Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming
Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming – Review
Most books on Global Warming are really depressing – not “Earth: The Sequel.” Krupp’s review of real projects underway to reduce global warming brings a welcome meaning of positivism and excitement to the topic. He believes that a change of the world economy is on the horizon that will generate the good fortunes of the 21st century while eventually securing the world against the dangers of global warming. The “sad news” is that the central government gives just 1 billion/year for R&D on renewable energy, less than ExxonMobil earns/day, and the 6 billion/year that oil and gas industries meet in government benefits. On top of this are heavy ethanol subsidies and mandated usage. Krupp’s clear examples create with solar power – nanotech, printable films, and layered films that take usually varying light wavelengths, combined with economical production in China and Mexico and rising energy prices become solar power a formidable candidate for alternative energy production. Krupp also points out that solar-power costs should be especially compared with peak power costs, not lower average power costs, as well as automatically added costs of effectively removing CO2 from coal-fired plants. On the other hand, transmission lines needed cost about 1 million/mile, and are further handicapped by being commonly used only half the day. The book subsequently goes on to cover thermal solar – its advantage is the ability to store heat for evening use. Krupp’s coverage of biofuels is very enlightening. Switchgrass, a cutting-edge energy crop, converts three per cents solar energy vs. Spectrolab’s forty two per cents for PV cells. Such crops additionally require huge water, plus nutrients, and labor for harvesting, processing. Production additionally requires significant input power and creates pressure to level rain-forests to give emergent fields. Twenty-five gallons of corn ethanol involves the same grain as would feed a person for a year, and just produces twenty five per cents more energy than simply put into its creation. Another problem is it can’t be transported in pipelines because it absorbs water within them. Alternatively, sugar is subsequently converted to ethanol in Brazil at a cost of .60/gallon, getting 8 BTUs back for every BTU simply put in; corn is only 1.3:1. Cellulose is 36:1, though still being scaled up – not an simple task. Another really exciting experiment is rapidly growing algae with the CO2 emitted from power-plant exhaust while besides removing nitrogen from waste water commonly used as coolant. Dried algae has as many BTUs as coal on a weight basis. Other possibilities involve wave, tidal, river current, nuclear, and geothermal power. Surprisingly, electric-powered vehicles charged from coal-fired plants would besides reduce pollution – about twenty five per cents. Bottom Line: “Earth: The Sequel” is an really exciting and telling book.