract hydrogen from water and to capture CO2 from coal emissions. And no one is considering the fact that the world is starting to run out of fresh water to exploit due to over-consumption. Desalination is not the answer to that problem, as it is energy intensive and environmentally disastrous. Lastly, but most importantly, the CO2 that is captured from coal emissions will eventually be released into the atmosphere when consumed as fuel, further contributing to global warming.
This is not a renewable technology. At best, this is a band aid that will be placed on a severed artery. If synthetic fuels become a major part of our energy paradigm we will soon be facing both a coal shortage and yet another environmental crisis. Hitler made synthetic fuel during World War II when Germany no longer had access to abundant oil reserves. It was inefficient, but the war machine must have oil.
So must America.
SUSTAINABLE DESTRUCTION: The Military Marriage with Renewables
The military has documented all renewable energy projects within 100 miles of their installations. It is army policy to purchase renewable energy whenever possible, and many military installations are installing renewables on base.
The Naval base at Guantanamo Bay has wind turbines on base to supplement power needs.
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=33704
Ethanol/Diesel blends are being tested at military bases
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=34180
National Guard Training Center Goes Solar http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=aJxQmFtXV9jd?id=35491
Camouflage Solar Panels
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=aWNH14gpzaGg?id=28183
Solar Powered Tents in the Military
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/000989.html
CURRENT MIND STATE = DESTRUCTION IS PROFITABLE
POWERDOWN is the only solution. That is, the intentional decrease of energy consumption by the entire industrial world to avoid a die-off. But at the second Peak Oil Conference in Paris, Dutch economist Maarten Van Mourik stated that it may not be profitable to slow the decline of Peak Oil.
So then what would be profitable?
Perhaps it was best stated by Ray Liotta in the acclaimed mafia film Good Fellas when he said, “you light a match”.
Torch the place. Burn the American economy to the ground and make money on the way down. The super-rich know how to profit off of a depression. America represents 5% of global population consuming 25% of the resources. Unless consumption is intentionally slowed down, Americans may be the sacrificial pigs.
Is this the plan of the elite? Who knows, but especially in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it can’t be ruled out.
WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS
Small wind turbines should be investigated, and perhaps, invested into by those who can afford to do so. However it may not be possible to install such systems in urban or suburban areas. Law likely prohibits this, and it may be a good time to take strides towards finding out what the legislation is in your area and how, or if, this can be changed. There is a good online handbook addressing small wind turbine installations. Wind and solar hybrid systems are discussed and look somewhat promising. [7]
Fire places and wood burning stoves are good investments. It is best to burn cedar and maple woods, seasoned for at least 6 months. After 4 years the wood may start to lose carbon content and burn less efficiently. A good tarp covering the wood to avoid getting water logged is important.
It would be wise to have supplies for a minimum of 2 weeks on hand in your home. Lighters, matches, candles, flashlights, batteries, crank radio, heavy blankets, bottled water, and canned goods are necessities in times of blackouts, crisis or shortages. Make sure to store things that you need as opposed to accumulated junk from years past. In case of problems with municipal water systems, it is worth having multiple buckets/barrels that could be used to collect rainwater or rainwater run-off.
Run-off comes from your roof and is quite an efficient form of water collection. However, roofing shingles are made with petroleum which may present a problem for human consumption. Perhaps a tarp can be set up to gather water and funnel it into a barrel or bucket. Let your roof or tarp be pounded for a long period of time before starting your collection – this should help rinse off chemicals. Jan Lundberg can go into further detail on this, as I first read about this from his own experience living in the redwood forest.
Relocation should be considered. Water and food are primary concerns. Electricity is a luxury that is not required for survival; you can go to sleep when it is dark, and wake to the sun. Ready yourself for a humble lifestyle, as the Indigenous Natives of what is rightly called Turtle Island [8] have told us for so long.
Ultimately – based upon the current will and mind state of society – I am convinced there won’t be any tech-“no-logic” solutions, as my dear friend Tiokasin Ghost Horse has profoundly stated on many occasions. Internalizing critical knowledge and cultivating spiritual practice are the only way forward to true sustainability.
peace eternal
m>k<
For more information on Renewables, see:
Renewables Part 1 by Michael Kane
Renewables Part 2 by Michael Kane
Renewables Part 3 by Michael Kane
The Demise of Business as Usual by Thomas L. Wayburn, PhD
more on renewable energy here:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/010305_energy_deployment.shtml
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/040405_writing_wall.shtml
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/040405_writing_wall.shtml#1
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/072605_world_stories.shtml#1
Matt Savinar Esq. on renewable energy
***Explore Matt’s entire web site for high quality information on how to survive Peak Oil.
Surviving Peak Oil – Dale Allen Pfeiffer’s website
***EXCELLENT resource for low-tech solutions that will ultimately be of greater value than solar panels or wind turbines.
Alice Friedemann on Hydrogen
end notes and sources:
[1] Former CIA Director James Woolsey, who is currently a VP with Booz, Allen & Hamilton, is on ACORE’s advisory board. And Michael Eckhart, a former Principal of Booz, Allen & Hamilton, is the ACORE President.
[2] http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/market/business/viewstory?id=36533
[3] http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=30&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=8&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=673b3730b0
[4] While hydropower can also be used as back-up capacity for wind, nuclear power cannot due to technical limitations. Hydropower is a good counterbalance for wind energy where it is available. The problem with hydro capacity is drought, and as climate change continues there are signs that drought will worsen as the world water crisis deepens.
[5] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4161624
[6] http://www.energybulletin.net/2401.html?ENERGYBULL=3f111b51386b890bdf16abbd3c38e150
[7] http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/permitting.pdf
[8] “Turtle Island” is the true indigenous name for what is commonly referred to as “North America.”
c. Michael Kane, 2005
posted by Marcel at 8:04 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home