It’s been a while, and I
just need to organize my thoughts as we face a most critical crossroad for the
future of America and the world. It all
boils down to Climate Change! We’ve been
aware of it for quite some time, and as predicted, the changes and impacts are
escalating at an exponential rate.
Record heat, countless tornados, massive hurricanes, record flooding,
enormous wildfires, even shark attacks…these are just a few of the manifestations
of what is going with temperature changes in our atmosphere, our oceans, and
our land. We focus on the U.S., but this is happening all over the globe. Our politicians, money powers, and other
“leaders” still don’t get it, or are too ignorant to understand the huge
impacts now coming to our economy, environment, infrastructures, and most
important to all the people who will be directly affected. The progressives…politicians, environmental
organizations, and everyone else who can…
should be shouting it out, rather than continuing with fear that the opposition
will attack them saying there is no proof, it’s all just a hoax. Tell it like it is, instead of naming it an
existential threat, which most people don’t understand. Buy TV ads, hold press conferences, stage
demonstrations...be a real thorn in the side of the powers that be so the issues
cannot be avoided.
A most sobering fact is
that regardless of what we decide to do right now will not lessen or correct the
changes for many years to come. The time
lag for solutions to begin to work gives us little hope for a return to
normal. Society, with its
ever-increasing population and affluence, will suffer from changes in food
production, potable water scarcity, land degradation, and more importantly the
social repercussions that will come from increased migration and immigration,
homelessness, poor nutrition and disease, and ultimately social decay and
war. Like the fall of the many empires
throughout history, the fall of this capitalistic empire looms over the next
few decades. It’s not the end of the
world, but the end to the overconsuming and unsustainable lifestyle we have
created. I have always been an optimist, and devoted my learning and teaching
to make people think about all the things that impact them. I am now resigned to sit back, watch and
ponder. The world will not end, but the
uncountable impacts of climate change will alter the lives of every person and
all living organisms.
Now, back to what has
always been my main interest and passion...renewable energy vs nuclear
power. I am gratified that I have been
on the right side of history leading into the future, since renewable, mainly
solar and wind, are making a huge surge in our energy mix. Despite the continued efforts by the energy
powers (fossil fuel and nuclear industries) the growth in clean sustainable
energy production surges ahead not only here, but worldwide. Just in the last few years, the world has become
aware of Hydrogen, and its unlimited potential as an energy carrier and storage
medium. A wide range of systems are
being developed worldwide using renewables to split water and store that energy
in Hydrogen. All this is in its infancy,
but the technology is moving rapidly, as nations move to free themselves from
the economic, political, and environmental addiction to fossil fuels. My dream
is on its way to becoming a reality. I
can’t really keep up with all the daily developments and technological
advances, but the world and its forward thinkers see the economic as well as
the carbon-free advantages of Hydrogen as the ultimate energy product eventually
replacing coal, oil, and natural gas. A few
recent tidbits of what’s going on are listed below...check them out...pretty
exciting.
Of course, the other hoax
(this one is real) is that nuclear power will be the major energy source of the
future. The industry is spending
millions and millions of dollars pushing its propaganda that the new generation
of nuclear power plants will be cheaper, safer, and carbon-free. I guess we have to wait another 10 years to
see if the first plant that is built will actually work! The nuclear industry will continue to suck
our dollars as their product dies a slow economic death. Hydrogen will bury them, because it can be
made anywhere from renewables and can be developed to scale for local needs, as
well as be exported as an economic commodity like oil today to where ever the
need is. The same holds true for another
hoax... fusion power. Even when the
fusion reaction is contained, building a very complex and expensive reactor to
boil water will never compete with Hydrogen and renewables.
