Joe Kraynak

Energy Crisis? Google to the Rescue

You might think that given the high cost of gas and the pollution spewed out by burning coal and other fossile fuels, our government would be spearheading the development of alternative fuels. As with most things, however, the solution is having to come from the private sector. Fortunately, an innovative and relatively new company is stepping up to the plate.

When most of us hear “Google,” we think of the search engine that helps us find stuff on the Internet, but Google is now taking the lead in tapping alternative sources of energy. As reported in the recent Geotimes article, “Changing the World One Kilowatt at a Time,” by Megan Sever, Google is putting its efforts behind three alternative sources of energy - solar thermal, high-altitude wind, and enhanced geothermal powers. Google’s goal? To have clean technologies that are ready to start to scale up and that will cost less than coal within 10 years.

Is Google doing anything to help with the current gas prices and future oil shortages? The article didn’t mention anything about this, but I think tapping any sort of clean energy source to produce electricity can contribute to resolving any future oil shortages. After all, the main thing preventing hydrogen from becoming an economical replacement for gas is the fact that it costs more (in electricity) to produce than the power it generates. With plenty of cheap electricity, we can start producing the hydrogen we need.

For more about Google’s plan, check out “ RE<C (Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal).”

It’s Not Easy Being Green… Or Is It?

According to a recent, fascinating article in the religious-based online magazine The Trumpet, entitled “Real World Solutions to Foreign Oil Dependence,” columnist Robert Morley reveals that Greenland is literally becoming the world’s first bona fide “green” country.

While it’s true that Greenland is constructed on a huge, hot rock, which makes it a little easier for Greenland than for most countries to tap nature for power, they’ve been making the most of the geothermal and hydroelectric power that surrounds them.

Can the United States be doing more? The article points out that according to a 2006 report by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology):

… the extractable geothermal energy in the U.S. totals approximately 200,000 EJ—a whopping 2,000 times the annual consumption of primary energy in the United States in 2005. Factoring in reasonable technology improvements in the future, the report said the economically extractable amount of useful energy could increase by more than a factor of 10, thus making geothermal generation sustainable for centuries.

It seems to me that it should be possible for us to wean ourselves off of foreign oil and high-polluting fuels, but I don’t really know enough about the challenges. I would appreciate it if any scientists or experts in the energy industry who read this could post some enlightening facts and insights. What is the U.S. doing to develop technologies to tap geothermal, hydroelectric (from the oceans), and hydrogen as sources of energy? Are we doing enough?

I’m aware that hydrogen currently requires more energy to produce than it gives off, but if we could generate more electricity than we need from geothermal and hydroelectric sources, why couldn’t we use that energy to create a more “store-able” fuel like hydrogen?

I’ve never jumped on the global warming bandwagon, because, quite frankly, I don’t think we have enough reliable scientific evidence to prove that the world is warming primarily as a result of human activities. I am concerned, however, about how our quality of life will be affected by an energy shortage.