Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
As the energy crisis intensifies, a myriad of technical solutions are being proposed. Governments, corporations and scientists are not offering new creative solutions, not because they are failing to make strong efforts, but because energy itself is a very mature industry.
Its isolation and lack of hydrocarbon reserves has lead to some innovative ideas about alternative energy sources, in contrast to its two Caucasus neighbors, Georgia and Azerbaijan, whose policies have been dominated by a geopolitical tug-of-war for pipelines, electricity cables and global alliances.
Nation gambles on amped-up push for renewable power
AMONG the many hurdles to be overcome before we’re all driving fuel-cell cars with exhaust that is baby’s-breath-pure – superyacht purchase prices, an almost nonexistent refueling network and some public concern about the wisdom of carrying hydrogen pressurized at 10,000 pounds per square inch – is a more basic challenge: winter.
Women are pioneering the emerging biofuels industry, which uses recycled vegetable oil to power vehicles that produce far fewer emissions than diesel fuel.
Former president Bill Clinton chided supporters to stop “bellyaching and whining” about the political obstacles and begin a new effort to address the intertwined problems of energy dependence and global warming.
The gap between the present state of the art in hydrogen production, storage, and use and that needed for a competitive hydrogen economy is too wide to bridge in incremental advances. It will take fundamental breakthroughs of the kind that come only from basic research.
E-ON Netz, a corporation which controls much of Europe’s electricity grid, has produced a report on the problems associated with the fluctuating availability of wind energy.
To see ahead, we have to understand what we are in the midst of. I pronounce this pre-collapse phase as the beginning of the grand nightmare. Mind you, there will be a dawn, but an unrecognizable one to myopic dwellers of consumer civilization.
Most people assume that renewable energy resources can be substituted for fossil fuels. It takes only a glance at some basic figures re the production of liquid fuels from biomass inputs to show that this vision is totally mistaken.
Second set of audio recordings from the First US Conference on Peak Oil and Community Solutions, this time featuring Pat Murphy on the geopolitics of oil and permaculturist David Blume on home grown ethanol production.
A practical solar energy system usually includes solar cells that convert light to electricity and batteries that store the energy for later use.
