A Convenient Solution
Excerpts (Sneak Peeks)
by Howard Johnson
A Convenient Solution is a very thoughtful and exiting journey into the problems of energy production balanced against Global Warming. The book gives insightful background into the energy problems we face and suggests practical solutions that embrace economic realities along with environmental concerns.
No "pie in the sky" meanderings of an impractical zealot. Johnson's approach is methodical, practical, and his solutions are doable using current technology.
We hope to offer the book for sale in December. In the meantime, here are some excerpts to give you some idea of what to expect. We'll add another every once in a while, so keep coming back.
Nuclear power, is it passé?
In the past, nuclear power has been touted as the best way to produce safe, clean, non CO 2 producing energy. Unfortunately, a very slanted and scary movie, The China Syndrome, so frightened the American public that the entire nuclear industry was scuttled there and then at tremendous expense and waste. Once more, perception of the American people trumped reality. This false perception was generated by a fictional story. It baffles me that the public believes a completely fictional story over the obvious reality. Hollywood must still be gloating over the destructive power wielded by their movie. It is interesting to note that it was based on an actual nuclear accident, the one at Three Mile Island. The interesting thing about that accident is that the safety features of the plant worked. The danger was contained just as the plant was designed to do. Radioactive leakage was far less than the maximum considered safe and the resulting dispersed radiation was barely detectable above normal background radiation. There was never any detectable radiation danger. Fortunately for France and China, they didn't believe or ignored the intended message of the movie, understood the reality, and are now rapidly developing and building nuclear power plants. By the way, nuclear power has been proven the safest of all types of power plants in real terms of human lives lost and bodies injured. I wonder why Hollywood and the media never acknowledge that fact.
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The hydrogen-powered vehicle, is it a scam?
Is it possible the hydrogen fuel cell system was being foisted off on the unsuspecting public by people who knew it would never be economically feasible simply because they knew it would never be economically feasible? This could have been orchestrated for the purpose of keeping other technologies that are economically viable from getting support, financing, or publicity. Considering the hydrogen economy advocates generously, they have the same kinds of views of the future as the people who tried to stop Eli Whitney's cotton gin and fought against automation in our factories. Again, these people are generally not evil, but merely people exercising that powerful survival instinct we all have. Just ask those who hold the patents on nickel-metal hydride battery technology why they are keeping this technology from being used in vehicles. Currently the cheapest and most reliable battery system for use in EVs and PHEVs, NiMH batteries have already proven economical, long-lived, and less costly than other competing technologies. Ask GM and Toyota why they are not using them. |
It is interesting that the rapidly expanding economies of India, China, and other third world nations are demanding increasing amounts of petroleum and other fossil fuels. They will continue to do so for years into the future. China is currently on a binge of building coal-fired power plants. As many as one a week are coming online as this is written. Consequently, China passed the United States in carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere during 2007. Can India be far behind? For economic reasons, the Chinese or Indians may be the first to adopt the systems described in this book and thus rapidly outpace the rest of the world in cheap energy production. Cheap energy is now and has been for some time the single most powerful positive economic force in the world. China could soon emerge as a huge beneficiary of alternative energy, far outstripping the United States and the rest of the world. This would only be possible if they become energy self-sufficient. Alternative energy systems, possibly developed from information outlined in this book, will be the key to economic superiority and domination of the world. |
The Optimal Energy Economy is a descriptive name for what is the main subject of this book. It is the economy that would result from the adoption of the most efficient combination of the systems described herein and other systems yet to be designed and described. The name comes from what is undoubtedly the heart of any successful system, that being the optimal use and conversion of energy. No matter how one looks at it, the entire system is all about energy, its capture, use, and distribution. Energy, like matter, cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be converted from one state or form into another and always with some losses.
The Optimal Energy Economy consists of many viable systems to replace fossil fuels with renewable fuels that add no-net carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In the end, it will be cheaper, quicker, and far more practical than any other system. Systems like the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that have expensive new infrastructure requirements are just one system among many that may not be very practical. Optimal Energy Economy systems will use existing and newly developed technologies in easily adaptable solutions. Parts of the system are available right now and those that are not are distinctly within our current technical expertise. Certainly it could be implemented in just a few years. Combine this with creative new developments and we could thumb our collective noses at the world's oil-supported despots. |
The fact is the newest light water reactors are far less dangerous over all than coal-fired power plants. Another salient fact is that the nuclear power industry has a far better health and safety record than all others as reported earlier in this book in the section on nuclear power. As of 2004, and since 1972, fatalities directly related to coal-fired power plants per terawatt of power produced numbered 342. Hydroelectric fatalities were 883, and natural gas 85. Only eight fatalities were recorded for the same terawatt of nuclear power. Add to these statistics the indirect deaths from pollution caused by the world's coal-powered stations and the total is a staggering five million or more each year.
This is a rarely noted and quite astounding fact! |
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