Apr252008
Pessimism about alternative energy
Filed under Uncategorized by david brooks at 8:39 am
I’m writing a story for the Sunday Telegraph about alternative energy that has turned out to be pretty pessimistic - once you calculate how much solar/wind power actually exists in NH (virtually none), then the chirpy stories about a local guy putting up a few photovoltaic cells aren’t so compelling.
The excellent CNet Green Tech blog makes an even more depressing case today for the difficulty of removing fossil fuels from the world’s equation: Replacing oil will take 4 billion rooftops covered with solar panels, 2,500 Seabrook nuclear plants, or 3 million full-sized wind turbines. This pie chart from SRI International tells the gloomy story (units are unusual: energy equivalent of a cubic mile of oil):
April 25th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Yeah, but Dave, there has to be an answer, else the western-civilization-life-stype will doom the planet. But it won’t be only one new energy source…unless the Japanese do figure out cold fusion. It is likely all be using multi source energy for “life” sooner rather than later. And yes, dare I say it, changing our life habits too.
Unleavened gloom makes people fatalistic, and quit trying.
FYI- a power strip to turn off the TV, record player, computer monitors, and printer overnight saved measurable electricity. It was easy too! Didn’t have any more lightbulbs to swap out.
April 25th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Well, I still have that Google Map showing alternative-power plants in and around New Hampshire (see the left rail) … so I guess I’m not totally a Gloomy Gus
April 25th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
If you assume that we need to replace all the energy we currently use with alternative energy then yes, the picture is pretty depressing. However, if you believe, as I do, that we can still have a comfortable, technologically advanced society while using a fraction of the energy that we currently use, then the picture is more optimistic. I think a large percentage of the energy that we use is either wasted due to inefficiency or lifestyle.
April 21st, 2009 at 8:58 pm
We should lessen our usage of gas..
Gas emission vehicles were one of the major source of global warming and it
threatens humanity..
We should use alternative fuel instead of gas that produces high amount of Carbon monoxide..