Dear Editor:
This letter is to respond to Mr. Steven M. King’s letter published today on June 11, 2014 (Energy only the rich can afford does no good).
I think we both agree that not all climate change is manmade and I’d hope Mr. King agrees man does have a responsible role to play in not only keeping the cost of power generation down but also to the environment in which we live.
On the news we can see people in China walking around with masks on because of dirty air due to human-produced pollution, mostly from fossil fuel burning plants with little or no governmental regulations. In Japan we have and will continue to see the results of manmade pollution with the meltdown of several nuclear reactors at Fukushima. We can even watch this pollution migrate to our west coast for years to come. The point is humans do impact our environment with our habits and technologies and not all climate changes are naturally occurring, long-term, changes.
As far as cost go, Google and look up “Grid Parity” on Wikipedia. This is the point in which a generating power source, such as solar, becomes competitive with other forms of power generation without any outside subsidies. In other words, clean pollution free energy doesn’t cost any more now than other forms of energy generation. This renewable safe energy generation will only get more cost effective in the future, with the addition of innovative energy storage technologies (batteries) and more efficient solar panels.
Spain achieved “Grid Parity” last year with its solar generation and many other countries will follow. We are behind in this country on clean renewable energy sources, mainly because of the abundance of fossil fuels, which Europe has little of. In fact, we’re 20th on the list of, “solar megawatt capacity per one million people,” and Germany leads the way.
Germany has retired half of their nuclear plants and plans to retire the remaining plants by 2022. What are we doing here in Florida? Why of course, our governor just approved the construction of two more nuclear plants south of Miami! All we need now is another hurricane like Andrew, which wiped that region clean down there a few years ago. As little sun as Germany gets and as much sun as Florida gets, it just doesn't add up that we can’t produce safe, pollution-free, energy long-term, cheaper than we currently are.
No individuals will be forced to convert to renewable energy, if that’s what Mr. King is concerned about; however, as costs continue to drop converting to renewals should at least be an available option for individuals and/or power companies. In the future I see a hybrid mix of energy supply, where individuals and generating companies will have a choice as to what the percentage of renewals will be.
Micro grids are locally produced power networks or non-centralized power sources. These Micro Grids are already being used. According to the Dept. of Energy, who presented at a recent Energy Expo I attended on Pensacola Beach, the military is currently moving in this direction. The plan is to not only increase clean renewable energy sources, but also to limit potential centralized cyber-attacks against our country in times of war.
Also at this Energy Expo, it was pointed out that coal generating plants convert about 33% of its energy to usable power. With solar panels on homes there are no moving parts, dangerous chemicals, transmission line costs, or EMF (electromotive force) line losses. It was also pointed out that lighting is at the top of our energy consumption list. With LED (light emitting diodes) lighting taking off and soon to be more available in homes, coupled with solar and other renewals, there will be little loss in transporting or converting from one energy source to another. I don’t know what solar Mr. King is talking about when using an example of tubes with hazard materials inside, but the solar panels which Europe uses and were presented at this Expo have no hazard materials within, no moving parts, and have a 25+ year life-span.
No, this is not about the “Left vs. Right,” nor is it about the “Rich vs. Poor,” when it comes to keeping up with the times. It’s simply the responsible and cost effective thing to do; for not only these categories mentioned above, but the planet as a whole.
Bill Calfee
Milton
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Let’s all be responsible and cost effective