Category: Electricity

Electrical Energy Generation: More Inconvenient Truth

It is with great trepidation that I am coming out of the closet on energy generation policy, because my position rubs a lot of greens the wrong way.  One ex-friend stopped talking with me on account of it. But this has to be said, because the CO2 emissions problem is becoming increasingly dire. Unfortunately, one belief strongly held by many greens is simply, and dangerously, mistaken.

I advocate nuclear power.  65% of the members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science support nuclear power.  See:Pew poll of AAAS members

That’s quite a switch from my anti-nuclear position five years ago.  Then, browsing through the new release science section at Barnes & Noble, I happened to pick up a book by Michael H. Fox, Why We Need Nuclear Power.  Michael H. Fox is professor emeritus of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences at Colorado State University. Given his area of study—principally, the effect of radiation on biological tissue—I figured this guy might have something significant to say about radiation, nuclear energy, human health, and climate change. He did. His explanations of what ionizing radiation does and does not do to the body, and how the body repairs itself, were eye-openers. I recommend his book for those seeking scientific facts, rather than gross exaggerations, concerning the health hazards of radiation.

What Fox said turned me around 180 degrees in my thinking about nuclear energy.  Once you start questioning anti-nuclear dogma, you soon find out that there are many people with strong environmental credentials who support nuclear power—not that they (most of them, anyway) love it, but they see it as a practical necessity in the fight against CO2 pollution. For a taste of their view, check out this piece in the Washington Post (if you are barred by a paywall, let me know in the comments and I’ll write you a summary): environmentalists, nuclear energy, and climate change

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Holy Coal

Who would have known that fossil fuels are a special gift to humanity from the Divine?

Fred Palmer, that’s who. The Heartland Institute’s holy warrior senior fellow has revealed his elegant chain of reasoning: “Because it’s easy to get to, it’s here and more people live better and longer for it,” therefore “fossil fuels [are] part of a divine plan.”.

This is a guy who says that global warming science is “sophistry. It’s an agenda driven by lawyers who make their own facts. . . . ”

I ought to note here that if you are a Deist—which is the most minimal religious belief this side of atheism—of course all Creation is divine by definition. No argument here. But that’s not the sense in which Palmer makes claims about fossil fuels. He means to elevate fossil fuels above other objects of Creation, special gifts to humankind. Which seems to me a bit dismissive of stuff like oxygen (without which, incidentally, coal, oil, and gas would not burn; oh, but oxygen is used by other animals, so it’s not so special).

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What “Load Following” Means for Renewable Energy in California (hint: it means storage)

Here’s the bottom line of this post, for those who don’t want to wade into the weeds: major reliance on wind and solar electricity generation demands a lot of electrical energy storage—many times what is currently available. For reasons why, we look at “load following” in California in the summer of 2016.

California’s Energy Program

The state of California is pushing ahead rapidly to achieve a goal of 50% renewable electricity power production  by 2030.

This makes sense in California, since its terrain and climate are highly adaptable to both wind and solar generation.  In-state conventional hydroelectric—which in many places currently accounts for the largest fraction of renewable generation— is not included in California’s ambitious program. That also makes good sense, since worsening and recurring droughts make hydroelectric an iffy proposition in the state.

However, the 50% goal will only make sense with abundant energy storage capacity, little of which is currently available. The reason is the intermittency of wind and solar. Solar, obviously, does not generate power at night, and not much in cloudy conditions, and wind power depends on weather.

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Reasons to Cheer for Natural Gas

First off, since fracking has gotten an often deservedly bad rap for environmental damage, the case for natural gas must address fracking. Yes, fracking is bad in many places where it’s been done—places of high environmental and geological sensitivity. Fracking needs stricter and more vigilant regulation, and harsher penalties for malfeasance. In particular, the injection of waste fluids into underground wells. But we need natural gas for electricity generation as a bridge to a renewable energy future—not to mention its already widespread use for heating, where it is more efficient than electricity (and you have to think what generates your electricity), far cleaner than oil, and still farther cleaner than coal.

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Carbon Debt from Biomass Burning

Burning “biomass”—trees, grasses, and other plant matter—to generate electricity has been considered a “clean” technology in some quarters. Currently, European countries do not count carbon dioxide emitted from biomass burning as part of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is curious, given that burning biomass does emit carbon dioxide, as well as a small amount of methane.  How renewable is biomass burning? Does it leave a “carbon debt” of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

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