The Joys of the Age of Renewables

Here's one of my favorite quotes, both as a person and as a writer: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities 

The Industrial Revolution (c. 1760 - 1840) was one of mankind's superlative eras. Dirtiest as well; soot and pollution I mean. That's why we're still in it; I know we haven't left it entirely. Yes, most now would say we are in the Age of Technology or Communication, especially since Samuel Morse's historic federally-funded message over his telegraph on May 24, 1844: "What hath God wrought"  And, yes that's true enough, but eras can overlap also, in my opinion. The fact that we are still using massive amounts of fossil fuels to generate energy, means we are not yet past the Industrial Revolution and its massive scales of production (assembly lines). Maybe we'll never be past assembly lines as a means of production. In fact, with robots, we're making more types of assembly lines, of all sizes.

However, altho I agree we are in the Age of Communication, we are also well-established in the Age of Renewables. I do believe renewables, including fusion, nuclear power, solar, wave technology and others, will improve dramatically as batteries (storage) improves, since that's their only current limitation --  being sporadic producers and poor storage. We've solved it with cars like the Prius, Civic hybrid, Insight and others, which, like the old alternator, regenerate the electricity. They are just the tip of the massive wave which will overtake all automobile production, as our fossil fuels diminish.

At 2012 known levels, we have 105 years of natural gas;10 to 387 years in the top 17 oil-producing countries, each being different; and perhaps 200 years of coal. The U.S. used 21.4 million short tons of coal in 2011, as an example. (Sources: Wikipedia and EIA) So natural gas will go before coal will go before oil. Many power plants using coal are currently changing from coal to natural gas, which also burns cleaner. And our power plants are the biggest users of coal in the U.S. The point is, there is an end. Products made from oil too, i.e. plastics, will have to change. Engines using oil will have to change. You get the point.

So renewables and storage for their created energy are the way to go no matter how you look at it, even if you're dead. Hundreds of hungry power plants use coal to generate electricity today, over 50% of U.S. consumption. It can only go so long. In the meantime, as supplies diminish, the prices for natural gas, coal and oil are and will go up. If you're like me, I love electricity -- can't get enough, especially as newer gadgets with lower wattages are invented, and right now PSE&G is a bargain at $.11 kWh for supply. The State of New Jersey was paying $.10 for its electricity supply for all state agencies (826 MWhs/year) in 2006.

So conservation is also here to stay. I applauded the U.S. Congress and President Obama for signing the law banning incandesants between 40 and 100 watts. Its a start anyway. Homes and buildings consume 40% of all U.S. energy alone. (Source: EIA) The replacement flourescents use less wattage AND give off less heat, decreasing heating bills. A no-brainer. That's why building retrofits (and solar) are gaining in popularity, especially as the costs for these new energy-efficient bulbs, with 25,000 hours of life compared to 2,000, come down in price. As manufacturers sell more, profits go up, production costs less, and prices come down. Who ever said that the government doesn't or shouldn't govern our lives with thoughtful policies such as these?

So an investment in inventors and companies tinkering with renewables would seem to reasonable (not all mind you - only the ones that demonstrate they can work), do you agree?
And there are already quite a few leading the way.


By Rodney Richards, NJ