News about Solar, Wind and alternative green power technologies

In a recent issue of Scientific American, California based scientists claim that wind, water and solar energy are able to supply enough power for the entire world.

The professors from Stanford University ran the numbers and confirmed that if everyone used existing sources of energy and technology to convert everything to electricity and hydrogen from renewables, by 2030, the requirements for power around the globe could be decreased by thirty percent because of the predicted 16.9 terawatts to 11.5 terawatts. The forecasted decrease is based on the fact that fossil fuels and biomass burning is grossly inefficient; energy in the form of heat is lost by up to eighty percent. Energy produced via electricity loses a mere twenty percent in heat.

If there were no reductions in the level of energy required by the entire world population, they claim that there is still plenty of availability with renewable energy to satisfy the world requirements [according to their calculations, wind would produce 1700 TW and solar could provide 6500 TW]. When you exclude difficult to reach locations and government protected regions from their data totals, it shows a minimum of 40 TW from wind and 580 TW from solar power. The study indicates that currently we are producing .02 in wind and .008 of solar power.

Their determined hypothesis plans for 3.8 million big wind turbines, that when spaced properly could engage one percent of the earth’s surface. They would also propose to have eighty nine thousand three hundred MW photovoltaic and concentrated solar power plants. These solar arrays would take up .33 percent of the earth’s land plane. Their arrangement also calls for four hundred ninety thousand tidal turbines, five thousand three hundred and fifty geo thermal facilities, seven hundred twenty thousand wave conversion units as well as 1.7 billion rooftop photovoltaic units. In all, less than two percent of these various renewable energy operations are installed and operational.

They know for certain that their idea is achievable, what is not so certain is the collective will of those responsible for making it happen.

It will be a gargantuan job revamping the whole earth’s energy markets in twenty years time, it is classic understatement, and the report’s authors are pragmatic regarding the obstacles looming with such a plan. They agree there would need to be political willingness to take the leap forward by instigating feed in tariff or [FIT] programs, taxes placed on fossil fuel use, and essential investment in extended distance transmission mechanisms. All this and the supply of certain materials could result in delays or problems over the programs distance.

 It simply boils down to political will since the technology exists. Current subsidies need to be adjusted to clean energy programs as a place to start. It does not make any sense to invest in pollution generating projects rather than in programs that are clean.

Just the thought of turning off the world’s coal and nuclear power generating facilities and building thousands of acres of wind farms and solar plants is contentious at best. Forget the political, social, and economical barriers, the issue of baseload power – what is accessible 24-7, rain or shine, that keeps things operating – that right now is being supplied from nuclear and fossil fuel burning operations. Those who favor nuclear power dispute that a lack of major storage structures for wind and solar power, alternative energy supplies will destine these green energy resources to a supplemental standing as far as energy usage is concerned.

The Stanford University profs make note of this problem in their study by claiming sporadic availability issues can be alleviated by intelligently balancing sources of power, like producing a base supply from the stable resources like tidal energy and/or geothermal. They could also count on wind in the nighttime when it is habitually more common and using solar in daylight hours. In addition, hydroelectric resources or other steady forms of power could be used since they could be turned on and off rapidly to balance supply or meet climactic requirements.