The Science of Renewable Energy

Frank R. Spellman

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781138032163
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Naturwissenschaften
• Subtopic: Energie

Latest Edition Explores Fresh, New Alternatives to Fossil FuelsThe Science of Renewable Energy, Second Edition takes a look at ways to produce sustainable and reliable energy sources and presents practical examples along with scientific methods, models, observations, and tools. Developed by esteemed author Frank R. Spellman, this book includes inpu

1 Post-Oil Energy

Oil creates the illusion of a completely changed life, life without work, life for free. … The concept of oil expresses perfectly the eternal human dream of wealth achieved through lucky accident. … In this sense, oil is a fairy tale and like every fairy tale a bit of a lie.

—Ryszard Kapuscinski, Polish journalist and writer

To the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.

—William Blake, English poet and artist

Massive changes in the existence of humanity are imminent. The oil shortage? Blame it all on the Greenies; it is their entire fault. There’s something guttural, something personal, about the price of gas.

Steiner (2009)

Four numbers say wind and solar can’t save climate.

Bryce (2013)

THE GATHERING STORM

As I begin writing this book, several significant events and situations present themselves that warrant our attention. The promise that shifting from coal-generating power to renewable sources will create thousands of jobs has proven to be untrue. California is a good example: Promises were made that shifting to renewable energy sources would result in the creation of 11,000 new jobs but only 1700 were delivered. And, the fact is that out of the 1700 jobs created most of them went to consultants who served on a temporary, short-term basis. (Note: The present and projected future employment opportunities in the renewable energy field are discussed in greater detail later.)

Second on our list of significant events or situations is the current state of the U.S. economy. The real U.S. unemployment rate is at 9 to 10+%, with increasing numbers of workers losing their jobs daily. For those still working in factory jobs, their future in these same types of jobs is threatened and, in some cases, doomed—these jobs are being done away with or outsourced overseas. Many of these are jobs that are unlikely to return to the United States. Third on our list is the nominal world population clock that just posted a world population figure of 7.3 billion and counting—pointing to the increasing need for more resources, including energy.

How are these significant events and others related? What do they have to do with energy? What do they have to do with the so-called pending oil crisis (peak oil)? Finally, what do they have to do with renewable energy? I will discuss the interrelationships between oil and renewable energy and the significance of the events and situations described in the following.

Let’s discuss Haiti for a moment. It is the poorest country in the Americas. Not only is it impoverished but it also is the least developed. The 2010 earthquake only exacerbated an already desperate situation in Haiti. Moreover, Haiti has consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world. And, with the exception of a few agricultural crops, it has no exports. Haiti has only survived because of the foreign aid it receives, mostly from the United States and lesser amounts from other countries.

Haiti’s energy supplies must be imported; it has no indigenous supply of oil-derived energy. Haiti does have extensive exposure to sunlight and wind, as well as tide and wave energy. These sources can be employed in the development and production of renewable energy, all of which would lessen the need and expense for Haiti to import expensive hydrocarbon fuel products such as gasoline. Development of renewable energy sources in Haiti could go a long way toward helping it reduce its dependence on worldwide generosity and loans. Certainly, economic development could benefit if it were tied to a decrease in corruption, a shoring up of a stable political footing, and an increase in human health and medical care.

The second event or situation that is interrelated with petroleum products and renewable energy production and the current and future state of the U.S. economy is the lack of viable jobs and lackluster progress in technological innovation. For some time, the United States has been the leader in technological development throughout the world; however, recent reports have pointed out that from 1999 to the present the U.S. population grew by 32 million, or 1%, yet we had zero net job creation. Why? Take your pick; there are several reasons for our current economic condition. To begin with, we develop technology or technological advances in products such as computers, computer software, automobiles, farm machinery, furniture, and textiles, among others. But, the vast majority of clothing, cellphones, computers, and televisions and a large percentage of our construction products (e.g., Chinese drywall) are produced in a foreign country. After we have spent large amounts of capital and time and volumes of expertise developing U.S. innovations, these are simply copied by foreign industries and produced at about nine times lower cost than if they were produced in the United States. These foreign producers have much lower labor costs and no regulatory pressure, and many receive financial assistance from their government. When our technological innovations leave the country, it creates an uneven playing field that simply does not teeter-totter in a direction favorable to us.

