How much of the enthusiasm for ‘alternative energy sources’ is grounded in technological reality and how much is the byproduct of wishful thinking heavily laden with hype?
Ethanol provides such an example. It was long used as a fuel for race cars. It allowed higher compression ratios and supercharger boost pressures than gasoline. It came with a price, as there are few free lunches in the world. Fuel consumption increased substantially. Alcohol has a lower specific energy content than gasoline. So much for meeting higher CAFE standards when the percentage of ethanol in fuel is increased.
Alcohol is hygroscopic. It readily absorbs moisture and thus increases the rate of corrosion of metal surfaces.
There are also matters of energy economics. How much energy does it take to produce another source of energy? How much fuel is expended to produce a particular quantity of ethanol? Farmers may like higher prices for grains but major diversion of grain from food to fuel increases the price of food.
Then there is the use of hydrogen as a fuel. From an environmental standpoint, the burning of hydrogen yields heat and water vapor. Yet how will the required volume of hydrogen be stored? Liquid hydrogen requires cryogenic temperatures. The compressed gas seems more practical. Imagine highways cluttered with thousands of mini-Hindenburgs at rush hour.
Then there is wind power. Even the greenies have some doubts about this approach. Giant windmills are sometimes damned as being ‘condor grinders’ and the NIMBY effect can be observed when elitists with oceanfront property learn of proposals to site a windmill in their field of view. While this seems to be a source of ‘free’ electricity it offers an intermittent source that may not be available during peak demand periods. Enthusiasts for wind power are seldom those who would invest in such energy sources. The typical scenario is to oblige a utility company to purchase power from a wind power source. If the experiment fails to be economically viable, the burden can be dumped onto the rate payers.
Fusion remains a technological form of pie in the sky but could provide an answer. Short-term hopes do not seem to be attainable.
Solar energy with photovoltaic cells has certain niche applications. Most involve remote devices that are far from power lines. Satellites are among the most appropriate candidates for solar power, being above the clouds that often attenuate the insulation of terrestrial solar cells. Again there is an equation that must balance the energy required to fabricate the cells with the energy that they can provide. Cost and value produced must be similarly considered.
[...] Windpower has again dominated the week in the Delaware blogosphere. The legislature is in session and that means that there is always movement, although some is hidden. The usual suspects have been posting on the issue and they know so much that they have to reveal it in installments. Tommywonk has revealed his truth in a series of posts on the economics of windpower (Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3). Meanwhile, Kavips has been trying to give us the lowdown by borrowing the “For Dummies” method (Ch. 1, Ch. 2). I can only assume that the reason that the Dummies model was used was to convince Art Downs. Yeah, Art, I’m looking at you! If only Charlie Copeland would shock the world and come out for windpower. [...]
Wind Power is trendy in many circles. The animal rights folks griped about ‘condor grinders’ on th West Coast and the Sailboat Socialists with ocean views suffer from the NIMBY syndrome whenever they may be proposed in their vicinity.
But what of the economics? Fossil-fueled, hydroelectric, and nuclear power plants can vary their energy production with demand. Wind power is provides an itermittent source and there is no practical means to store alternating current energy when it is not being required.
Maryland residents were fortunate when BG&E owned the Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant. Thanks to the ‘deregulation’ during the Glendening Maladministration, power generation was split from distrubution. Rates were held artificially low until the next administration could be given the blame. Despite the claims of the Twerp Governor, rates still seem to be increasing.
For decades there have been conspiracy theories about the suppression of wonderful ideas that would benefit society. There was the ’100-mpg carburetor’ that was never brought to market as a result of sinister dealings between the Big Three and Big Oil. So why would a utility that purchases energy not be thrilled to buy cheap electricity? The Delaware electric co-op would be eager to get some bargain megawatts and save the members a lot of money. Would they not clamor to get in on the wonderful windmill deal?
The invisible hand does point in the right direction.
Noisy rhetoric from people with an abiding faith in socialism and an obvious ignorance of technology is not that convincing.