Southern
Indiana
Renewable
Energy
Network
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Renewable
Energies Versus Fossil Fuels I.
There are
many problems with our current dependency on the use of fossil
fuels.
A. Our dependency on fossil fuels is expensive with “hidden costs”
totaling close to $590 billion a year. Figures
cited include: 1. Approximately
$25 billion is spent on military defense of our oil interests
in the Middle East each year.. 2. In
2006 approximately $32 billion was spent on tax breaks and
government subsidies to the fossil fuel industries each year.
**As of January 2007, the House rescinded a bill giving oil
drillers $14 billion in tax breaks and subsidies and plans to reserve
this money to develop alternative energy projects and
conservation technologies. 3. In
1998 the US paid approximately $45 billion for its imported
oil. By 2007, this figure had risen to approximately $400
billion. Estimates for 2008 are $440 billion. See http://www.allbusiness.com/ 4. Approximately
$150 billion is spent on damages from fossil-fuel-related air
pollution, oil spills, etc. each year. 5. The
war in Iraq was not figured into the 590 billion figure. If
the cost of the war is counted, the true expense is
immeasurable. B. Fossil fuel generated gases are adding to the problem of global
warming and they create unnecessary potential for
environmental disasters. 1. Even
though gasoline and industry emissions are cleaner than they
were 35 years ago, unnecessary, heat-trapping gases are still
being sent into the atmosphere. 2. The
process of turning fossil fuels into energy is remarkably
inefficient and the emissions produced are a result of a waste
of energy due to incomplete fuel combustion of some type or
another. Not only is the conversion process inefficient, the
use of this type of energy is, itself, very inefficient; the
emissions produced by cars and trucks are also a result of
incomplete fuel combustion. When electric energy is
transmitted long distances over the power grid, only 35%
percent of what is originally sent actually reaches the
consumer. 3. Oil
spills happen on a routine basis – only the large ones are
reported in the news. 1. Citing
statistics from the Alaska Department of Conservation, from
1996 - 2000 the Trans-Alaska and Prudhoe Bay oil fields caused
an average of 427 oil spills annually. 2. In
1999, the two top oil spill “hot spots” were the Gulf of
Mexico and the northeastern US. 3. In
2002 the National
Research Council (NRC), U.S. National
Academy of Science, reported the average amount of oil spilled
into the world’s oceans each year at 1.3 million tons. C. The long-term world oil supply forecasts are not really very
long-term. 1. In
1996 the American Petroleum Institute released the following
figures regarding the world oil reserves. The estimated
amounts of oil were enough to maintain 1996 production levels
for more than 44 years, or to maintain growing oil consumption
and economic growth for only 20 more years. If probable oil
reserves are included in this time projection we may have
enough oil for 60 – 90 years. Twelve years have
already elapsed since then. 2. When
factoring in the relatively recent demand for oil and other
energies from the burgeoning and newly affluent populations of
China and India, the forecast for the long-term oil supply
dwindles quite rapidly. 3. Sources
indicate the Arab hesitancy to increase production is because
their oil fields are depleted more than the Saudis will admit. 4. The
big oil companies have a record of lying about their reserves.
They “over-book” their reserves; stock prices go up and
CEOs make more money. 5. Oil
is integrated into the production of everything in our
everyday lives from the clothes we wear, the gas we buy, to
the food we eat, etc. The higher cost of obtaining oil is
having a severe impact on our current oil-based economy.
Imagine the consequences if the oil supply dries up
completely. II.
Alternative,
renewable energy sources – why they are not readily
available, why they should be, and several on the forefront of
today’s alternative energy search. A. There have been many barriers to alternative energy sources. 1. In
the past 35 years, compared to the billions spent on the
fossil fuel industry, very little has been spent on energy
efficiency and alternative energy development. 2. The
Reagan-Bush administration of the 1980s cut funding for
alternative energy research and development by 90% and
adequate funding has not been made available since then. This
has now begun to change. 3. The
lack of adequate government subsidies has impeded economical
development and public awareness regarding the availability of
these choices. Sources at the Energy Division of the
Union of Concerned Scientists state “if alternative energy
industry subsidies were comparable to the those of the fossil
fuel industries, this technology would be more affordable and
available to the general public right now.” 4. Memories
of earlier alternative energy technology failures have also
been a problem. Today’s alternative energy technologies are
more reliable, produce better results and are fast becoming
more economically comparable with fossil fuel technologies. B. There are several good reasons to pursue alternative energies. 1. Sources
for renewable energies are more evenly distributed around the
globe than fossil fuels, and are not subject to the control of
just a few nations. 2. Newer,
more reliable technologies and solid production results for
alternative energies offer safer investment opportunities for
the future. 3. Compared
with fossil fuel energies, alternative energy sources produce
little or no environmental and atmospheric pollution.
