Today is the end to the a highly historic election, which stands out as the most expensive election ever, with Barack Obama raising over $450 million and John McCain raising an additional $230 million. Additionally, Obama could become America's first African-American President, and McCain could become the nation's oldest President elected to a first term. Finally, this election has summoned unprecedented voter turnout, with a record twenty-four million people casting their ballots early. The turnout today is expected to be just as massive, even in areas where neither candidate visited. In fact, the Obama campaign boosted voter registration in states like Alabama and Nebraska, where McCain could gain double-digit victories. According to Ferrel Guillory, a political expert, specifically in Southern politics, this registration boost will likely become significant later on, and D'Linell Finley, a political scientist, predicted that the registration would help Democrats win political offices, like a seat on a state Supreme Court. Whatever the election results are, though, this election may reshape political campaigns for years, and perhaps decades to come.
As for the election results, they will likely depend on eighteen battleground states, which supply one hundred and ninety-four electoral votes. According to ABC News, four of those states - Georgia, Montana, North Dakota, and West Virginia - are leaning Republican, nine states - Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin - are leaning Democratic, and the remaining five states - Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, and Missouri - are toss-ups. In particular, Indiana and North Carolina are behaving quite unusually, as the two states have not voted for a Democratic President since 1964 and 1976, respectively. Some news organizations slightly contradict these predictions, though. As an illustration, the CNN Electoral Map Calculator, which you can use to make predictions of the Presidential Race and compare them to previous races, as of this post, shows that Montana and North Dakota are currently toss-ups, not leaning Republican. Also, the interactive map shows that Iowa appears to be safely Democratic, while Arizona appears to be leaning Republican. Of course, any predictions of the election results are premature, as nobody will see the full spectrum of results until late at night, as according to CNN's diagram of poll closings, Alaska closes its polls at around 1:00 AM, but many of the battleground states will close their polls by 8:00 PM, and all of the battleground states will close their polls by 10:00 PM. Already, though, Obama scored a small victory, as the small village of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, which holds the honor of the first place to release its election results, voted for Obama by 15 to 6. These numbers are small, but all of the registered voters in the town voted, and the village has not voted for a Democratic President since 1968, when the village voted for Hubert Humphrey over Richard Nixon. As you know, Humphrey never won the Presidency, so the village will not foreshadow the outcome of this Presidential race. However, those early results, combined with the historic nature of this election, may signal a change in American politics - a change to the twenty-first century.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Nuclear Power: Effective, but Renewable?
As I stated in an earlier post, solar energy drives many of the renewable energy sources on the Earth, many of which are incredibly powerful. All that solar power is generated through nuclear fusion, a type of nuclear reaction that occurs in the Sun's core. By that reasoning, nuclear power could provide untold amounts of energy, and the world has followed that reasoning, with one hundred and four nuclear power plants in the United States alone. In fact, scientists are still researching new nuclear technology, with the development of small-scale nuclear reactors, which can be constructed in half the construction time of a regular nuclear reactor, and General Fusion has developed Magnetized Target Fusion, a process that may resolve one of the many obstacles facing nuclear fusion. If the technology were advanced enough, nuclear power could become a stable energy source in the future.
However, nuclear power is disadvantageous for many reasons, among them recently projected costs of five to twelve billion dollars per power plant, double to quadruple that of earlier estimates. Additionally, if you look at my post "The Earth, Energy, and Politics," you will find that ninety-five percent of nuclear fuel can be recycled. However, as the nuclear fuel is repeatedly recycled, the amount of usable nuclear fuel gradually decreases, eventually reaching levels insufficient to satisfy the energy demands of the world. Most importantly, nuclear power is detrimental to the environment. A study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2003 found that one thousand five hundred new nuclear reactors would be needed by the middle of the century to even begin reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Not only that, but nuclear power plants generate several wastes. As an illustration, the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona produces over fifty-five tons of nitrogen oxide. Combined with the other drawbacks, this pollution makes nuclear power seem similar to fossil fuels, despite the immense differences in potential energy. However, the world should worry about the much greater, environmental danger of fossil fuels instead of the dangers of nuclear power, since humanity has only one Earth, and the planet should be used wisely.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Hydrogen: The Fuel of the Future?
