By Jamie York
The present "energy crisis" sounds a lot like the oil embargo of 1973, doesn't it? Remember that? OPEC cut production, which, in turn, created oil shortages, forced up consumer prices, and boosted oil company profits. During the 1973 crisis, the government sold the public on the Alaska pipeline. It was supposed to be the answer to our energy prayers, they argued. It would give us energy independence so we would no longer be at the mercy of OPEC and the oil sheiks. Our national security depends on it, they said. And don't forget the jobs that would be created! Of course, that was before NAFTA and other so-called "free trade" agreements.
Now, nearly 30 years later, the pipeline construction jobs are long gone and the Alaska pipeline is pumping oil, yet we are hearing the same arguments today that we heard in 1973. But this time it isn't just OPEC we're hearing about. It seems that, besides OPEC, we also have to get the liberal EPA and those pesky, tree-hugging environmentalists off our backs so we can open up our public lands and protected areas to oil drilling. If you believe opening up access to public lands will be done in the public interest -- so loggers, hunters, snowmobilers and recreationists will have access -- think again. The move to overturn roadless initiatives is being driven by the petrochemical companies and by their advocates in Washington, not just by loggers and recreationists.
After the 1973 crisis, speed limits were reduced, the National Strategic Oil Reserve was created, and car manufacturers produced smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Today, however, speed limits are back up and the market for expensive, gas-guzzling SUVs have the oil companies laughing all the way to the bank. We have to get to work, so we keep pumping gas. We just frown and pay whatever they want, then we allow oil company PAC money to buy our politicians who, in turn, make the energy policy decisions for us. The Democrats and Republicans alike have already proven that they are not afraid to call in the military if the free flow of oil becomes threatened, even if millions of people must die in the process. More than one million Iraqis died as a direct result of the Persian Gulf War so that Big Oil can continue to make record profits. Blood for oil. Never mind about public school funding and social programs; we allow most of our tax dollars to go to the military so that Big Oil may benefit.
Of course, it would be naive to think that our present economy can function without oil, and we all know that high oil prices cause the prices of consumer goods to rise as well. But where is our common sense? Where is our humanity? Where is our foresight? Oil is a global commodity, but it is also a non-renewable energy source; there is only so much of it on this little planet of ours and when it is gone, it's gone. Shouldn't we invest in renewable energy sources like wind and solar power now so that our homes, factories and businesses are no longer dependent upon oil? Shouldn't we conserve the oil we do have so there will be more available for farmers, truckers, and for our public transportation needs? How many millions of people must die before we start planning for the future? Are we even capable of conservation and planning? We knew all of this 27 years ago, didn't we?
And then, of course, there was the Great American Gas-Out (April 30, 1999), the day when all of us -- men and women, atheists and Christians, liberals and conservatives, gays and straights, young and old, unionists and non-unionists, blacks and whites, even freaks and geeks -- were all supposed to stand united for one day and not buy any gas. The day we were all going to stand together and say "We are sooooo sick and tired of high gas prices!" to Big Oil. Of course, that fizzled away into oblivion and Big Oil is still laughing at us about that one.
So how do we get beyond Big Oil's "energy crisis" and ensure energy abundance for the future? The first thing we have to do is reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy technologies. There are five primary areas that we need to practice and advocate:
1. Conservation
Conservation is more than simply lowering the thermostat and turning lights off when they are not in use; it also means choosing more efficient lighting such as compact fluorescents, insulating walls, attics and crawlspaces, installing storm windows, using low-flow shower heads and replacing old refrigerators with the Sunfrost or the new energy-efficient Maytag and Kenmore models. We can also heavily insulate hot water heaters and pipes or replace them with new on-demand systems. For computer and other electronic equipment, we can use strip outlets, then turn off the switch on the strip to eliminate phantom loads from LED and other lights. For heating systems, check heat registers and cold air returns for obstructions, such as furniture or curtains, that might reduce the efficiency of the furnace and make sure to seal all ductwork seams and joints in the basement. When you drive your gasoline car, drive slower, plan your trips so you take the shortest route, and combine your errands so you only have to make one trip. Keep your car tuned up and the tires inflated to the proper air pressure. And, of course, keep demanding that car manufacturers produce emission-free vehicles. Through conservation, we reduce the amount of energy that we use, thus making more available for everyone. Do we really need to drive to the grocery store today, or can it wait until we go to the mall on Wednesday? Do we really need to run that air conditioner, or will a small fan do? Do we really need to do use our clothes dryer during the day, when demand for power is greatest, or can we dry clothes at night? Do we have the indoor space or outdoor climate to use a clothes line instead of a dryer? As we become more conservation-minded, we will begin to ask ourselves such questions on a daily basis. Conservation is the first and most important step to ensure energy abundance.
