Sustainable Energy — without the hot air

Motivations

1. Our reading

   If everyone does only a little to help solve a big problem, the collective result will still be only a little.

   Their wordsA more realistic mantra is: if everyone does a little, we’ll achieve only a little.

2. Our reading

   Climate change is at its core an energy problem, since burning fossil fuels for energy is the main driver of emissions.

   Their wordsSo to fix climate change, we need to sort out a new way of getting energy. The climate problem is mostly an energy problem.

Wind

3. Our reading

   Covering the windiest 10% of Britain with windmills could generate about 20 kWh per day per person, roughly half the energy used driving an average car 50 km a day.

   Their wordsif we covered the windiest 10% of the country with windmills (delivering 2 W/m2 ), we would be able to generate 20 kWh/d per person, which is half of the power used by driving an average fossil-fuel car 50 km per day.

4. Our reading

   Britain's onshore wind resource, though large, is not as large as the country's energy consumption.

   Their wordsBritain’s onshore wind energy resource may be “huge,” but it’s evidently not as huge as our huge consumption.

Planes

5. Our reading

   Airplanes are already almost as energy-efficient as they could possibly be, so no redesign will radically improve their efficiency.

   Their wordsplanes are already almost as energy-efficient as they could possibly be. Planes unavoidably have to use energy for two reasons: they have to throw air down in order to stay up, and they need energy to overcome air resistance. No redesign of a plane is going to radically improve its efficiency.

Solar

6. Our reading

   Photovoltaic panels will keep getting cheaper and less energy-intensive to manufacture over time.

   Their wordsI am sure that photovoltaic panels will become ever cheaper; I’m also sure that solar panels will become ever less energy-intensive to manufacture, so their energy yield ratio will improve.

7. Our reading

   Biofuels cannot supply enough energy to matter for a country like Britain or to replace all transport fuels.

   Their wordsI think one conclusion is clear: biofuels can’t add up – at least, not in countries like Britain, and not as a replacement for all transport fuels.

Offshore wind

8. Our reading

   Switching off a phone charger when not in use saves only a negligible amount of energy compared to overall consumption.

   Their wordsObsessively switching off the phone-charger is like bailing the Titanic with a teaspoon.

Wave

9. Our reading

   Wave power is unlikely to play a significant role in solving Britain's sustainable energy problem, though it may suit small remote-island communities.

   Their wordsWhile wave power may be useful for small communities on remote islands, I suspect it can’t play a significant role in the solution to Britain’s sustainable energy problem.

Can we live on renewables?

10. Our reading

    Britain cannot live on its own renewables under its current lifestyle and consumption levels.

    Their wordsBut realistically, I don’t think Britain can live on its own renewables – at least not the way we currently live.

11. Our reading

    British people tend to oppose large-scale renewable energy projects even while supporting renewable energy in principle.

    Their wordsPeople love renewable energy, unless it is bigger than a figleaf. If the British are good at one thing, it’s saying “no.”

Better transport

12. Our reading

    Hydrogen is a hyped-up bandwagon that is unlikely to help with our energy problems.

    Their wordsI think hydrogen is a hyped-up bandwagon. I’ll be delighted to be proved wrong, but I don’t see how hydrogen is going to help us with our energy problems.

13. Our reading

    Hydrogen-powered cars will ultimately use about as much energy as today's average fossil-fuelled car.

    Their wordsmy prediction is that after all the “zeroemissions” trumpeting is over, we’ll find that hydrogen cars use just as much energy as the average fossil car of today.

14. Our reading

    Switching to electric cars is already a good idea, even before the electricity supply is greened.

    Their wordsSo I conclude that switching to electric cars is already a good idea, even before we green our electricity supply.

Smarter heating

15. Our reading

    Heat pumps are more efficient than condensing boilers even when the heat pump's electricity comes from a natural-gas power station.

    Their wordsHeat pumps are superior in efficiency to condensing boilers, even if the heat pumps are powered by electricity from a power station burning natural gas.

Nuclear?

16. Our reading

    The price of nuclear power is dominated by construction and decommissioning costs, not fuel costs.

    Their wordsnuclear power’s price is dominated by the cost of power-station construction and decommissioning, not by the cost of the fuel.

17. Our reading

    Nuclear power is dangerous, but not uniquely so among energy sources like coal, oil, and wind.

    Their wordsNuclear power is not infinitely dangerous. It’s just dangerous, much as coal mines, petrol repositories, fossil-fuel burning and wind turbines are dangerous.

18. Our reading

    Nuclear waste is only a minor worry compared with the other forms of waste being left to future generations.

    Their wordsI feel nuclear waste is only a minor worry, compared with all the other forms of waste we are inflicting on future generations.

19. Our reading

    Assuming the nuclear fusion problem will be solved is reckless, even though estimating fusion's potential power output is still worthwhile.

    Their wordsFusion power is speculative and experimental. I think it is reckless to assume that the fusion problem will be cracked, but I’m happy to estimate how much power fusion could deliver, if the problem is cracked.

Fluctuations and storage

20. Our reading

    Ramping up electric vehicles alongside wind power, roughly 3,000 vehicles per 3 MW turbine, with smart charging, would go a long way to solving the problem of wind fluctuations.

    Their wordsIf we ramp up electric vehicles at the same time as ramping up wind power, roughly 3000 new vehicles for every 3 MW wind turbine, and if we ensure that the charging systems for the vehicles are smart, this synergy would go a long way to solving the problem of wind fluctuations.

What to do now

21. Our reading

    Reducing emissions from oil and gas matters less than coal, because supplies of both are expected to decline over the next 50 years anyway.

    Their wordsTrying to reduce emissions from oil and gas is of secondary importance because supplies of both oil and gas are expected to decline over the next 50 years.

22. Our reading

    Free markets alone cannot solve environmental and energy problems; legislation, regulation, and taxation are also necessary.

    Their wordsSo, while markets may play a role, it’s silly to say “let the market handle it all.” Surely we need to talk about legislation, regulations, and taxes.

Energy plans for Europe, America, and the World

23. Our reading

    Europe cannot meet its energy needs from renewables alone and will need nuclear power, solar power from deserts elsewhere, or both.

    Their wordsJust like Britain, Europe can’t live on its own renewables. So if the aim is to get off fossil fuels, Europe needs nuclear power, or solar power in other people’s deserts (as discussed on p179), or both.

24. Our reading

    Solar thermal water heating is a practical technology that works in most of the world.

    Their wordsSolar thermal water heaters are a no-brainer. They will work almost everywhere in the world.

The last thing we should talk about

25. Our reading

    Using tree planting to reverse climate change is not workable because it would require country-sized land areas.

    Their wordsIf anyone proposes using trees to undo climate change, they need to realise that country-sized facilities are required. I don’t see how it could ever work.

Heating II

26. Our reading

    Air-source heat pumps are the best heating choice for most people.

    Their wordsI therefore suggest air-source heat pumps are the best heating choice for most people.

Stuff II

27. Our reading

    For most materials, embodied energy per unit weight is at least about 10 kWh per kg, similar to fossil fuels' energy density by weight.

    Their wordsFor most materials, the embodied energy per unit weight is greater than or equal to 10 kWh per kg – the same as the energy per unit weight of fossil fuels.