Because of the current fuel-based technology of cars, renewable fuels, like biofuels, are quite popular. As I showed in one of my earlier posts, though, biofuels still emit carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, upon combustion. In contrast, hydrogen promises to emit no carbon dioxide emissions, becoming the cleanest fuel available. For those with a basic understanding of chemistry, hydrogen, upon combustion, produces, apart from energy, only water. Water is key to life on Earth, and, if the hydrogen is pure, the water will share that purity, which may allow people to drink that water. However, that approach may be impractical or expensive, and scientists probably did not use that idea to promote hydrogen use. On the contrary, the lack of harmful emissions likely contributed heavily to the concept of hydrogen use, and, with time, the fuel may become useful.
Unfortunately, hydrogen power is extremely problematic, as forty-eight percent of all hydrogen production is met with natural gas through Steam Methane Reforming, or SMR, which, unsurprisingly, also produces carbon dioxide. This method, despite its drawbacks, may serve as an effective transition to more environmentally friendly methods of hydrogen production. In fact, researchers have developed a process where solar energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be combusted later. However, if the costs of this use of solar energy are too high, then the photovoltaic cells I discussed in an earlier post may prove more effective. Additionally, effective hydrogen combustion requires a fuel cell, which is commonly associated with a fuel cell vehicle. Fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen stored in high-pressure tanks, but can also use fuels such as natural gas and gasoline via a "reformer," which converts those fuels into hydrogen. This property may also aid in transitioning to renewable energy, and the high-pressure tanks could be used in other cars for natural gas combustion to significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Ultimately, the fuel cell has remarkably similar properties to the battery of a Plug-in Hybrid, which I have elaborated on in an earlier post. Both technologies can potentially aid in eliminating greenhouse gas emissions, and both grant the world some flexibility in adapting to renewable energy. Each technology serves as a step in a long, winding staircase, but one technology may prove less expensive, which may halt progress on the other technology. However, scientists should research both technologies, despite the higher price in that approach, so if one technology becomes unexpectedly less effective, then the world will not fall behind in technological development, allowing humanity to preserve the Earth without risk, and the Earth is far too precious to risk to chance.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
A Self-Analysis of Thought
When reading my blog posts, people may assume that I am already an expert on renewable energy, given my presentation of obscure facts on the subject. On the contrary, I recently discovered those facts, which significantly altered my views and thoughts on renewable energy. Before my discoveries, I considered renewable energy to be, currently, extremely viable and only halted by political gridlock. Now, however, I am stunned by the multitude of environmental obstacles, which I discussed in earlier blog posts, that hinder the development of renewable energy technologies. Because of my recent discoveries, I now realize the enormous difficulties in advancing renewable energy.
To fully understand myself, I needed to compare my evolution in thought on renewable energy to recent announcements and news on the topic. For instance, many organizations have announced plans in relation to renewable energy. Gemma Renewable Power LLC can pursue a $50 million wind farm contract, BlueFire Ethanol will be presenting its patented process for converting cellulosic wastes to ethanol, and HelioVolt opened its first factory in Austin, Texas for producing thin-film solar material. Their work on renewable energy reminded me of my earlier desire to have companies pursue renewable energy relentlessly, and these companies were not the only reminders. In fact, the country of Thailand is considering using ethanol and natural gas instead of imported oil, and Hawaii plans to have seventy percent of its energy consumption met with renewable energy by 2030. Granted, these plans may be changed or scrapped completely, but they both show the intense desire many people, including myself, possess for renewable energy.
I would like to see companies expand renewable energy technologies, but, regrettably, I have seen many drawbacks to transitioning to current renewable energy technology. I have elaborated on these drawbacks in previous blog posts, but I have also seen one additional setback - the current economic crisis. As many of you know, using renewable energy reduces the usage of fossil fuels, which give off greenhouse gases that heat the atmosphere. A popular mechanism of reducing these gases is called cap-and-trade, where the government would, basically, create a market for carbon dioxide emissions. The creation of such a system, however, could further stress the economy. Because of both the economic crisis and the environmental side effects current renewable energy technologies have, I slowly realized the difficulties in implementing renewable energy. My conclusion was reinforced by the fact that one company has cut funding for a solar rooftop project in half.
