index
introduction
basic facts of long distance
electricity transmission
energy micro-generation
local approaches to energy independence
do it yourself power generation
in california
conservation
bibliography
end notes
Almost all present energy systems are centralised and
in the control of big corporations and big governments. The future of energy
production will probably involve local community and individual household
generation, that is distributed energy systems. This is not an either/or situation.
Systems will be range from very large central distribution to very local systems
for personal use and efficiency. That is, ranging from a
big power station to draught-excluding your front door.
Energy is is involved in all human activity and production at every level
and at every stage. It is essential not to miss this and think on terms of
single issue fixes.
A very major part of future energy concerns will be conservation.
What you conserve, you do not
have to generate.
There are further background documents listed in the sustainable
futures briefing documents.
“The most cost-effective way to generate large amounts of electricity
is with a rotating synchronous generator, which naturally produces alternating
current. ”
—
From page 4, on high-voltage direct current transmission [HVDC]:
“While it is expensive to convert normal AC power to DC power and
back again, the savings in power losses and in construction costs can make
HVDC cost-effective if moving more than 500 MW further than about 500 km
over a point-to-point link.”
“There are striking parallels between the renewable energy industry
today and the personal computing industry circa 1980. Much of the basic
technology required for personal computing was already in place and was
on the verge of becoming economical for mass production. The personal computer
hardware and software industry was characterized at that time by small,
under-capitalized firms that catered to a hobbyist market (known today as
"early adopters," in industry parlance). The software and hardware
of that time was more complicated to install and use (early computers were
generally useless except to programmers).”
on economic barriers to replacing
fossil fuels
Commentary: the fossil
fuel producers will do whatever possible to stop alternate energy becoming
a serious competitor. Currently oil is very cheap to produce, despite the
horrific levels of pollution pumped into the air and the rapid depletion of
a vital resource. Only by heavily increasing taxes on these externalised costs
can fossil fuels be made less attractive. This will of course be resisted
by corporations and the Middle East dictators. This would still be insufficient
if some countries are allowed to go on exporting their pollution filth.
It
is cheap oil that is at the core of enabling the major wars for the last
century to be fought. If Western societies forgo cheap oil, then is highly
likely that others will see oil as a means for conquest. Such is the
tragedy of the commons represented by cheap fossil
fuels, especially pumpable oil.
It is not sufficient, as the writer in the above-linked
article appears to believe, that merely making alternative energy competitive
on price with current fossil fuel prices would work much to replace the oil.
The oil interests would merely drop the price below current alternatives.
local
approaches to energy independence
moving
to sustainable local energy generation
“Technological improvements have made solar-electric modules more
cost-effective. In the 1980s the average price of energy captured with photovoltaics
was 95 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. Today that price has dropped to around
20 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to Collins, of the American Solar
Energy Society.”
In developed countries, solar-generated electricity is four times more
expensive than ‘brown’ electricity made with coal and gas, with
the solar panels having a 20-30 year lifespan. [2006]
“In the last two decades solar-thermal panels (units used to warm
household hot water, pools, and spas) have become highly efficient. Energy
costs have decreased from 60 cents to 8 cents per kilowatt-hour since the
1980s, Collins said.”
- wind generation
“Compared to other renewable energy sources, wind power competes
with conventional energy at a price less than 4 cents per kilowatt-hour,
Collins said. ”
- ground heat pumps
“Ground-source heat pumps, also called geo-exchange systems, use
this relatively constant temperature to keep homes at comfortable temperatures.”
Some systems are using underground water tanks,
designed to heat up during the suimmer and release heat for household
use during the winter.
While the claims of this linked article are almost certainly
accurate, and you should read the article and beware, encouraging a free market
in local energy is positive and should gradually serve to make people more
educated on the subject.
There’s nothing like paying for a device without
first investigating the hidden details to make people more alert and cautious
next time around, if it does not meet its claims.
Obviously, no government grant should be attracted by idiotic
purchases, but of course it is old.new.old Labour government we have in the
UK.
“Windsave, which makes the turbine that will be sold by B&Q
and will be selling directly via the internet from August, says its 1.75
metre turbine produces 1,000-2,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.
Renewable Devices says its Swift 2 metre turbine produces between 2,000
and 3,000 kwH of energy a year, and could save the householder up to £300
a year, including the value of green energy generation certificates.
“But Archibald says that low wind speeds in urban areas mean that
most installations will never come near that. 'In better locations we'd
expect wind speeds of six metres per second, but in urban areas, with lots
of other buildings around, you're probably looking at four [metres per second],
and that will affect performance considerably.'
“Nick Martin of the Hockerton Housing Project, a sustainable development
in Nottinghamshire, is a construction expert who has monitored performance
of much larger, pole-mounted turbines and investigated the claims of the
rooftop turbine makers. He says that Swift and Windsave's performance claims
'defy the law of physics' and that they will produce much nearer to 10 per
cent of the average household's energy needs.”
I am presently [late June 2006] investigating heat exchangers
(the air type - there are also earth/buried units that are probably better
to be built in during construction) which are claimed to provide approximately
an extra third of heat relative to electricity usage. They are also said to
be rather noisy. These heat exchangers will also cool you in summer, so you
might end up paying bigger electricity bills over the whole year!
[See also Jevons’
paradox.]
Note that electricity energy substitution is in direct
competition with large power stations, and that those power stations are very
profitable. Methods used in the USA include making it profitable for power
generation companies to help users to conserve power. This is particularly
useful if a whole power station can be avoided by keeping the ‘demand’
under control.
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