In addition to labor, regulatory, and other related costs, the United States is not self-sustaining in oil production anymore. Our dependence on foreign energy sources is not only humiliating and shameful but also quite costly to all of us in so many different ways. For example, we have failed to grow jobs because we are no longer self-sufficient as a nation, with the exception of producing agricultural products for the country’s needs. Maybe the advent of extensive hydraulic fracturing will change this ratio; maybe we will become self-sufficient. That is, until the fracked well runs dry.

Complicating any economic recovery we may achieve (at this writing, this seems doubtful and may be wishful thinking) is not only our dependence on foreign oil but also the price of oil. One thing is certain—if and when economic conditions turn around and begin to climb in the positive direction, the price of a gallon of gasoline ($2.58 and similar prices for diesel fuel at this writing) will simply increase, and increase, and increase again. The foreign energy producers are just sitting back waiting for us to recover, so they can turn the price increase lever one notch higher … and higher …, etc. These increases in the price of gasoline and diesel fuel will quickly put a lid on any economic recovery; we will descend that slippery oil-soaked slope back to our current condition of stagnant malaise, or maybe worse.

The third situation we mentioned is the continuing population growth and its impact not only on future fuel requirements but on many other resources, as well. Consider, for example, as previously mentioned, that at this very moment the nominal world population clock reads 7.3 billion and counting. Population growth on this globe is something that directly affects energy availability, use, and the pollution effects associated with using hydrocarbon fuels. The U.S. Census Bureau (2008) predicts that the world’s population in 2030 will be almost double that of 1980. Savinar (2010) predicted that oil production in 2030 will have declined back to 1980 levels while worldwide demand for oil will significantly outpace production. Bartlett (2004) observed that the rate of oil production per capita is falling and that the decline has gone undiscussed because a politically incorrect form of population control may be implied by mitigation.

It is important to point out that one factor that has helped to somewhat ameliorate the effect of population growth on demand is the decline of the population growth rate since the 1970s, although this is offset to a degree by increasing average longevity in developed nations. In 1970, the population grew at a rate of 2.1%. By 2007, the growth rate had declined to 1.167% (CIA, 2008), but the fact remains that the world’s population is still growing and is continuing to put pressure on our limited energy supplies. Energy is only one of several issues related to an increasing human population. The basic requirements of any population include air, water, food, shelter, and clothing. All of these human needs are tied directly or indirectly to energy.

With regard to the air we breathe, the air itself is ubiquitous and fills a vital need naturally for each of us; however, the air we breathe has been affected or tainted by energy use—namely, the air pollution that commonly accompanies the use of some forms of energy generation or use. At the present time, there is continuing debate on hydrocarbon energy use and its impact on global climate change. Although it is likely that we are undergoing global climate change—a general warming trend—it is not that apparent or proven that air pollution caused by energy use is the main causal factor of climate change. There can be little doubt, however, that human-caused (anthropogenic) pollution is a contributor to the current warming trend. Still, some critics argue that, in a discussion about oil, oil resources, peak oil supplies, and oil shortages, air and oil do not mix...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Note to the Reader
• Author
• Chapter 1 Post-Oil Energy
• Chapter 2 Energy Basics
• Chapter 3 Principles of Basic Electricity
• Chapter 4 Solar Energy
• Chapter 5 Wind Energy
• Chapter 6 Hydropower
• Chapter 7 Bioenergy
• Chapter 8 Geothermal Energy
• Chapter 9 Blue Energy
• Chapter 10 Fuel Cells
• Chapter 11 Carbon Capture and Sequestration
• Afterword: Is It the Beginning of the End or the Beginning of the Beginning?
• Glossary
• Index