Given my discoveries, I thought that the world could, currently, do little about energy until the economic crisis passed, but I quickly found that my assumption was untrue. Recently, Oregon has passed greenhouse gas reporting rules, which require that, in 2010, all major greenhouse gas producers must report their emission totals. This rule seemed to be useless, but, upon further examination, I saw that data on greenhouse gas emissions may help scientists to gather more data on global warming, which could encourage more legislation on global warming. I also noticed that even filmmakers were taking action by creating "Eco-Horror" films that discuss global warming. Finally, I found that twenty-one companies will seek permission for the construction of thirty-four nuclear power plants. Upon seeing and contemplating this material, I concluded that those actions signified that the industry was attempting to lay additional groundwork for future expansion of renewable energy, which may prove important for the future.
My thoughts and conclusions, no matter how reinforced they may be, are not concrete or absolute. Later on, economic conditions may change, or scientists may invent groundbreaking new technologies that resolve some drawbacks to renewable energy. Those developments probably would alter my present conclusions on renewable energy, and would likely change political and scientific views on the topic. Your views, however, are also extremely important. By educating yourself on renewable energy, you will develop a greater understanding of the subject, allowing you to make an informed decision on Election Day and reshape America. Most importantly, you may find that your thoughts on renewable energy evolved, just as my thoughts on that subject evolved.
To fully understand myself, I needed to compare my evolution in thought on renewable energy to recent announcements and news on the topic. For instance, many organizations have announced plans in relation to renewable energy. Gemma Renewable Power LLC can pursue a $50 million wind farm contract, BlueFire Ethanol will be presenting its patented process for converting cellulosic wastes to ethanol, and HelioVolt opened its first factory in Austin, Texas for producing thin-film solar material. Their work on renewable energy reminded me of my earlier desire to have companies pursue renewable energy relentlessly, and these companies were not the only reminders. In fact, the country of Thailand is considering using ethanol and natural gas instead of imported oil, and Hawaii plans to have seventy percent of its energy consumption met with renewable energy by 2030. Granted, these plans may be changed or scrapped completely, but they both show the intense desire many people, including myself, possess for renewable energy.
I would like to see companies expand renewable energy technologies, but, regrettably, I have seen many drawbacks to transitioning to current renewable energy technology. I have elaborated on these drawbacks in previous blog posts, but I have also seen one additional setback - the current economic crisis. As many of you know, using renewable energy reduces the usage of fossil fuels, which give off greenhouse gases that heat the atmosphere. A popular mechanism of reducing these gases is called cap-and-trade, where the government would, basically, create a market for carbon dioxide emissions. The creation of such a system, however, could further stress the economy. Because of both the economic crisis and the environmental side effects current renewable energy technologies have, I slowly realized the difficulties in implementing renewable energy. My conclusion was reinforced by the fact that one company has cut funding for a solar rooftop project in half.
Given my discoveries, I thought that the world could, currently, do little about energy until the economic crisis passed, but I quickly found that my assumption was untrue. Recently, Oregon has passed greenhouse gas reporting rules, which require that, in 2010, all major greenhouse gas producers must report their emission totals. This rule seemed to be useless, but, upon further examination, I saw that data on greenhouse gas emissions may help scientists to gather more data on global warming, which could encourage more legislation on global warming. I also noticed that even filmmakers were taking action by creating "Eco-Horror" films that discuss global warming. Finally, I found that twenty-one companies will seek permission for the construction of thirty-four nuclear power plants. Upon seeing and contemplating this material, I concluded that those actions signified that the industry was attempting to lay additional groundwork for future expansion of renewable energy, which may prove important for the future.
My thoughts and conclusions, no matter how reinforced they may be, are not concrete or absolute. Later on, economic conditions may change, or scientists may invent groundbreaking new technologies that resolve some drawbacks to renewable energy. Those developments probably would alter my present conclusions on renewable energy, and would likely change political and scientific views on the topic. Your views, however, are also extremely important. By educating yourself on renewable energy, you will develop a greater understanding of the subject, allowing you to make an informed decision on Election Day and reshape America. Most importantly, you may find that your thoughts on renewable energy evolved, just as my thoughts on that subject evolved.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Solar Energy: The Ultimate Power Source?
