On a conference call Wednesday, I asked Lester R. Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, whether the recent financial meltdown would effect the burgeoning solar, wind, and geothermal industries. He responded that while investment of all kinds will be more difficult, a renewable energy jobs program could provide the same kind of stimulus that the Works Projects Administration did in the 1930s if we slip into a deep recession or even a depression. But beyond that, it seems clear from his view of the current energy scene, that renewable energy will be "The great growth industry of the 21st century," as he put it, even out-performing the information revolution of the 1990s.
Lester presented quite a bit of evidence to back up his claim -- you can see his summary here and the background data here.
Brown thinks that we are moving toward a society that is largely powered by green electricity. In fact, he thinks that transportation can be powered primarily from green electricity as well via plug-in hybrids, high-speed intercity trains, and light rail. He pointed out that while the 20th century mainly saw the globalization of energy, particularly in the case of oil, the 21st century will see the localization of energy in the form of electricity generated from local wind, solar, and geothermal sources.
So what do we need to accelerate this renewable expansion even further? Brown laid out a few big ideas: first, extending the tax credits which went into the bailout bill; second, pushing for a shift of most of the 230 million car fleet to plug-in hybrids, both through programs to junk gas guzzlers and to encourage buying plug-ins; third, developing a national grid, in an effort that would be similar to the one that built the Interstate Highway System; and fourth, using this transition as a way to provide millions of new jobs, both for renewable energy and for efficiency.
I asked Brown if intermittency problems could be overcome -- that is, the wind doesn't blow all the time and the sun doesn't always shine. Brown cited research done at Stanford University which concluded that, if a national grid with nationally distributed wind farms were fully developed, it would in effect act like baseload capacity, that is, there would always be enough electricity being generated somewhere to fill most immediate needs.
He also pointed out that nuclear power plants have their own intermittency problems -- there were over 50 shutdowns last year alone -- and no one is advocating building backup nuclear power plants. A national grid with a large number of well-distributed electricity generators is constantly experiencing changes in capacity, no matter what the source.
Brown also suggested that we have not begun to use advances in information technology to manage consumer demand. For instance, we should be able to allow people to do their laundry when electricity is cheapest. A reporter from the Wall Street Journal asked if it will be a problem to use eminent domain to create the corridors necessary for long transmission lines, and Brown said that that could be a problem, but those were overcome during the construction of the Interstate Highway System and could be in this case as well. The reporter also asked whether the decline in oil prices will impact the clean energy expansion; Brown feels that the long-term rise of oil prices in inevitable, and price volatility of oil is high, so wind and solar expansion will not be interrupted by oil price declines, unlike in the past.
Brown ended by relating the story of the legal case of a Greenpeace protest in the U.K., in which the protesters were arrested for preventing the construction of a coal-fired power plant. They were found innocent, because the judge found that just as firefighters are not liable for knocking down a door to fight a fire, people are justified in creating some damage in order to prevent even greater damage to the planet.
Renewable energy is absolutely critical to the long-term functioning of both the biosphere and the global economy. If we do the right thing, we will move as quickly as possible from a fossil fuel-based civilization to one built on wind, solar, and geothermal. This move is not a lost cost, it is an investment, a critical investment, more important than our current financial bailout.
For a thorough analysis of our global problems and solutions, you should read Brown's most recent book, Plan B, Version 3.0: Mobilizing to save civilization.
Do we need nuclear and coal plants for baseload power?
To unlock wind power, put a price on carbon
Gore on the Daily Show: extended dance remix
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Delay And Deny Posted 3:30 pm
16 Oct 2008
Wasn't he that guy in the WOW youtube vid?
No, that was Leeeeeroy Jenkins!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkCNJRfSZBU
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Jonas Posted 12:41 am
17 Oct 2008
http://www.unfoundation.org/press-center/press-releases/2 ...
