Ending Our Dependence on Fossil Fuels

When I was in college so many years ago I had a professor that said, "There are no problems, only opportunities." I was studying engineering and engineers are problem solvers.

Reducing Dependence on Fossil Fuels:

This is a great example of how beneficial opportunities can be.

Increased demand and reduced supply of oil is forcing the world to take advantage of this opportunity. Alcohol/bio-fuels, solar, wind, tidal and nuclear energy alternatives are the most likely winners in the race to replace fossil fuels campaign.

Bio-fuels like alcohol and bio-diesel made from agricultural products have great promise. Hundreds of new bio-fuel plants are being built. Alcohol is a very clean fuel source for gasoline engines requiring minimal conversion of the existing engines. There is a downside though. In order to produce enough alcohol through agricultural means alone too much acreage would be required. Diverting enough acreage to produce 50% of our gasoline demands would cause food prices to soar. Competition with food and feed needs would increase the cost of bio-fuels.

The high cost of agricultural commodities could be born by only the wealthiest of nations if they were the sole alternative. In Mexico today, higher corn prices are already placing a burden on the poor. This while we are producing approximately 5% of our gasoline fuel demands.

Solar energy has great potential. However, the sun only provides watts per square foot and that is only produced when the sun is shining. With an average electrical conversion of 10-14 watts per square foot, the average household in the US would need roughly 5000 square feet of solar panels (5 kilowatt hours). Also needed is a battery system capable of storing 50 hours of energy and/or a backup power system, for no or reduced light conditions and peak demand loads. That would be for a stand alone solar power application. If your are able to connect to the utility grid life is simpler. You sell electric to the grid during the day and buy it back at night. As photovoltaic technology advances solar will be a more practical option.

Wind has great potential as well. Large wind turbines can produce many megawatts of energy. They produce that energy with a much more efficient use of space than solar panels. They only work well when there is wind. Since the wind doesn't blow all the time, wind turbines cannot be the only source of energy. They will be an integral part of our energy future.

Tidal energy can be an excellent source of energy. Tidal energy utilizes the oceans tidal forces to create electrical energy. Output from tidal generators is inconsistent. At the slack tides, little energy is generated requiring co-generation or energy storage for continuous power production. Connected to a large electrical grid, it is an excellent and inexpensive source of energy. France build the first tidal generating plant in the1960's. The 240megawatt La Rance facility set a stardard for tidal energy conversion. In the higher northern and lower southern latitudes tidal variations of 25 plus feet are an enormous energy resource.

Nuclear energy has the most promise if only one source of energy was available. Nuclear power is clean and efficient. It works in daylight or dark, if the wind blows or not and if the tide is changing or is not. Continuous power generation makes everyone's life easier. During periods of peak demand it serves the public in need. Still having a nuke plant in your backyard isn't fun and it would take many years to build enough plants.

I didn't mention hydrogen as a solution since energy is required to produce the hydrogen in abundance. Developing a hydrogen only fuel economy requires other sources of energy so it is a step, not a solution. Hydrogen will be a part of the solution, but not without economically viable methods of production.

In the interim, creative uses of still remaining sources of fossil fuels will be needed. Hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen fuel engines will be a big part of our future. These fuel cells and engines can operate on natural gas, which is currently abundant. A good first step towards the goal of fossil fuel independence is accepting and converting to liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles. The infrastructure for LNG can easily be converted to hydrogen use when supplies are available.

None of the energy alternatives are the single solution to the energy opportunity. A combination of energy alternatives is required. Primarily using nuclear power with a reasonable combination of the others to fill the gaps. With the typical exponential growth curve for innovation, the reduction to less than ten percent dependence on fossil fuel should take twenty to thirty years. That time frame is dependant on a total concerted world effort to meet the goal.

There appears to be plenty of opportunities available here for entrepreneurs. The question is will consumers embrace the changes.