The Sun is responsible not only for life on Earth, but also for the renewable energy sources humanity now seeks to harvest. For example, plants use sunlight to grow, and humans can convert plants to biofuels. In similar connections, all forms of renewable energy are directly influenced by the Sun, meaning that the Sun transfers all the enormous amounts of energy seen in renewable energy sources like geothermal and wind power. Given the already enormous power of those sources, the Sun likely transfers much more power to the Earth, and this conclusion has likely led to the development and expansion of solar energy. For those familiar with my post on Plug-in Hybrids, though, solar energy is generally harvested through photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells, though, are usually composed of silicon, but the silicon must be 99.9999% pure. The extreme purity required probably contributed to a main challenge solar energy faces - its cost. In addition to the price of solar energy, however, the speed of integrating solar technology, the environmental limits to solar energy, and the impact solar energy use will have on the industry are also drawbacks to the power source. As an illustration, for any location on the Earth, solar energy is only available for twelve hours per day. Because of this limited window for energy collection, businesses will need to adapt to the lack of power during the night. Also, if solar power is adapted too slowly, businesses may choose to burn fossil fuels or use other sources of energy. Additionally, not all solar energy can be realistically harvested, since stealing too much power from the environment could have an impact on plants and alter the Earth's climate.
To avoid this harmful effect, humanity will need to find more efficient methods of collecting solar energy, but scientists may have already invented new technology that can achieve this goal. The company SiOnyx has developed "Black Silicon," which is silicon that has been exposed incredibly briefly to a laser pulse in the presence of foreign material. The resulting silicon can absorb much more of the energy in sunlight than regular silicon. Chemists at the Ohio State University have also developed a hybrid material, composed of electrically conductive plastic and metals, that can absorb the entire spectrum of visible light, which could also allow solar panels to become much more efficient. Currently, humanity can implement solar technology, but with these advancements, society may want to hold back on that conversion, but that approach may indirectly damage the Earth.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Can Wind Be Used Safely?
Wind is extremely energetic, since the force of nature is created by air traveling at significant velocities. As an illustration, all the wind in the United States can generate one and a half times the United States' electricity consumption. This potential ignited a huge desire for the world to use wind power, but wind power may be limited by the supply of turbines that are needed to harness the wind's kinetic energy. In fact, according to General Electric, there is a $12 billion backlog on wind turbines. With this enormous demand, though, the world may become too dependent on wind power, and winds can be highly variable, becoming more or less energetic. Less energetic winds, in particular, are harmful for a world dependent on wind power, as wind turbines then harvest less power, which may devastate cities that rely on the power source. Also, wind turbines may be unstable if they malfunction, as evidenced by the attached video on the bottom.
Wind turbines, even if they operate without errors or decreases in energy production, may impact the environment, not through greenhouse gases, but through the deaths of birds and bats. At the Altamont Pass Wind Area, the oldest commercial wind farm in America, an estimated ten thousand birds are killed every year, and, annually, one hundred thousand birds are believed to be killed by wind turbines nationwide. Most of these deaths, though, occur in three Californian wind farms, in which the turbines were constructed in the early 1980's, implying that new technology may not be as dangerous to birds. Also, the number of birds killed at wind farms is relatively small compared to the millions of birds killed in collisions with human creations, like cars and windows. Bats, however, are not normally killed at any human structures, but at the Mountaineer Wind Energy Center, hundreds of bats died in one night. Scientists cannot provide data on the number of bats killed at wind farms every year, but some estimates report that, at wind farms, three to five bats are killed for every bird that is killed. Scientists are still researching a solution to this problem, but the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative has begun testing the effect of stopping wind turbines during periods of low wind velocities on bat deaths, in effect taking advantage of a drawback of wind power to negate a much larger drawback. This strategy may help make wind power a staple renewable energy source in the future, but further development should be stalled until scientists eliminate the effects wind turbines have on bat and bird populations.
