National Geographic Looks At Future Power
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.25.05
Michael Parfit is the author of this very interesting National Geographic article about the different sources of energy that could help us deal (partly) with global warming and peak oil (which they wrote about in their June 2004 issue). "It's time to step up the search for the next great fuel for the hungry engine of humankind. Is there such a fuel? The short answer is no. [...] The long answer about our next fuel is not so grim, however. In fact, plenty of contenders for the energy crown now held by fossil fuels are already at hand: wind, solar, [biomass,] even nuclear, to name a few. But the successor will have to be a congress, not a king. Virtually every energy expert I met did something unexpected: He pushed not just his own specialty but everyone else's too."
Mr. Parfit then goes on to examine with more detail each contender. On solar he says:
Like most things electronic, solar power has been getting cheaper. "Thirty years ago it was cost-effective on satellites," says Daniel Shugar, president of PowerLight Corporation, a fast-growing California company that has built solar installations for clients including Toyota and Target. "Today it can be cost-effective for powering houses and businesses," at least where utility power is expensive or unavailable. Tomorrow, he says, it will make sense for almost everyone. [...]
At present levels of efficiency, it would take about 10,000 square miles (30,000 square kilometers) of solar panels—an area bigger than Vermont—to satisfy all of the United States' electricity needs. But the land requirement sounds more daunting than it is: Open country wouldn't have to be covered. All those panels could fit on less than a quarter of the roof and pavement space in cities and suburbs.
We want to repeat that this is at current efficiency. It is bound to get higher, especially since it's already being done experimentally in the lab.
There is more on wind, biomass, nuclear and fusion in the article. Go read it, it's well written, mostly accurate, and informative if you aren't already familiar with energy issues. A good introductionary piece to forward to friends and family members.
In Northern Michigan a gross misjustice is going on. The Oil and Gas industry is not regulated, taking advantage of the environment and the health of the local residents. Now they want to "twin the wells" as a pilot program in Montmorency & Otsego counties of Northern Michigan. They can't even monitor what they have. People are getting sick, dying and ripping down our trees. Once a tourist town is turning into a ghost town with the oil & gas companies running amouck. We have been (4 of us) fighting this for over a year. We need help! We need more publicity. The Michigan DEQ have one person per 1000 wells to monitor. So some of these gas companies are taking that to their full advantage. I have had to sell my house& move because of my health. Some have no health problems. We need someone to write an investigative article. I have over 100 hours of research on this. Jaime Long Wolverine formerly Lewiston, Michigan.