C. There are many cutting edge alternative energy technologies in use
and in development today. Listed below are wind, solar power,
fuel cell and ocean power.
1. Wind
energy is one of the fastest growing alternative sources of
electricity in industrialized nations today. a. Global
wind energy potential is roughly five times the current global
electricity use today. b. In some parts of the world, wind energy technology is
producing electricity at 4-6 cents a kilowatt-hour. This is
cost competitive with most new hydropower fossil fuel
technologies. c. Wind
power is non-polluting – it does not produce air pollution,
greenhouse gases or acid rain. d. Wind farms can be built to fit capacity needs. e. Wind
farms can be installed within a few months without tying up
large amounts of investment dollars. f. If
wind farms were developed on 0.6% of land in the continental
U.S., 20% of U.S. power needs could be supplied while, at the
same time, allowing use for livestock grazing and agriculture.
By comparison, in 2007, 4.0% of our land is used exclusively
just to grow corn. g. According to the Global Wind Energy Council, if all
wind-friendly policies currently being studied are adopted by
2030, up to 29% of the worlds electricity could be wind
generated. 2. Solar
power is the sun’s inexhaustible gift to us. a. The
sun provides the Earth with more energy every minute than the
total global population uses in an entire year. b. Solar energy is non-polluting – it does not produce air
pollution, greenhouse gases or acid rain. c. Depending
upon the type of solar energy technology used, it can be
installed relatively quickly. d. Solar cells produce electricity while remaining intact and
are indefinitely reusable. e. Solar
cells are silent, highly reliable, fuel free, recyclable, can
be mass-produced and are suitable for utility or consumer use. f. Recent
concentrator solar cell technology has created an earlier
price competiveness with the fossil fuel industry than
original time projections. g. Initial installation is expensive, but there are programs
available to help offset the costs. Depending upon the
type of technology and amount of sunlight, solar panels
usually pay for themselves within two to ten years. Newer
technologies offer promise to bring costs down to be
competitive with current electricity rates. 3. Fuel
cells offer tremendous benefits for energy production. a. Unlike
a battery that stores energy, fuel cells produce electricity
on demand. b. Fuel cells are non-polluting – they do not produce air
pollution, greenhouse gases or acid rain. c. Fuel
cells can be built to fit capacity needs. d. The hydrogen fuel cell solves the problem of energy storage
for other types of alternative energies such as solar and
wind. e. Fuel
cells offer solution for providing electricity to rural areas
and developing nations. f. Fuel
cells offer an efficiency rate of about 70% - close to twice
that of current grid-transmitted power. g. Fuel cells function independently and offer greater
reliability – if a fuel cell malfunctions, only that user is
affected. Widespread power outages could become a thing of the
past. 4. Ocean/wave
power technology harnesses the power of the oceans. a. Less
intrusive, more predictable and reliable than many current
energy technologies. b. Scalable from hundreds of kilowatts to hundreds of megawatts. c. Located
several miles offshore; no more noticeable than a fleet of
small fishing boats. d. Designed to maximize power from the more typical, average
wave than the infrequent intensities experienced during stormy
periods. e. Less
expensive overhead than some technologies; the main required
ingredient – ocean water – is free f. Visit
this website for more information on wave technology: http://www.eere.energy.gov/ III.
The use of
alternative energies makes good economic sense. A. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the annual
global growth rate for wind energy is approximately 32%.
During the 1990s only 1% of wind energy growth took place in
the U.S. Currently the U.S. is leading the world in new wind
installations and has the potential to become the world leader
by 2010. B. In 2006-2007 solar energy accounted for an
estimated 1% of the global energy market with the photovoltaic
cell industry maintaining an almost 40% growth rate.
These growth rates can be
compared
to other lifestyle changing technologies such as the computer,
CD/DVD, and cell phone.
C. The Wind Energy Association states that U.S. wind energy potential
is enormous considering the vast resources throughout the
Plains states and has called the U.S. the “Saudi Arabia
of wind.” D. Alternative energies offer potential for profits, competitive advantage,
opportunity and innovation. All are things that fuel an
economy. E. Each energy transition – from wood to coal, coal to oil and oil
to natural gas – has produced more efficient energies as
well as an explosion of jobs and economic growth.
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