IntelEfficient

This graphic colorfully illustrates the solar power we have in the US compared to the two European leaders (Source: Solar Energy Industry Association)

With a name like O’Rourke, it was relatively easy to conceal the truth that my mother was a full-blooded German American.  Growing up in the 60’s, I sensed a very subtle stigma about being German, and the association with the crimes of Hitler and Nazi Germany.  I don’t recall any holidays like St. Patrick’s Day to celebrate my German heritage.  Yet when I first visited Germany in 2001, I found a country rich in heritage and pride.

These days I find myself marveling at what’s going on in Deutschland.  As we celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall when so many families were reunited, it’s perhaps fitting that we celebrate this country’s leadership in world-class engineering.  Of course, what particularly impresses me is their emphasis on renewable energy.   Germany, which is somewhere between New Mexico and Montana in geographic size, led the world in installed wind power capacity until last year, when the US finally surpassed them.  However, I find it incredible that Germany, which has the same solar resources as Alaska, had 5,337 megawatts of installed solar PV capacity.  This can be compared to the total installed capacity in the US of about 8,775 MW*.  Obviously, when you look at our endowment in geographic size and solar energy, we have a lot to do to demonstrate true leadership.  Perhaps the fact that they have 700 year old homes with solar panels (while historic preservationists here prefer that we not denigrate our 100 year old buildings with such hideous modernization) has something to do with it.

With 60+ years between now and the atrocities of WWII, it seems we’ve begun to embrace each other more fully.  For a touching story that will draw you nearer to this feeling, check out Greg Tamblyn’s beautiful reflection entitled One Day on the Fields of France.

* To put this in perspective, a one megawatt power plant can provide electricity to about 100 homes.

In order to achieve energy independence in our homes, we need to create a net-zero energy home. In short, this is where we produce as much energy as we consume using any number of renewable forms of energy. To do this, though, we need to use renewable energy conservatively and efficiently. This is the first in a three part series addressing the three legs of the stool of energy independence.

Conservation should be the no-brainer, but reprogramming our brains and behaviors is probably the most difficult challenge. In the era of cheap energy, there wasn’t a great deal of incentive to turn out lights or turn off appliances. However, just as you would conserve precious water in the desert, we can learn to conserve energy in our homes.

When Jimmy Carter first suggested that one way to conserve energy was to turn down the thermostat and put on a sweater, he was scoffed at by many Americans. We had just emerged from a time when horsepower under your hood was a status symbol, and our trophy cities boasted high-energy lights and fast freeways. So when Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency, one of the first things he did was to remove the solar panels from the White House. Our pride was largely based on our power, and the flamboyant use of energy was a way of showing that power.

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In order to achieve energy independence in our homes, we need to create a net-zero energy home. In short, this is where we produce as much energy as we consume using any number of renewable forms of energy. To do this, though, we need to use renewable energy conservatively and efficiently. This is the second in a three-part series.

The most critical factor in energy efficiency is the quality of the building envelope, or the shell of your home or office. Whatever you can do to minimize heat transfer – or allowing heat to escape in the winter or intrude in the summer – will minimize your biggest source of energy consumption: the heating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. A tight building envelope includes insulation in the outer walls, floors and ceiling, and a tight seal with caulk or weatherstripping around doors, windows, ductwork and pipes. If you’re building a new home, the best options include insulating concrete forms (ICFs), structural insulated panels (SIPs), or spray foam insulation like Icynene. Each of these alternatives will minimize heat transfer, and the corresponding load on your HVAC system. The spray foam can also be used to provide superior insulation on an existing home, though it is more costly than in new construction.

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In order to achieve energy independence in our homes, we need to create a net-zero energy home. In short, this is where we produce as much energy as we consume using any number of renewable forms of energy. The first two parts of this three-part series focused on using energy conservatively and efficiently. Once you have reduced your consumption so that you’re not wasting half your energy, you’re ready to invest in your own renewable energy system.

From a global standpoint, there is no “silver bullet” that is going to replace our mix of fossil fuels. That should be no surprise – neither coal, oil nor natural gas would be a panacea solution even with unlimited supplies. However, the mix of renewable sources of energy forms “silver buckshot.”

Virtually all of our power originates from the sun. This great fireball in the sky produces more energy than is fathomable – it has been cited that more energy falls on the earth in one hour than what is used by the entire human population in a year. Clearly, this is an abundant resource that has tremendous potential.

The sun’s energy is the basis of fossil fuels, as the decayed plant matter originated from photosynthesis. The condensation of water from sunlight causes clouds to fill, rain to fall, and rivers to run. While much of the solar radiation is absorbed and stored in the earth, the irregular heating causes weather patterns and the resulting winds.

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As we learn more about the causes and effects of climate change, we see how complex the problem is. The depletion of our forests, particularly the rainforests of the Amazon, certainly reduces the earth’s capacity to naturally store the carbon from CO2 and produce the oxygen we breathe. Ironically, much of this land is being converted to grazing land for the 1.5 billion cattle populating the planet. These animals, along with their country cousins in the pig and poultry families, emit millions of tons of methane. Methane is a valuable renewable fuel if properly captured, but if released into the atmosphere, it’s a greenhouse gas that’s more than 20 times more potent than CO2. However, what’s getting most of the attention – and the focus of this article – is the impact of energy consumption on climate change.

Our reliance on the combustion of fossil fuels has created an unsustainable production model, and the looming legislation on carbon cap & trade will have a significant impact on how we value and produce power. In the US alone, we consume almost four trillion kilowatt hours of electricity each year.

Most people think of electricity as a clean source of energy – and it is. However, the methods we use to generate electricity are far from clean. Coal, which is used to generate about half of our electricity in the US, is a primary source of CO2 emissions that cause global warming. In addition, there are a variety of other pollutants (including mercury, selenium and arsenic) that are harmful to human health and the environment. Nuclear energy, which accounts for about 20 percent of our electricity, has no carbon emissions, but the radioactive waste is dangerous and no one wants to store it in their “backyard.” Natural gas provides another 20 percent of our electric power, and burns much more cleanly than coal or oil. However, it still generates CO2 emissions, and the finite supply of this fossil fuel renders it a stop-gap solution only.

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As the sun rises, I’m fascinated with this immense source of energy. In an hour, more sunlight falls on the earth than what is used by the entire population in a year. The light and warmth of the star of our solar system is responsible for almost all of our energy, in a variety of forms. The notable exception is the seemingly mysterious lunar gravitational forces that create our ocean tides.

The light from the sun, through photosynthesis, enables plants to grow. Plants and trees recycle the carbon dioxide we exhale back into the oxygen we breathe in a harmonious, shared environment. As their life comes to a close, the energy stored in the plant is released in a variety of ways. Fossil fuels, including oil, coal and natural gas, represent the stored energy from decayed plant matter that originated from ancient sunlight. We’re learning to mimic and speed up that process using a variety of technologies, including thermal depolymerization and plasma converters. It’s also becoming more commonplace to recycle and convert our landfill waste into methane.

As the sun warms the earth, heat energy is stored in the ground, which can be tapped into with geothermal heating & cooling systems. Uneven warming creates weather patterns which produce wind and rain. Wind has long been a source of energy, driving grist mills, pumping water and pushing ships across the ocean, but dramatic improvements in the last 30 years have enabled the largest turbines to power almost 500 homes. Wind farms are being developed on the mountains, plains and offshore – anywhere the wind blows.

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