| The Toyota Prius (right) is not an electric car, but a hybrid. The Prius has a 33 KW permanent magnet electric motor and a four-cylinder 70 hp gas engine. The Prius gets an estimated 52 mpg for city driving, when the electric motor does most of the work, and 45 mpg on the highway, when the gas engine takes over. Another hybrid, the Honda Insight, is a lighter, two-seat vehicle and gets an estimated 68 mpg in town and 61 mpg on the highway. It is an encouraging sign that car manufacturers are designing greener vehicles instead of more gas-guzzling SUVs, but we need to keep demanding that they produce emission-free vehicles. |
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2. Passive Solar
Passive solar heating and cooling can easily be incorporated into new housing construction by taking advantage of southern exposure and by choosing building materials that provide excellent insulation and thermal mass. Bales of straw, for example, provide excellent insulation in external walls. Straw bales are a cheap, renewable resource and their use in building construction is time-tested and proven, although not widely known. The use of straw bales can reduce the price of a new home considerably and will save energy year round.
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Chris Borton (left) inserts a bale stake into a layer of straw bales to secure the bales during a recent strawbale workshop at Sage Mountain Center near Butte, Montana. The wall in the background is a bale wall that has been coated with a cement plaster made from a mix local soil, sand and Portland cement. |
3. Home Power Production
Homeowners -- and many renters as well -- can become electric power producers by installing a simple grid intertie solar or wind system. These systems will automatically shut off during blackouts (unless more expensive backup systems are desired) but they will help reduce power bills and will send any excess power back into the grid for others to use. Some day, all of our national power production will come from millions of individual home power producers and from other renewable sources such as large wind farms as well as from existing hydroelectric plants. Coal, gas and nuclear plants will be phased out as more and more people become independent power producers. Anyone with good southern exposure or good winds can start producing power with an equipment investment of around $1000 for a 100-watt solar panel and a small sinewave inverter wired to the electric panel. A grid intertie wind system would cost around $1500 for a 400-watt wind generator and a sinewave inverter. These small power plants will not meet the energy needs of a house or apartment, but they will help reduce the amount of grid power that we use, thus leaving more available power on the grid. Unlike fossil fuels, these technologies are clean and non-polluting, so the more clean energy we get into the grid, the closer we will be to energy abundance. Renters who have good southern exposure but no access to an electric panel can still become power producers by using a sinewave inverter with built-in outlets to power certain small loads such as laptops, audio equipment, lighting and fans. Kits are now available that include an inverter, a solar panel and a battery and they retail for about $550. Everything we do to produce our own power and reduce our consumption from the power grid helps.
4. Biodiesel
Biodiesel is fuel made from vegetable oils or recycled restaurant greases, alcohol, and a catalyst such as sodium hydroxide, and biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine. Pure biodiesel smells like french fries, produces 78 percent less carbon dioxide than regular diesel, and reduces nearly all forms of air pollution. Biodiesel is now being marketed to some fleets as a product called B20, which is a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent regular diesel. If all 18-wheelers and city buses would begin using B20, the soot and smell of diesel exhaust would be reduced on our highways and in our cities, so we should be advocating its use in letters to our congressional representatives. Biodiesel is a renewable energy source and it can be safely and quickly made at home. Those people with diesel generators or diesel cars can begin making their own fuel immediately at a cost of approximately 80 cents per gallon, depending upon where they get their vegetable oil and methanol.
| David Snell (right), of Nampa, Idaho, prepares a batch of biodiesel fuel during a workshop at the 2001 SolWest Renewable Energy Fair in John Day, Oregon. Snell built this custom trailer to tow behind his diesel Volvo so he can make his own biodiesel fuel as he travels. |
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5. Fuel Cells
Fuel cells are a rapidly developing technology, but, contrary to recent media reports, they are not necessarily based upon renewable energy. Fuel cells work by converting the chemical energy from the separation of hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy. Many of the fuel cell developers are Big Oil companies, so their fuel cells are being designed to use standard fossil fuels like natural gas and gasoline. Fuel cells do hold great promise for renewable energy, however, providing that the hydrogen comes from a renewable resource like water. Imagine the possibilities for a fuel cell that works with water in a closed system, producing energy over and over by separating the hydrogen from the oxygen and then recombining them and starting the process again. One gallon of water has about the same power as 9 gallons of diesel, so the benefits to the planet could be immense if the development of fuel cells could somehow be pushed in the right direction, away from the trappings of Big Oil.
As a society, we should not be wasting anymore time and expense on non-renewable fossil fuel technologies. It is time for each of us to contribute, to the best of our abilities, to ensure energy abundance for future generations. In 2001, the world's population reached six billion and the demand for electrical power will continue to climb. The only way to meet this demand, and reduce greenhouse gases as well, is to focus our technological, scientific and financial recources on renewable energy. We failed to act in 1973, and if we fail to act now, the next Big Oil "energy crisis" may leave us all in the dark.
