Stan
The paper to which you refer, (Year of Energy 2009) has some good comments
like nuclear power is required to meet energy requirements for productivity and
continuity purposes; however, it left out a few things. For example:
1. It didn't account for developing technology like printing thin and
flexible 1 m x up to 5 m solar cell panels in sheets which would lead to much
lower costs like when the rotary printing press was invented to produce at high
speed low-cost newspapers.
2. It also didn't account for the cost-reduction which solar and wind
electricity generators would have on coal and nuclear power plants.
3. It also doesn't account for distributed power needs in rural areas
which solar and wind generators could provide without an extensive power line
infrastructure. Solar would be very useful in tropical and subtropical regions
where Sun is prevalent and poverty is high and, wind would be very productive
in mid and high latitudes.
4. "Neither type of direct solar plant is feasible" "without some storage
system" assumes that the solar roof option on the new Toyota Prius is not
feasible and other types of inexpensive storage systems being developed are not
or will not become available.
5. Biomass electricity/energy generation is an indirect solar production
system whereas solar photovoltaic is direct. Biomass takes a lot of surface
land space at a cost and takes away from food production for people to live.
6. Buildings need roofs of some type, yet flexible thin solar panels have
not yet been designed to be integrated as a replacement of conventional roof
systems.
In short, we are in a transition period from conventional energy production
to cost-effective solar and wind production systems. In any case, nuclear is
required for heavy duty manufacturing and continuity while solar and wind
generators can reduce the burden/cost from other types such as coal and
nuclear. A way needs to be discovered to capture and use carbon from burring
coal to make carbon fiber products for auto, airplane and many other products
rather than bury it underground.
Stan Doore
----- Original Message -----
From: Stan Jakuba
To: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 9:18 AM
Subject: [USMA:46048] Treatise on renewable energy
The Sigma Xi Society has the below-listed link to a paper on the prospects of
renewable energy sources to cover the U.S. energy needs. The paper also
evaluates the likelihood of attaining Pres. Obama's goal of doubling
renewables' output in three years, and suggests an alternative strategy.
Written entirely in SI units, the treatise enables easy comparisons among
energy-related values.
http://energy.sigmaxi.org/?p=743
Members of USMA, SITEN, E43, SCC14 will appreciate that this all-SI paper
came out during the metric week (10/10). And also that no reviewer commented on
the sole presence of SI units, let alone suggested that English units would be
better or should have been included.
Stan Jakuba,
the author.
