Overview

Reducing global warming caused by man's activities will require far-reaching efforts by key nations to develop and implement comprehensive clean energy initiatives, in addition to boosting alternative fuel usage.

"Wanted: More Green Energy - In The Name of Fighting Climate Change, Solar, Geothermal, Wind and Tidal Power Are Getting A New Look," Lisa Stifler, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/15/07.

The greatest windfall for renewable power could be the creation of a fee that penalizes the production of greenhouse gases. Congress is considering a carbon tax, which would put a premium on the generation of polluting power from fossil fuels.

The challenge of replacing conventional with clean energy sources is rather bracing, as illustrated by the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration's "Annual Energy Outlook 2007 - With Projections To 2030." As the report notes on page 2 of the "Overview" section:

Despite the rapid growth projected for bio-fuels and other non-hydroelectric renewable energy sources and the expectation that orders will be placed for new nuclear power plants for the first time in more than 25 years, oil, coal, and natural gas still are projected to provide roughly the same 86-percent share of the total U.S. primary energy supply in 2030 that they did in 2005 (assuming no changes in existing laws and regulations - itals added). The expected rapid growth in the use of biofuels and other non-hydropower renewable energy sources begins from a very low current share of total energy use; hydroelectric power production, which accounts for the bulk of current renewable electricity supply, is nearly stagnant; and the share of total electricity supplied from nuclear power falls despite the projected new plant builds, which more than offset retirements, because the overall market for electricity continues to expand rapidly in the projection.

In May 2007 for the G8 Summit, the Joint Science Academies issued a "Statement on Growth and Responsibility; Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Climate Protection." It read, in part:

There are around 600 million motor vehicles across the globe. This figure may double by 2020. Here in particular lies a large package of possible measures, like innovative engine concepts with energy efficiency standards, alternative fuels and integrated transport systems. Fossil fuels will continue to dominate electricity production over the next two decades. The best coal-fired power stations now achieve efficiencies substantially better than the average. Modernization of old power plants could help to save energy and to reduce carbon emissions. Electrical appliances are proliferating rapidly. New appliances on the market should be brought in line with the state of the art. Energy consumption is strongly influenced by human behavior. It is important to create the conditions and opportunities for energy consumers to use energy more efficiently.

Increasing energy efficiency is a first crucial step towards solving the climate-energy problem. An entire portfolio of approaches will be needed, especially the substitution of fossil fuels by renewable energy sources, clean coal technologies, carbon capture and storage and advanced exploitation of nuclear fission and, in the longer term, fusion. This portfolio can be developed only through aggressive investment in research, development and innovation, with the efforts ranging from basic science over strategic analyses to practical applications. Key research and innovation issues include: overcoming the intermittency problem for renewables, converting biomass (e.g. lignocellulose) to transport fuels, and coming to grips with the challenges of safety, waste, and non-proliferation in the nuclear energy domain. A whole-systems approach to energy security needs to be pursued. Fundamental research is also needed on the climate system, climate impacts, and vulnerability at all scales in order to enhance the adaptive capacities of societies. It is equally vital to promote research on behavioral and other social issues that are central to implementing technological and institutional solutions.

"Joint Science Academies Statement on Growth and Responsibility; Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Climate Protection, for G8 Summit, 5/07.

Annual Energy Outlook 2007 - With Projections To 2030," U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 2/07.

Alternative Energy

Alternative energy priorities include a more efficient and distributed electric power grid and growing substitution of energy-efficient renewables in favor of fossil fuel-derived sources.

A Smarter Electric Grid

Guiding principles and practical applications underlying a smarter and more efficient electric grid are being developed in part through the federal government's GridWise Program, in which the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington is playing a major role.

The foundation of the GridWise vision for the future electric system is the assertion that information technology can revolutionize the electric system as it has other aspects of U.S. business because, fundamentally, "bits are cheaper than iron." Bringing the electric system into the information age would allow the nation to realize the benefits already achieved by leading-edge industries that use real-time information, distributed e-business systems, and market efficiencies to minimize the need for inventory and infrastructure, and to maximize productivity, efficiency, and reliability.

With the help of information technologies, the creation of a distributed, yet integrated system will empower consumers to participate in energy markets - the key to stabilizing prices. Market participants from utilities to new third parties to consumers will create value by developing and deploying solutions that cross enterprise and regulatory boundaries. At the same time, this transformation of the energy system responds to the urgent need to enhance national security. A distributed, network-based electric system will reduce single-point vulnerabilities and allow the grid to become "self-healing," by incorporating autonomic system reconfiguration in response to human-caused or natural disruptions.

(Technological Basis For GridWise, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory).

Renewables

"Wind Power Catches On; Towers Not So Popular," Lisa Stifler, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/16/07.

"Puget Sound Area Leads The Charge To Tidal Energy," Tom Paulson, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/16/07.

"Geothermal Plants Would Tap 'Ring of Fire'," Tom Paulson, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/16/07.

"Ranchers Turning Cow Manure Into Kilowatt-hours," Lisa Stifler, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/16/07.

"Costs Keep Solar On The Sidelines, At Least For Now," Robert McClure, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/16/07.

Alternative Fuels

Big Bumps On The Hydrogen Highway, Phil Chubb, Vancouver Sun, 5/31/07.

"Wanted: 'Alternative Fuels Highway'; Not'Hydrogen Highway'," Matt Rosenberg, Cascadia Prospectus, 5/30/07.

"Fuel For Thought - Not All Biofuels Are Created Equal," David Tilman (U Minnesota, Nat'l Academy of Sciences), Jason Hill (U Minnesota), Seattle Times, 4/15/07.

"Corn-based Ethanol Not Cheap, Not Green," The Economist, via Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 4/11/07.

Cascadian Ports Target Pollution, Fiona Anderson, Vancouver Sun, 5/17/07.

"Alternative Fuels Study: A Report To Congress On Policy Options For Increasing The Use Of Alternative Fuels In Transit Vehicles," Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 12/06.