Shop Talk – February 2010

There is so much happening in the world today that I had a difficult time coming up with something to write about this month that was relevant to the title of this column.

Obviously the events in Haiti seem to overpower many other thoughts. However, being the person I am (as green as possible) I thought a little discussion about the future of transportation and energy might be in order.

I have written before about hybrid cars and trucks as the logical direction, at least for a short period of time, for manufacturers to develop as more fuel efficient modes of conveyance.

I don’t believe this is the long term cure necessarily, due to the continued use of petroleum nor do I think ethanol is the answer as a replacement for gasoline. This is because ethanol uses a great deal of energy just to produce, as well as if it is made from food crops, then it causes food prices to rise (it already has) and that just doesn’t balance out in the long term.

So what are some directions for us to pursue in order to reduce our dependence on oil? I believe the first thing this country needs to do is really make a commitment to change our oil habits.

There are many ways to do this not only in transportation, but in heating and cooling use, power generation and so forth. The first thing is to realize the multitude of ways we can utilize the power of the sun. Solar photovoltaic panels, wind mills, geothermal power, wave and tidal energy are a number of energy sources that can be exploited that don’t create green house gases.

I know there are lots of folks who scoff at these ways, but the alternative is not sustainable. We are running out of oil and a great deal of it is controlled by foreign powers who don’t like us.

I suppose we can just take it from them, but the world will not be a pleasant place to live if that is how we get it. Perhaps one way to begin is prioritize where oil and its byproducts are most needed. Because of the various clean ways to produce power I would think a national priority should be implemented to encourage all new development to find and use alternative energy sources.

Anything that comes out of the ground (i.e. fossil energy sources), particularly oil and coal should be reserved for those uses that have no other power source at the present. In the interim when changing over to more earth friendly power, natural gas should be utilized as much as possible as it is cleaner and still very plentiful.

Another concept that goes against the mainstream thought is small scale utilization of energy sources. By this I mean to encourage individuals and small business (even large business) to use the natural power sources that may exist where they are located.

In sunny areas, install solar panels to reduce power consumption. If there are streams with moving water, develop small scale hydro that can add energy to the power grid. If the location is windy, then small wind mills could generate power. If there is geothermal energy close to the surface, this could be tapped to reduce energy consumption. None of this is unknown technology.

In Germany, which is basically at the same latitude as we are, it is hard to find a building with a large roof that isn’t covered with panels. Iceland is almost entirely powered by geothermal power. Norway and Sweden use wind and wave sources for a great deal of their energy. Locally speaking, near Packwood is an electrical generating facility that adds to the grid off a small bit of water that has a 900 foot fall powering a Pelton wheel.

The government buildings of Boise, Idaho have been heated for about a hundred years with geothermal, as well as the college and other buildings in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

In terms of transportation, a major shift in attitude is probably in order. Mass transportation should be expanded by a huge amount.

People will always need a way to get from here to there in their own vehicle, but if there were fast, convenient mass transit available with plenty of secure parking areas paralleling major freeways, I believe a lot more folks would utilize this means of travel.

Rail road transportation should be expanded. This is the most efficient means of moving goods that we have and it is poorly utilized. If it were expanded, this would reduce the number of trucks on the freeways and that in itself would reduce our use of petroleum. I will continue this discussion next month.

Questions or comments –
rayscartalk@yahoo.com