P.S.: Here is the video I mentioned earlier.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Linking to Renewable Energy
I hope that you have learned much from my blog on renewable energy, but I cannot cover the entire spectrum of information on this subject. If you are still unsatisfied with my information on renewable energy, you can search for recent news on renewable energy, or you can browse through this list of recommended links, along with arguments as to why you should visit these links.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency
This site contains an abundance of information on the environment, but you can also find various sections of the site related to energy, specifically, the Green Vehicle Guide, which you can use to select environmentally friendly vehicles, and the Climate Change section, which contains a extensive summary of global warming, along with many other links for exploration.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory
This site deals with several aspects of renewable energy, including current news on the topic, small summaries of renewable energy sources, and technologies that utilize renewable energy. Much of the information I have seen is brief and lacks detail, but some links leading to more detailed assessments often accompany this information, making this site an excellent hub for gathering information.
The U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
This site is extensively detailed, offering enormous sums of information on renewable energy, with each main hub of information on each type of renewable energy branching into several subunits that detail various aspects of the energy type, but these branches are sometimes short. Still, the vast array of diverse coverage on renewable energy warrants a visit to this site.
The Energy Information Administration
This site does not contain many overviews on renewable energy, so you should not look at this site if you want that type of information. That said, this site is a very good site for accessing data on topics on or related to energy. You can find energy forecasts, greenhouse gas data, power plant emission levels, Congressional reports, and data on energy production on the site, making the site wonderful for those who like to see raw figures and draw their own opinions on the current energy situation.
The California Cars Initiative
If you have thoroughly read my blog, you have heard of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. This site has a simple goal - to make automobile manufacturers to produce these vehicles. I have mentioned some facts on these vehicles, but this site provides much more detail on these vehicles. There are also news articles and videos on the site, allowing you to explore this concept without expending much effort.
Global Climate Change- NASA's Eyes on the Earth
This site is focused on the environmental impact of global warming, and the site delivers information on global warming in an easily absorbed fashion. For those who do not want to read extensive articles, the top bar offers a brief summary of the effects of global warming, ranging from sea level rise to the size of the ozone hole and carbon dioxide levels. The site also has several interactives, allowing you to become engaged in this issue.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency
This site contains an abundance of information on the environment, but you can also find various sections of the site related to energy, specifically, the Green Vehicle Guide, which you can use to select environmentally friendly vehicles, and the Climate Change section, which contains a extensive summary of global warming, along with many other links for exploration.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory
This site deals with several aspects of renewable energy, including current news on the topic, small summaries of renewable energy sources, and technologies that utilize renewable energy. Much of the information I have seen is brief and lacks detail, but some links leading to more detailed assessments often accompany this information, making this site an excellent hub for gathering information.
The U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
This site is extensively detailed, offering enormous sums of information on renewable energy, with each main hub of information on each type of renewable energy branching into several subunits that detail various aspects of the energy type, but these branches are sometimes short. Still, the vast array of diverse coverage on renewable energy warrants a visit to this site.
The Energy Information Administration
This site does not contain many overviews on renewable energy, so you should not look at this site if you want that type of information. That said, this site is a very good site for accessing data on topics on or related to energy. You can find energy forecasts, greenhouse gas data, power plant emission levels, Congressional reports, and data on energy production on the site, making the site wonderful for those who like to see raw figures and draw their own opinions on the current energy situation.
The California Cars Initiative
If you have thoroughly read my blog, you have heard of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. This site has a simple goal - to make automobile manufacturers to produce these vehicles. I have mentioned some facts on these vehicles, but this site provides much more detail on these vehicles. There are also news articles and videos on the site, allowing you to explore this concept without expending much effort.
Global Climate Change- NASA's Eyes on the Earth
This site is focused on the environmental impact of global warming, and the site delivers information on global warming in an easily absorbed fashion. For those who do not want to read extensive articles, the top bar offers a brief summary of the effects of global warming, ranging from sea level rise to the size of the ozone hole and carbon dioxide levels. The site also has several interactives, allowing you to become engaged in this issue.
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