GREEN ENERGY by T. Edwin Perry
Wind turbines, hydroelectric power, solar energy: we truly live in a wondrous age, where miracles of technology make our lives simpler, cleaner and greener. With PROGRESS like this, you could wager that we can be out from under the oppressive thumb of “Big Oil” and “Dirty Coal” in…wait a minute! This just in: All of the INNOVATIONS that I’ve just described have been around for decades, and, in some ways, for CENTURIES?!!!! How can that be?
Wind Power stems from the invention of the “Wind Wheel,” which was reportedly invented by a Greek inventor named Heron of Alexandria in the first century AD. There has been little change in to the overall design since its construction more than TWO MILLENNIA ago, which includes a “wheel” that is spoked with “Sails” that are angled to make the wheel turn as the wind passes through the sails. The windmill, a derivation of this design, looks more like a clock, but generally work in the same basic way. The spinning wheel can be attached to belts, rods and gears that allow the power of the wind to be harnessed for the production of work, usually in regards to pumping water, spinning stones used for the grinding of grain, or other mechanical uses. When combined with an electrical generator, which converts the kinetic energy of the spinning motor into electricity, you get “Wind Power.” There’s a major flaw in the concept of wind power, however, specifically that when the wind isn’t blowing, there’s no electricity produced, and the simple fact of life is that the wind isn’t always blowing. Another flaw is the noise, typically a high-pitched squeal that attracts migratory birds, resulting in their deaths. (They’re also not particularly attractive to look at. Just ask Senator “Ted” Kenney, who opposed the construction of windmills in Nantucket Sound until his death.)
Like the Windmill, Water Wheels have been used to convert the power of running water into mechanical energy for centuries, and Hydroelectric power works much in the same way that Coal-fired power plants work, except instead of heating water to create steam pressure to turn the generator, Dams are constructed to raise the water level on one side of the generator to create sufficient force to turn the machines rapidly enough to produce a sufficient level of power. The upside to hydroelectric power is that, in places like Tenessee and the Midwest, rivers are constantly flowing, and that makes the electricity cheap and easy to produce. The downside is primarily ecological. By blocking rivers with dams, the spawning of fish and other aquatic animals is blocked by the man-made structure, threatening their continued survival as a species. Additionally, by blocking rivers, floods can more easily occur during periods of heavy rain or snow, and damage to the dam could cause catastrophic flooding downstream from the facility.
How about Solar Energy? The “Photovoltaic Effect” was discovered by a French scientist named Edmond Becquerel in 1839, and American inventor Charles Fritts described the first solar cells made with selenium wafers in 1883. Still, commercially viable photovoltaic cells wouldn’t be introduced until 1959, and with only a 10% efficiency! Over the past 50 years, Solar Energy has become far more reliable and efficient; however, the COST of the technology remains a major impediment to its widespread use. In addition to the initial price of the equipment, the cells burn out rapidly from long-term use, particularly in areas where high levels of sunshine and heat is common, such as the Southeast or Southwest deserts, and have to be constantly replaced. Other issues that have arisen include issues relating to cloud cover, which obscures the light necessary to generate electricity through the Photovoltaic Cells, as well as the accumulation of heat around fields of solar panels. Additionally, the installation of large fields of Solar Panels impacts on the habitat of desert wildlife, threatening the migration of birds and other migratory species.
So what’s the solution? The truth is that we don’t know what the solution is. Shifting the fuel burden from gasoline (oil) to electrical energy (oil and coal, typically) is like robbing Peter to pay Paul, metaphorically speaking. And the cost of electricity can be much higher than gasoline, particularly with the Government’s proposed “Cap & Trade” legislation, wherein our President admits that “Energy Prices will Necessarily Skyrocket!” Stopping the collection and processing of oil, likewise, is not a solution. With no clear alternative, restrictions on oil production will destabilize the entire economy, impacting on everything from shipping, to plastics, to the mere concept of getting to and from work!
I’m not saying that we don’t need to change. We do. And I’m not saying that these alternates may not provide SOME relief to our dependence on oil, but before we invest the kind of money necessary to create a substantial shift in fuel dependence, we need to know WHERE we’re going…and NOBODY knows where that destination is today.
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