| Oil prices have recently surpassed $70 per barrel for | | | | transported in pipelines and is currentlymoved in railcars |
| the first time in history. With gas prices in the US | | | | and barges. When used in higher concentrations, which |
| hovering at $3 per gallon, many citizens are | | | | can be as high as 85% it can damage fuel tanks and |
| reevaluating their lives. | | | | filters, can cause improper readings on fuel gauges |
| Each day more Americans ask questions such as: | | | | and can corrode iron parts and electrical fuel pumps. It |
| Can I drive this big pickup or afford a car at all? What | | | | also has problems with high levels of evaporation and |
| will I do this coming winter about my increasing utility | | | | only provides 66% of the energy content of gas. |
| bills? | | | | With that said, in the short-term ethanol is one of the |
| These and other questions drive us to pay more | | | | only solutions we have to the fact that transportation |
| attention to conflicts in the Middle East, Venezuela and | | | | uses 67% of our nation's petroleum consumption. |
| elsewhere. | | | | Coal Gasification |
| The first installment of this article will deal with the | | | | The 600 traditional coal burning power plants in the US |
| major sources of alternative energy:solar, ethanol, coal | | | | produce 50% of the electricity that we use to run our |
| gasification and wind power. The second installment | | | | country. Unfortunately, coal pollutes when it is mined, |
| will discuss the potential financial benefits of investing in | | | | transported, stored and burned. Using current methods, |
| this growing segment of our economy. | | | | coal is pulverized and burned to heat up boilers to |
| Solar Energy | | | | produce steam that spins turbines that turn generators |
| Solar energy breaks down into passive and active | | | | that produce electricity. |
| solar. Passive is typically dealt with in the architecture | | | | This process is the primary cause of global warming, |
| phase of a building. Basically, passive solar is about | | | | acid rain and a number of other problems. |
| orienting a building and constructing it with materials and | | | | In coal gasification the coal is heated to 2000 degrees |
| techniques that take advantage of the sun's lighting | | | | in a closed environment with steam and a limited |
| and heating abilities when it is dark and cold and | | | | amount of oxygen so that it breaks down to its |
| shading it when temperatures are hotter. | | | | component parts without burning. |
| Active solar involves installing solar collectors that | | | | A form of natural gas is created that can be burned |
| capture the sun's heat and transferring it to a liquid for | | | | more cleanly. One of the component parts is carbon |
| household or commercial hot water applications. | | | | dioxide, the primary culprit in the pollution of our world, |
| The newer form of active solar utilizes photovoltaic | | | | but it can be captured and pumped underground to |
| cells similar to semiconductors that convert the sun's | | | | revive oil fields or stored underground in caverns. |
| energy to electricity. In simple terms, the solar energy | | | | Currently there are several power plants in the US |
| knocks electrons loose from their atoms allowing them | | | | using this new technology known as IGCC, one in |
| to flow through the material to form electricity. | | | | Indiana, one in North Dakota and a more modern one in |
| Photovoltaic applications have been limited to low | | | | Tampa, Florida. |
| power devices like calculators or to remote locations | | | | With 300 years worth of coal in existence, this may be |
| where the electrical grid was not available. This is | | | | the most important current technological advance on |
| changing as the number of photovoltaic cells being | | | | our planet. |
| manufactured increases, which has been lowering the | | | | Wind Power |
| costs per unit each year by 3 to 5%. At the same | | | | Wind power currently provides less than 1% of the |
| time, technology has been making them more efficient. | | | | worldwide electricity capacity. |
| The combination of these two factors has lowered | | | | This source of energy has tremendous potential with |
| the cost of producing a watt of electricity from $7.50 | | | | the cost to generate it having gone down by 80% |
| in 1990 to $4.00 in 2005 with the payback on installing a | | | | over the last 15 years due to technological advances. It |
| system coming down to 5 to 10 years. | | | | is abundant, renewable and clean and is currently |
| Benefits of solar energy include the fact that it is free | | | | growing by 38% per year in the US, faster than any |
| and has little maintenance once it isinstalled. When | | | | other form of energy generation. The highest levels of |
| combined with lower costs and more efficient | | | | wind are found at high altitudes where average wind |
| technology solar is sure to play an important role in the | | | | velocities of 100 mph are not uncommon. But places |
| future. | | | | where winds average over 12.5 mph are economically |
| Ethanol | | | | viable. The best locations are on cliffs or on the ridges |
| No discussion of ethanol can take place without | | | | of mountains where changes in ground elevation |
| including the amazing success of Brazilin eliminating its | | | | cause an increase in wind speed. The problem with |
| dependence on imported oil from the Middle East. | | | | wind is its inability to gear up to meet heavy load |
| Brazil produces enough ethanol from sugar cane to | | | | demand and the necessity to have backup power |
| provide 40% of its demand for gas. All fuel sold in | | | | production capacity from other sources. |
| Brazil is at least 25% ethanol. | | | | These four sources of energy production are the |
| In the US the primary source of ethanol is from corn. | | | | major alternatives we have today to eliminate our |
| The Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandates that | | | | nation's addiction to oil. As newer technologies such as |
| production of ethanol in the US will double to 7.5 billion | | | | fuel cells become more practical we should see less |
| gallons over the next 5 years. Projections are that | | | | dependence on fossil fuels like oil and coal that can |
| private industry will exceed this level with no | | | | provide future generations with clean renewable |
| government intervention. | | | | energy. |
| Ethanol is not without its challenges. It cannot be | | | | |