World Energy Use - There's No Tomorrow - Let's Fix This!

[AndyH]

200 years of coal is at current growth rates, not at current consumption. There is a LOT of coal.

Total estimated reserves are 948,000 million short tons. Current use is about 8,000 million short tons a year. Source [EIA links removed]

We may have a LOT of coal, and we might be able to reduce demand enough to stretch it for 200 or more years. But there's no way we'll be able to maintain a fixed consumption at today's rate beyond the estimated 2020/2030 peak.

peakcoal.jpg

http://www.energywatchgroup.org/fileadm ... 2007ms.pdf

In addition:
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/5256

This appears to be quite a sophisticated piece of resource modeling, and a good one to bring out when someone blithely comments that 'we have enough coal left to last hundreds of years, so why worry.'

All this is outside my area of expertise - I have to rely on the experts. If you have information that turns this apparent consensus on it's ear, please share it!

[AndyH]

Solution- Become Empowered!

Tompkins County, NY is one of the cloudiest, least windy places in the country, and yet its residents are proving that we can meet our energy needs through totally renewable resources. From solar and wind to veggie oil and geothermal, Empowered: Power from the People tells the story of one community’s role in the energy independence revolution.

http://empoweredthemovie.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://empoweredthemovie.com/watch-the-movie/trailer/

[AndyH]

Son of BOB!

There are batteries on our power grid today, but so far they've been installed to prop-up inadequate infrastructure. It appears that 2013 is the year of renewable grid storage!

So - look out BOB http://www.popsci.com/technology/articl ... ckup-power - there's a new Texas-Sized battery in town!

http://www.sandia.gov/ess/docs/pr_confe ... otrees.pdf
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2 ... -grid.html

It's a 24 MWh battery -

Built for energy giant Duke Energy by local start-up Xtreme Power, the array is the biggest and fastest battery in the world. It can deliver 36 megawatts of wind power to the grid over a period of 15 minutes.

The Notrees battery is the first in a wave of new grid-connected storage systems funded in 2009 by power companies and the US Department of Energy (DOE) that are expected to come online this year. Notrees has bus-sized, lead-acid battery modules with high surface area electrodes and multiple terminals, so electricity flows in and out quickly.

Most of the other DOE-funded projects look very different. The California-based Pacific Gas and Electricity Company will soon start filling depleted gas wells near Bakersfield with compressed air that can deliver 300 MW of power. In Modesto, a wind farm will be backed up by a 25 MW storage system based on a zinc-chloride flow battery, which is charged by filling with a reusable electrolyte liquid. The battery will replace a planned 50 MW fossil fuel plant.

"There are storage projects all over the country, and 2013 is the year for all of these to come online and start working," says Mike Gravely of the California Energy Commission. "The goal is to give you enough energy to manage variability, or to give you enough time to find alternative resources."

[AndyH]

Solution Update - Power 100% of the planet with renewable power
18 Oct 12

Powerpoint slides:
http://www.scienceforpeace.ca/file_down ... des+UC.pdf

[AndyH]

http://theburdenfilm.com/


Our military - the largest in the world and the largest consumer of fossil fuels in our country - is fighting to be part of the solution. This shows why.

It's worth it to click through to the main site or hit this Vimeo link - the full trailer isn't on Youtube and the nearly six minute clip provides a much better view of the problem.
http://vimeo.com/45443231

[AndyH]

Solution: Thinking Differently

http://www.ted.com/talks/elon_musk_the_ ... rcity.html

We don't patent...Since our primary competitors are national governments, um, the enforceability of patents is questionable...

[Reddy]

Andy, I haven't read this entire thread so I don't know if this has been posted, but here's a out-of-the box solution. There are more recent developments (videos, federal grants, results, etc.) that you can easily find with google.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... olar-roads

Maybe crazy to think that we could be driving trucks on PVs, but it does present some very nice solutions to the problems you've been discussing. Placing PVs in/on roads does not consume any farmland, wilderness areas, sensitive areas, etc. It doesn't displace or kill endangered or protected species. It shouldn't require an EIS review. It places/concentrates power production close to the population centers (e.g., more roads exist where more people live). It has the potential to add additional transmission capabilities and connect to the existing grid anywhere a road crosses a power line. It widely distributes power across the entire nation, thus reducing or eliminating the need for storage. Other benefits? Now if we can only get this cheap enough to make immediate financial sense, and not have to wait 30-50 yrs for payback.

[DaveinOlyWA]

Andy, I haven't read this entire thread so I don't know if this has been posted, but here's a out-of-the box solution. There are more recent developments (videos, federal grants, results, etc.) that you can easily find with google.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... olar-roads

Maybe crazy to think that we could be driving trucks on PVs, but it does present some very nice solutions to the problems you've been discussing. Placing PVs in/on roads does not consume any farmland, wilderness areas, sensitive areas, etc. It doesn't displace or kill endangered or protected species. It shouldn't require an EIS review. It places/concentrates power production close to the population centers (e.g., more roads exist where more people live). It has the potential to add additional transmission capabilities and connect to the existing grid anywhere a road crosses a power line. It widely distributes power across the entire nation, thus reducing or eliminating the need for storage. Other benefits? Now if we can only get this cheap enough to make immediate financial sense, and not have to wait 30-50 yrs for payback.

Wow, you were on a roll! had oil reeling. they were set up for the knockout then you let them go... gave them an out. the same out they have been using for years while collecting billions from us

[Reddy]

Wow, you were on a roll! had oil reeling. they were set up for the knockout then you let them go... gave them an out. the same out they have been using for years while collecting billions from us

Yes, agreed. But there is a big difference between putting PV's on a roof, getting 10 yr payback, vs. putting them on the freeway where 100 million vehicles squash them. I would expect that the latter panels will cost significantly more. If the cost were $100/W, then the "financial only" payback could be 100+ yrs. The societal payback (improved grid, reduced/eliminated fossil fuels, etc.) will certainly be much quicker, perhaps even within a year of completion. It's a amazing out-of-the-box idea but certainly a long way until the engineering is up to the task, irrespective of the costs.

[AndyH]

Solution - Passivhaus

http://www.treehugger.com/green-archite ... award.html
http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PHIUSHome.html

What is a Passive House?
http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse ... eInfo.html

A Passive House is a very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply. The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90% of space heating costs, but also provides a uniquely terrific indoor air quality.