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Behind 'green' buzzwords: Which energies work best
By Ni Tao |
February 6, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
OF all the inexorable mega-trends that will shape our world in the next 10 to 20 years, the universal push for a green growth model is imperative.
For all the hand-wringing over setting quotas for carbon emission reductions in Copenhagen, emerging economies like China and India are embracing green technologies and renewable energies in a way that is no less fervent than in developed countries.
The sheer size of these two rising giants -- also two of the world's biggest energy gluttons -- will make any change in their environmental policy a matter of global concern.
But exactly what qualifies as green technologies warrants definition -- there's much confusion surrounding this issue.
Wind, solar, and tidal powers are but some of the renewable energies we are familiar with. But they are only a fraction of a broad array of alternative energies, many of which are often overlooked. Their efficiency, precise advantages and drawbacks are still unknown to many people obsessed with clean energy.
Chris Goodall's "Ten Technologies to Save the Planet" makes timely and enlightening reading. The British expert on climate change provides a detailed roundup of the green technologies currently in vogue, weighing costs against benefits.
His message: however attractive the 10 technologies may be, no single one can solve the energy conundrum we face today.
Take wind power, a virtually free source of clean energy. Its infinite "deposit" has shielded it from the price volatility often seen in commodities such as crude oil and natural gas.
Once turbines are erected, wind moves the rotors to generate electricity, output depending on wind consistency and intensity.
Disadvantages are also apparent. Manufacturing and installation are costly and it can take years for investment to yield returns.
Success hinges upon economies of scale. Rooftop turbines are less cost-effective than wind farms.
Other sources of clean energy, solar energy and tidal power, have the same issues as the wind sector. Photovoltaic cells can generate 7,000 times more power than fossil fuels, but the silicon needed to make solar panels is scarce, which restricts mass production.
Coastal and underwater barricades can release electricity by damming waters and harnessing tides. But due to technological immaturity and high construction costs, this sector is in its infancy. Its potential risk to maritime ecology also stunts faster growth.
In addition to more environmentally friendly ways of power generation, the envisioned green growth model requires more efficient use of energy.
Goodall cites the invention of fuel cells in this regard. Heat given off by burning fossil fuels could represent as much as 40 percent of the fuels' energy. With the advent of solidi oxide ceramic batteries, this by-product can now be stored and transmitted where it is needed. So far the high cost is prohibitive.
Energy conservation also has a bearing on architecture. As they are not airtight, most houses in China have poor insulation and require considerable heating or air-conditioning to regulate indoor climates. This waste can be reduced by upgrading existing housing structures such as installing vacuum glass, the author says.
While Goodall mainly focuses on energies of the future, he also sheds light on energies widely regarded as obsolete.
Coal remains the fuel of choice in many developing countries, he says, so any radical attempt to do away with it before its cleaner substitute comes along is bound to backfire.
The realistic approach instead is to develop technologies like carbon capture and storage that make coal burning less polluting and also impose carbon taxes to discourage the use of coal, the author argues.
Since the technologies Goodall examines are all imperfect and only a "portfolio" of them will do the trick, questions arise: what should the "portfolio" be comprised of? What is the ideal ratio between, say, wind power and biofuels in terms of output of electricity?
Though it's up to individual countries to decide their strategies, mixes and appropriate technology, Goodall could have offered some basic guidelines. This may be the biggest unanswered question of his informative book.
For all the hand-wringing over setting quotas for carbon emission reductions in Copenhagen, emerging economies like China and India are embracing green technologies and renewable energies in a way that is no less fervent than in developed countries.
The sheer size of these two rising giants -- also two of the world's biggest energy gluttons -- will make any change in their environmental policy a matter of global concern.
But exactly what qualifies as green technologies warrants definition -- there's much confusion surrounding this issue.
Wind, solar, and tidal powers are but some of the renewable energies we are familiar with. But they are only a fraction of a broad array of alternative energies, many of which are often overlooked. Their efficiency, precise advantages and drawbacks are still unknown to many people obsessed with clean energy.
Chris Goodall's "Ten Technologies to Save the Planet" makes timely and enlightening reading. The British expert on climate change provides a detailed roundup of the green technologies currently in vogue, weighing costs against benefits.
His message: however attractive the 10 technologies may be, no single one can solve the energy conundrum we face today.
Take wind power, a virtually free source of clean energy. Its infinite "deposit" has shielded it from the price volatility often seen in commodities such as crude oil and natural gas.
Once turbines are erected, wind moves the rotors to generate electricity, output depending on wind consistency and intensity.
Disadvantages are also apparent. Manufacturing and installation are costly and it can take years for investment to yield returns.
Success hinges upon economies of scale. Rooftop turbines are less cost-effective than wind farms.
Other sources of clean energy, solar energy and tidal power, have the same issues as the wind sector. Photovoltaic cells can generate 7,000 times more power than fossil fuels, but the silicon needed to make solar panels is scarce, which restricts mass production.
Coastal and underwater barricades can release electricity by damming waters and harnessing tides. But due to technological immaturity and high construction costs, this sector is in its infancy. Its potential risk to maritime ecology also stunts faster growth.
In addition to more environmentally friendly ways of power generation, the envisioned green growth model requires more efficient use of energy.
Goodall cites the invention of fuel cells in this regard. Heat given off by burning fossil fuels could represent as much as 40 percent of the fuels' energy. With the advent of solidi oxide ceramic batteries, this by-product can now be stored and transmitted where it is needed. So far the high cost is prohibitive.
Energy conservation also has a bearing on architecture. As they are not airtight, most houses in China have poor insulation and require considerable heating or air-conditioning to regulate indoor climates. This waste can be reduced by upgrading existing housing structures such as installing vacuum glass, the author says.
While Goodall mainly focuses on energies of the future, he also sheds light on energies widely regarded as obsolete.
Coal remains the fuel of choice in many developing countries, he says, so any radical attempt to do away with it before its cleaner substitute comes along is bound to backfire.
The realistic approach instead is to develop technologies like carbon capture and storage that make coal burning less polluting and also impose carbon taxes to discourage the use of coal, the author argues.
Since the technologies Goodall examines are all imperfect and only a "portfolio" of them will do the trick, questions arise: what should the "portfolio" be comprised of? What is the ideal ratio between, say, wind power and biofuels in terms of output of electricity?
Though it's up to individual countries to decide their strategies, mixes and appropriate technology, Goodall could have offered some basic guidelines. This may be the biggest unanswered question of his informative book.
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