One last piece of this
energy quandary is the infamous electricity grid. Our centralized system consisted of large
power plants producing large amounts of electricity, and distributing it via a
massive number of wires to consumers throughout the country. This allowed for ownership and control of our
energy system by a handful of utilities and companies, regulated by a handful
of government bodies. The original idea
was to supply cheap and affordable electricity to everyone, regardless of where
they lived. This worked pretty well until climate change, the availability of
fuel, and the introduction of renewables started to upset the cart. The grid is old and requires billions of our
dollars to be upgraded to meet current and increasing demands. The energy industry wants so keep its tight
control over everything because of the enormous profits generated. It is threatened by the decentralized model
proposed so many years ago…to generate power with whatever local resources are
available, and minimize constructing huge power plants. Renewables and Hydrogen endanger the
model. Examples include the Texas grid
now being impacted by the changing climate forces of heat, ice, wind, and
flooding. Here in California, fires are
forcing the undergrounding of large transmission lines, and the record heat is
currently requiring mandatory blackouts because the grid can’t deliver the
necessary electricity. The system is
stressed not because there is too little generation, but there is too much
solar electricity available during the day.
The nuclear units at Diablo Canyon cannot be ramped up or down as need
be, but must run at full power. A lot of
solar electricity is being wasted! The
PUC has adopted radical new rules limiting how much new solar will be allowed,
and who can produce it. The answer of
course is Hydrogen. Use the excess solar
electricity to produce Hydrogen which can be stored and used to produce
electricity when needed. We need to encourage
the installation of more solar not only in industrial fields, but on
residences, commercial rooftops, and the vast potential lands and spaces in
every community. Solar is not mutually
exclusive, and can in many cases improve what goes on beneath them. California is looking at installing solar over
the canals that carry water from the north to the thirsty south, reducing
evaporation along the way.
The narrow thinking of the
energy powers is again evident in the current planning for the large offshore
windfarm proposed for Humboldt County.
Rather than being innovative and forward thinking (as Humboldt County
has usually been) the plan is to spend billions of dollars on a major grid
upgrade to ship the electricity 300 miles south where it will then join the
main California grid. What we should be doing
is attracting companies to install production facilities for Hydrogen here,
where it can be used locally (our power plant is gas fired!) and by the time
the wind turbines are incrementally constructed, there will be a wide global demand
for Hydrogen which can then be exported as a value-added cash commodity (like
our timber products and other valuable resources.) It is a complex issue, but one needs to
follow the politics and money to understand how and why decisions are made.
Enough! I could go on and on as to the “value” of
renewables and Hydrogen, but I am now content to sit back , enjoy life, and
watch the progress made both here and abroad.
In our recent trip to Europe, I saw a Toyota Mirai taxicab…a nice
looking ordinary car. It was a
Hydrogen-fuel cell powered vehicle. Just
one tiny use we’ll see in the future!
Meanwhile, let the fusion-power of the sun continue to shine!
There is so much good news
coming out daily on renewables, nuclear, and Hydrogen. Here is just a sample of a few recent ones.
Arizona, of all
places. They do have a lot of sun, and
access to all the solar being installed in Mexico.
https://www.nikolamotor.com/tre-fcev
https://getpocket.com/read/351p3Td5Aa3b6dF20gg0799bb0d6A4d15a7Od9L14aXT78i333044RtOq67OF666_76a9ac0147f4791aaa5529f241e0be16
https://getpocket.com/read/bd2d4p41T3fI8g400gAe877t78gGT38emYOo1fg2f4d8cUw439c90ia9z18TNH40_d58aca12457a7abf1041398af2aff3a9
Great stuff happening all
over the world.
https://siriusjet.com/
Real impacts just
beginning.
https://apnews.com/us-news/heat-waves-wildfires-general-news-bc550167983c375f06239d6605f8ac5e?user_email=b4e3751e96120e6736c651b71e71d5ef86f5d03748a1fc5990fe2ca6e1147b2b&utm_medium=Morning_Wire&utm_source=Sailthru_AP&utm_campaign=Morning%20Wire_10%20July_2024&utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers
Don’t hold your breath.
https://getpocket.com/read/8a5pcT98A9e3ed9cqXgd410b99d1A5d56a9OOuv3cUZ432X058c4bfD7G84DR0g6_e73ed99af89ca6f9017a349f21ca8cc3
It’s the grid stupid!
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/05/17/clean-energy-keeps-exceeding-californias-grid-demand/
