You mean there is renewable energy other than Solar and Wind?

by admin on July 28, 2010

Yes, Virginia, there are alternatives.

Solar and wind get a lot of press and have a lot of great attributes.  In many cases, they are the right solution for particular energy needs in particular places, but they’re far from everything…  Here are some of the major sources of renewable energy and the top pros and cons for each.

Solar:

Good: Sunlight is free and there’s a lot of it.  Solar cells last a long time and are increasing in efficiency.

Solar is cyclical and if it’s not matched up with cyclical demand, it requires a means of storage, which is its own project.  The power output it creates is also directly proportional to the footprint it takes up on the ground.  Using as much area as it takes to be productive on a large scale often means solar arrays are located far from the load they support, requiring a lot of transmission capability.  This challenge is far from unique to solar, however.

Wind:

Good: Wind is free and there’s a lot of it.

Bad: Wind is cyclical also, and also requires storage.  The cycles may also be less consistent than solar.  Also, depending on who you listen to, windmills kill birds and blight the landscape with their large white towers.

Biofuels and Biomass:

Good: It uses biological material that we are producing anyway and prevents or reduces certain pollutions associated with typical ‘disposal’ of this organic matter.

Bad: ??

Hydropower:

Good: Water naturally flows from higher elevations to lower, and hydropower is a proven means of drawing power from the potential energy of water accumulated in a reservoir.

Bad: Lots of natural habitat is altered, affecting wildlife.

Geothermal Energy:

Good: Heat of the earth is in plentiful supply and naturally regenerates.  Small footprint above ground.  Near zero emissions.  Long life cycles.

Bad: Long construction cycles.  Older methods tend to cause the ground to ‘settle’ over time.

Tidal Energy:

Good: Tidal energy is naturally occurring and plentiful.

Bad: No long-term proven successes, offshore construction may present hazards to marine life.

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Geothermal Energy – The Other Renewable Energy

by admin on July 28, 2010

Geothermal energy doesn’t get its due, especially here in the US.  When renewable energy is  mentioned in the media, it’s always the same players – wind and solar.  This duo seems as ubiquitous as peas and carrots.  Here’s my case for geothermal.

When it comes to renewable energy, wind and solar are the media darlings. Every time I hear renewable energy mentioned on TV or radio, it’s always wind and solar.  If geothermal is mentioned, it’s an afterthought, and said almost under the announcer’s breath.  Why?  Given the immense importance of the United States’ (and the world’s) energy future, this is not the time to be complacent.  The stakes are too high as global warming looms large over our collective heads and the era of easily-accessible fossil fuels winds down.  Our transition away from hydrocarbons to renewable energy is way too critical for any of us not to be informed about all available, viable options.

Why you ask?  Because informed and motivated citizens equates to political action which in turn starts the flow of money for development.  We are all influenced by the media and public opinion. This is especially true of politicians.  Why do you think they spend so much money doing polling.  It is their way of determining what we, the public, want from them.  We should also be wanting geothermal energy.

Solar and wind are viable alternatives but they have their detractions.  So does geothermal.  But given the facts, geothermal, at the very least, deserves equal billing.  Actually, the US is already the world’s largest producer of electricity from geothermal. A fact that few, outside of the geothermal industry, know.   According to the Geothermal Energy Association, “geothermal power makes up a total of 3.15 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity in the United States, its largest producer, and more than 10 GW worldwide.” So, while geothermal gets fewer headlines and media attention it actually supplies more mega-watt hours of electricity than either wind or solar.

Geothermal power plants provide what is known as base load power i.e., they produce power at a constant rate, just like coal-fired, natural gas, hydroelectricity or nuclear power plants.  Wind and solar energy are generally considered intermittent power sources.   That doesn’t mean that wind and solar are unimportant, we need all three – four if you add in hydropower.  Geothermal resources are not available everywhere, at least not for power plants.  Home geothermal heat exchangers are used almost anywhere.

Fortunately, in the US, geothermal development is, albeit quietly, on the rise.  According to the Geothermal Energy Association, “geothermal power projects grew 46 percent last year.  That’s up from about 30 percent growth in 2008.”  Furthermore, “If all of the planned projects were to go forwards as planned, an unlikely scenario, the total U.S. geothermal capacity would reach today’s worldwide capacity of 10 GW — enough to meet the power needs of an average 10 million people or supply 25 percent of California’s 2008 power consumption. But advocates believe the ultimate potential to be much larger still.”

As mentioned, not all of these planned geothermal projects will go forward.  Nonetheless, there’s a quite a ground-swell of geothermal exploration and development happening in America and it’s happening right beneath our feet, literally and metaphorically.

The bottom line is, it is time geothermal energy started getting it’s due.  When, and if, you ever talk about renewable energy keep this article in mind.  Tell your local politicians you care about funding geothermal exploration.  When you see a news report about green energy, send them an email to mention geothermal next time.  Start a groundswell.  It’s our future and the stakes are high.

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