DailyDirt: Renewable Energy Sources Might Need Some Resuscitation
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
Burning fossil fuels may never be completely replaced by alternative energy technologies, but that doesn't mean people should stop trying to develop better fuels and energy sources. There are new developments in renewable energy all the time, though unfortunately, it takes a while for energy projects to really mature and scale up. Can't wait until flying cars and "Mr. Fusion"-powered DeLoreans are commonplace.... in the meantime, here are some interesting links:A cerium-catalyzed reactor takes carbon dioxide, water and sunlight and produces fuels. The prototype seems to be roughly as efficient as photosynthesis -- but it has the potential to be much more efficient. So check back in a few years to see if this technology actually pans out. [url] Small scale solar power systems might work in developing countries. Off-grid electricity sounds like a nice idea, but apparently funding it isn't easy because investors don't see the profit in it. [url] Al Gore says corn ethanol was a mistake, and more folks are arguing against using ethanol in gasoline. But will the corn subsidies ever end? [url] T. Boone Pickens is pulling out of his wind energy project. Apparently, Pickens was trying to make a "quick buck" from it, but that's not how wind projects usually work out. [url]
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: al gore, solar energy, t. boone pickens, wind energy
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
T. Boone Pickens is pulling out of his wind energy project.
The comments, however, are to the point on energy policy, well written, and provide much more useful thought and information than the article itself. Looks like a good community on this topic.
Had not run across the linked site before - I have bookmarked it. Thanks!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If "economics" was as claimed - how does a gallon of liquid that takes many thousands of years and millions of dollars is cheaper than something that takes a couple of years, a cow and grass? (gasoline VS milk)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: gas vs milk
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
> liquid fossil fuels.
"Overly"? The market decides the price of oil. Eventually, as oil becomes more difficult to extract, the price will go up and become more expensive than other energy sources.
> If "economics" was as claimed - how does a gallon of
> liquid that takes many thousands of years and millions of
> dollars is cheaper than something that takes a couple of
> years, a cow and grass? (gasoline VS milk)
True, it takes millions of years, but that is why fossil fuels are like winning the lottery. It will only happen once. When they are gone, that's it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
�Renewable Energy� Is An Oxymoron
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: �Renewable Energy� Is An Oxymoron
"Second Law of Thermodynamics, anyone?"
Yeah you are right. Its not like the oil that we use in our cars, or gas we use to power or heat our houses actually is stored solar power derived from decayed plant matter ...
... oh wait it is.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: �Renewable Energy� Is An Oxymoron
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Renewable
There are two ways I can think of that renewables could not completely replace fossil fuels:
1. We start burning fossil fuels no faster than they are created, ie barely at all. This would still be renewables replacing fossil fuels in every sense but the most hair-splitting.
2. Humanity goes extinct.
Otherwise, yes, renewable energy will completely replace fossil fuels (and fission too, since uranium is also not renewable). We just don't know when or how yet.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
What Renewable Needs
Adequate electric commuter vehicles would be practical with a more reliable battery pack; frequently deeply cycled batteries die too fast, and most hybrids limit the cycle (Toyota never uses more than 15% of the battery charge) to reduce the deterioration - thus making the weight penalty worse. A "magic" battery would help by reducing the need for a heavy power pack simply by using all available charge. Until then, no surprise that bigger cars and SUV's are the first candidates for hybrid tech.
Home solar cells or solar cell farms would make much of their electricity in the daytime, well outside the evening and nighttime it's needed.
The real need is for hydrogen or battery storage systems that have the capacity and endurance to do the job. Wonderful batteris made of (insert magic ingredient/process) are always just around the corner, but we still can't even get a laptop to run for a decent length of time in the real world.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Energy Production as the commodity, not energy.
This trend is a huge problem for the worlds centralized energy producers. Every year the energy production technology becomes cheaper. If you chart out the trend, in a couple years it becomes much cheaper to generate and store energy locally. 3-5 years after that the cost per Mwh drops to below what is needed to maintain the electrical grid.
Local energy production and storage is what is going to be the commodity, not the sale of energy.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]