Dear forum friends,
Here's something really cheerful to buck you up as winter approaches, and as theend of the semester nears. We can all use some good news right now, can't we!
Today I read that many countries are working to find dependable energy sources so they can replace fossil fuels. There are three main reasons: the instability of the price of oil; to have security of supply; global warming. We all know coal, gas and oil will run out some day, so the search for plentiful, dependable energy sources is important.
* Denmark has lots of wind, for wind power.* Japan has plenty of sunshine. * Britain has one of the best wind, wave and tidal resources in Europe in its waters off Cornwall on the stormy Atlantic. * And there's geothermal energy, too. Iceland already runs on it.
South Africa, Portugal, Japan, Australia and the United states want to pool energy from ocean waves. Britain is trying to make their technology work, and harvest lots of energy. Then they want to sell their technology to other countries. There's a race going on to see who will develop it first.
Ocean wave power harvesting technology isn't cheap. Governments will need to help with costs until there are large enough economies of scale so the industry can pay its own way. The British government is keen because they are worried about their dependence on imports, increases in price, and carbon dioxide emissions pollution, so they have supplied 50 M. pounds to fund what are properly called "marine renewables." Experts say there is enough power in the movements of the ocean to provide plenty of energy for the whole planet.
To give you an idea of how this would work, here are some figures. A "farm" of 40 machines could power 20,000 homes. Twenty farms, each with forty machines, could power a whole city of nearly 450,000 people, the size of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Such "farms" would be located 12 - 15 km. off the beach of a suitable area, and cover 20 sq. km. One of the big advantages of wave farms is that they can't be seen. The machines are on or just below the surface of the water. Sailing and fishing boats with deep keels, and nets, will need to stay away from them. Some people have concerns about tourism being negatively affected. Personally, I think I'd gratefully take a trip just to see the blessed things, Other people have concerns for marine mammals. I think making the oceans cleaner and quieter would be a nice trade-off for those creatures. Surfers think they might cut down the height of the waves they love so well to ride to shore on. Phooey to that, I say. When it comes to cutting pollutions on a large scale the surfers are just going to have to find new spots to surf!
Some people don't like the looks of wind farms. I've seen them in the USA, and they look rather interesting. Rows and rows of tall white poles with three white, narrow revolving fins at the top. Seen all over a barren, dun-coloured hillside, they look interesting and science fictionish. I like them. Wind farms are economically competitive.
The plan is to have wave machines in the water by 2006. Well, that's nice and soon! :-) Britain has a goal for 15% of its electricity needs to be met by renewable energy. The E.U. plans that by 2030 34% of their 25 nation bloc will come from clean sources. I wish it could all happen very soon so I could experience it. I hate the stink of present daya vehicles. Well, maybe overcoming that problem will be one of the first things they'll do. And it shouldn't be to terribly hard to distribute electricity to homes through present or updated power grids. The real problem is carbon-based industry all over the world. That change takes longer.
To try to bridge the gap greater efficient would help, especially in road transport, electrical appliances and lighting and industry. I read that your country will have standards to make new cars in 2008 7-10% more efficient than in 2000. That's as high as Japan, and higher than for the U.S.A. Your country then is projected to raise the bar by an additional 10-% between 2008 - 2030, so your cars will the most fuel efficient of any major economy. You will also have tsimilar stardards to your fleet of trucks and buses, which account for about 1/5th of all vehicles on Chinese roads. Looks like you'll set the standard!
We now have LED lights here (maybe you do, too?) which use miniscule amounts of energy and have many creative uses. Their bulbs don't ever heat up so there is no danger of hot bulbs setting fires. When efficiency and clean sources arrived the world will become so lovely, at last. We'll smell the delicious breezes, instead of having them wafted to us filled with pollutants. I'm afraid it may be too slow for me, but I believe that most of you will see it.
What I hope is that countries like yours will skip most of the dependence on fossil fuels and as you did with electronics, move past old technology and straight into these new power sources. Maybe you'll develop wave technology in the South China Sea. Do you have good waves there?
Friendly greetings, Mary
