Progress in Technology Needed for 25% Renewable Energy To Be Affordable

Fortunately, Mr Toman is wrong. To assess the future scientifically means to know ALL the relevant components/ technologies. Then examine all the possible solution paths, which mathematically is infinite. My company has proprietary next generation wind turbines to generate 25% of all US electricity in 5 years. I am sure Mr. Toman has not heard of the technology at Sannerprojects, Inc JRIAM1945@aol.com. Why these figures? A)Bountiful hi energy US wind stock exists, b) Economics i) self-sustainability and ii) self-funding. Its like microloans, but on a grander scale. Whats really being posited is a 2.5% solution of the US energy needs 17 years hence, since electricity is only 10% of the total US energy consumption. Let me reference Moore's law with 40 year accuracy, in a related technology: solid state devices, in which PV is a subset of this technology. Projecting PV 17 years with Moore's law (doubling frequency of 18 months) would give a 2,580 fold performance increase from its present baseline. It would reach a cheapness so every house, car, truck, bus, building, wall, roof, piece of clothing, could harvest photons. There is a variant of Moore's Law (Rosenberg's Law, forgive my immodesty) for renewables, which is equal that of electronics. PV advances are coming from nanotechnology, new PV materials (both organic and inorganic), manufacturing, even recombinant DNA. PV's just 1 venue. A recent 30 author MIT study showed US Geothermal at 30,000X our energy needs, and coined a new term, Heat Mining, because, there's exploitable heat differentials under every square foot of the Earths surface: land and sea. Our biggest problem is stove piping, not invented here, or not realizing that cracking energy should be pursued as a war for human survival, not just capitalis. Every humanitarian foundation should realize energy increases: GDP, health care, education, housing, and abates: disease, hunger, terror etc. Unfortunately, this link has not yet been made.

While current-gen PVs and turbines might not give the right ROI for take-off, it seems like the emerging generation will, as Mr. Rosenberg suggests. If you want to learn more about the RAND corporation's history of analytics, I recommend you watch episode 2 of Pandora's Box by Adam Curtis, it'll put this report in perspective. With all due respect to RAND.

Why would anyone group renewable energy for electricity generation and renewable fuels for transportation together in 1 study? They are completely different issues and technologies. For that matter why would anyone group corn based ethanol production and biodiesel production together into the group "biofuels?"
Because it is a way to use a technology that is not environmentally feasible (corn based ethanol) to discredit technologies that are feasible (PV and cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel).
Don't be fooled by the big boys asking the wrong questions and then giving answers. Biodiesel can be made from a waste product (deep fryer oil) and ethanol can be made from many different things. Using corn is just wrong. It takes way too much water and land and has wreaked havoc with the supply and costs in Mexico. People are starving so the subsidized corn producers in the midwest and the oil companies can stave off real competition for a little longer. And they use the guvment to legitimize their shady tactics. I sure hope the democans can do better than the republicrats have done to stop the corporate welfare train. Subsidizing the most profitable industries ever has go to stop!

For renewable energy to become affordable, no change in technology is needed.

When gasoline hits $25/gallon electric cars look cheap. There is a price where heating oil makes solar heating look cheap.

Every situation has its own appropriate solutions, and peak oil and the competition for resources as the third world becomes industrialized guarantee that new solutions and lifestyle changes will be necessary.

Assuming the 30% investment tax credit is extended for at least 5 years, watch solar thermal. There's enough going on in the west that we should have a good handle if the technology can really drive the cost down below 10 cents per kwh.

I feel the goal of 25x25 is not only achievable, it is miniscule. If just one area of technology reaches its potential, we can easily surpass that goal. That area is biodiesel from algae, which is being worked on by a lot of people; and I expect good results long before 2025 - try 2013. Of course, it might well take those additional 12 years to tool up, once the cost-effective algal biodiesel technologies are developed. But that is only because our government is not committed to the "war" on energy. We built a vast atomic bomb capability in just a few years during WWII, but then we had a wartime attitude and commitment. We need that same attitude and commitment now.

Toman said. "Subsidizing more-expensive fuels will save people money at the pump, but only because the expense is shifted to the federal budget."

These don't work. We need inexpensive solar electric power as fuel for all vehicles. Way we do not build in the car a wind tunnel that generate electric power and charge the battery, similar to the jet engine wind tunnel.

We need new ideas. Renewable energy is to expensive and Goverment
subsidizing = more taxes.

negrininvest@yahoo.com

yup the the BLM reversed the ban; which is good news

Hi Steve B.
BLM, Bureau of Land Management, was trying to protect our Solar South Lands. Believe that? Who was behind that? Who is behind that?

It was called for on May 29, 2008, and just lifted. Does the election year have anything to do with it?? See comment 1.
JR

Kim, I hadn't heard about this moratorium. Where can I get more info about it?

the Feds just put a moratorium on solar projects on Federal lands.

EUGENE Lucas; commentor #4 has it dead on.

We have studies all over the Internet that a "successfully" gradgiated (or is it graduated?) person can easily see, understand and ask - "why are these studies not acted upon or at least recognized by our government leaders and made to come to fruition?" Oh,...can you say,.."special interest groups?"

I should know, I'm one of those (4) year 'gradgiats'; but that and five bucks,...I can get a job at McDonald's today and work my way up to being an Assistant Manager. Yaah. Lot's to look forward to in this country.

Studies suggest that our climate and geographic standing could support many times the energy needs in PV, Geothermal, CSP, etc. for not only North America, but for the world when considering North America, Africa, and our European friends as a coalesced integrated team.

Some teams members build high power infrastructure, while other team members bring on sustainables right behind.

We would rather serve up shitty jobs with a clown than get involved with sustainable, earth saving, carbon limiting/sequestering, consequencial jobs, with maximum impact for future jobs and for current character building.

How many kids (or anyone) wants to flip burgers? Do you suppose they might rather be flipping "thin film substraights?" How many people really want to eat these undercooked Escherichia coli sandwiches cooked my kids that don't care or even understand basic bacteriology fundamentals from high school?

Nicht mich!

Yo,....where da hood at,...I needs to find me a nickle bag now Yo! Can't find a job dat pays more den $7 an hour; might at well party my youth and frontal lobe away.

Sorry A Times in the US.