UN: Sound Bioenergy Policies Could Help Lift West African Rural Areas Out of Poverty
New report shows that bioenergy can power sustainable rural development
For Immediate Release
Rome (October 16, 2008) --
A new report released by the United Nations Foundation, the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development and the Energy and Security Group finds that bioenergy can provide significant economic and environmental opportunities for rural areas in West Africa. The report, "Sustainable Bioenergy Report in UEMOA Member Countries", released today at a side event at FAO Headquarters in Rome, finds that donor and host country investments in bioenergy can reduce the exposure of West African countries to high food and oil prices and open up new economic opportunities in clean energy development.
Biomass can also expand agricultural production across the UEMOA (the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa) nations of Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo which have been hit hard by the food crisis and rising oil prices. Sound bioenergy production policies can help drive a coordinated approach to poverty reduction and reduce the impact of climate change on these already vulnerable areas.
"This report takes on the twin challenges of energy and agriculture and explores how bioenergy crops and modern uses of biomass in rural areas of West Africa could play a role in alleviating poverty while protecting food production," said Melinda Kimble, Senior Vice President with the UN Foundation. "It is vital that policies and technologies are developed and implemented to better use agricultural and forest residues. If used correctly, these energy feedstocks hold great potential for efficient and affordable locally-produced fuels and this can be done in a sustainable and responsible way that ensures the world's most vulnerable populations have access to clean fuels and are not put at further risk."
Commissioned by UEMOA and the Rural Hub for Western and Central Africa, the report finds that these oil-import dependent countries possess enough arable land and forests to cultivate sufficient foodstocks and harvest biomass to produce expanded amounts of bioenergy. But less than two percent of these arable acres are irrigated, leaving them vulnerable to erratic weather patterns. The report concludes that greater investment in irrigation, as well as fertilizer and farm equipment are all needed if agricultural yields are to increase in line with a growing population.
Better yields are essential in order to improve standards of living in UEMOA countries, since roughly 70% of the population depends on agricultural or forestry-related jobs. Conversely, only seven percent of the rural population has access to electricity, greatly limiting economic growth, the report finds.
"Access to affordable energy is a critical factor in the development of rural communities, and one that is often forgotten," said Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Executive Director of the Rural Hub. "Bioenergy offers African farmers a unique opportunity to generate the energy that they need to grow food crops and improve agriculture productivity. With the right public policies in place and the blueprint for action included in the report, UEMOA countries can harness that potential and win the fight against both rural poverty and climate change."
According to the report, key factors to guide sustainable bioenergy include improving agriculture and forest productivity, and protecting watersheds, which would also put governments in a better position to fight against climate change and cope with inevitable impacts. Traditional wood biomass production - 73% of primary energy used in the region - must be adapted to create more efficient and cleaner fuel. Bioenergy can be transformative for the region - greatly expanding electricity and energy access, creating more jobs and better income in rural communities and growth across national and regional economies. Innovative crop management, farmer training, and consistent investment are needed to improve agriculture productivity in this region. Land use, protection of small producers, infrastructure improvement, data collection, and women's roles are some of the critical points which must be taken into account by governments in order to secure sustainability, the report found.
"Achieving the Millenium Development Goals demands well-integrated agricultural and energy policies if progress is to be sustained," said Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. "It is my hope that this report provides a new view of the potential of agriculture to help millions of Africans get out of the dark and out of poverty."
The full report and executive summary can be found online at http://www.unfoundation.org/press-center/publications/sus ...
For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact John Anthony at 202.277.2103. If you are in Rome, contact Marie-Vincente Pasdeloup at +33 6 20 46 00 14.
BACKGROUND
About the UN Foundation
The United Nations Foundation is an advocate for the UN and a platform for connecting people, ideas and capital to help the United Nations solve global problems. We build partnerships, grow constituencies, mobilize resources and advocate policy changes to support the UN's work for individual and global progress. The UN Foundation's work -- focused on select global problems -- is decreasing child mortality, improving disaster relief, protecting diverse cultures and environments, creating a clean energy future, empowering women and girls, and improving U.S.-UN relations. The UN Foundation is a public charity. For more information, visit http://www.unfoundation.org.
The Rural Hub for Western and Central Africa is a non-governmental organization whose goal is to assist West and Central African stakeholders (States, Inter-governmental Organisations, Civil Society Organisations and Development Partners) to promote coherence in rural development programmes worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.hubrural.org
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