Biofuels, Solar And Wind As Renewable Energy Systems.pdf

Biofuels, Solar and Wind as Renewable

Energy Systems

David Pimentel

Editor

Biofuels, Solar and Wind

as Renewable Energy

Systems

Beneﬁts and Risks

123

Editor

Dr. David Pimentel

Cornell University

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

5126 Comstock Hall

Ithaca, NY 15850

USA

dp18@cornell.edu

ISBN: 978-1-4020-8653-3

e-ISBN: 978-1-4020-8654-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008931413

Chapter 5 c

The Authors

2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microﬁlming, recording

or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception

of any material supplied speciﬁcally for the purpose of being entered

and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.

Cover Images

Dutch windmill (Courtesy of Schoen Photography, www.schoenphotography.com)

2008 JupiterImages Corporation

Printed on acid-free paper

987654321

springer.com

Schoen Photography, Colorado, USA

Wind turbine c

Preface

The petroleum age began about 150 years ago. Easily available energy has sup-

ported major advances in agriculture, industry, transportation, and indeed many

diverse activities valued by humans. Now world petroleum and natural gas sup-

plies have peaked and their supplies will slowly decline over the next 40–50 years

until depleted. Although small amounts of petroleum and natural gas will remain

underground, it will be energetically and economically impossible to extract. In the

United States, coal supplies could be available for as long as 40–50 years, depending

on how rapidly coal is utilized as a replacement for petroleum and natural gas.

Having been comfortable with the security provided by fossil energy, especially

petroleum and natural gas, we appear to be slow to recognize the energy crisis in the

U.S. and world. Serious energy conservation and research on viable renewable en-

ergy technologies are needed. Several renewable energy technologies already exist,

but sound research is needed to improve their effectiveness and economics. Most of

the renewable energy technologies are inﬂuenced by geographic location and face

problems of intermittent energy supply and storage. Most renewable technologies

require extensive land; a few researchers have even suggested that one-half of all

land biomass could be harvested in order to supply the U.S. with 30% of its liquid

fuel!

Some optimistic investigations of renewable energy have failed to recognize that

only 0.1% of the solar energy is captured annually in the U.S. by all the green plants,

including agriculture, forestry, and grasslands. Photovoltaics can collect about 200

times more solar energy per year than green plants. The green plants took more than

700 million years to collect and then be stored as the concentrated energy found in

petroleum, natural gas, and coal supplies.

This book examines various renewable energy technologies and reports on their

potential to supply the United States and other nations with needed energy. Some

chapters examine several renewable energy technologies and their potential to re-

place fossil fuel, while others focus on one speciﬁc technology and its potential, as

well as its limitations. In this volume, the aim of the contributors is to share their

analyses as a basis for more research in renewable energy technologies. Basic to all

the renewable energy technologies is that they attempt to minimize damage to the

environment that supports all life.

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