Dependency on fossil fuels has created a nightmare for the developed and developing countries. It is not just the gross pollution that results from burning of fossil fuels, there is the nature of dependency on a strategic mineral which is growing more and more dangerous to obtain. The geopolitical issues that surround fossil fuel dependency are becoming treacherous and more of a threat to peace, the environment and stability every week. Economically, the money that is spent on oil and gas goes straight to the tops of societies that are, at best, in social turmoil and, at worse, barely tolerable for the average citizen.
The currently popular alternative lies in hybrid or completely electric vehicles and equipment. The idea is to replace fossil fuel with clean, quiet electricity. But the strategic minerals that go into the essential batteries are simply a geopolitical and economic quagmire that only switches demand from oil to lanthanides, most of which are being controlled by China and few, if any of which are available in the US and Europe.
Corralling the wind to produce electricity has become a highly desired and much improved way to escape dependency on fossil fuels. The Altamont windmills in California are the historic source of speculation that birds are threatened by the giant windmills, but the reality is that Altamont led to and is leading to improvements that make for far less threat to wildlife, especially fowl. For one thing, fewer mills per acre are required for producing more electricity per acre. The size and height of the vanes have been modified to stay out of the path of swooping predators. And other improvements are being made, based on ongoing observations and improvements to the Altamont wind farm and habitat, which flourishes with life. Smaller wind farms or even individually owned wind power systems are becoming more viable, but at least an acre of land is required for the tall and fairly large systems to be viable.
Solar power is a viable and productive source of power that is only limited by the ability to produce enough silicon for the systems to be cheap and obtainable. The space required for silicon installations can be exceedingly small, the incentives and cost effectiveness is good, and urban areas would benefit greatly from use of building tops for installation. For land that has no other usefulness, the issues of turbulent weather, dust and other intrusions into huge solar farms might be the major drawbacks. Plus, there is so much competition for silicon today that this substance could become the basis for a new economy of production, as steel production once fueled the economies of developed nations.
Corralling water creates complications at the same time that it controls flooding, stores water and provides the cleanest and easiest of power production. With measures taken to ensure that the correct water temperature is achieved before water is released into fish spawning grounds, the major complaint about hydro dams is taken care of. Other issues concern much more wise and judicious use of dams to prevent fatal water diversions and possible desertification. There is no reason why current dam and hydroelectric facilities cannot provide the best option in the semi-arid regions for water based power production while creating viable habitats and flood control for all living things.
It would be lovely to reduce the concentration of radioactive isotopes in weapons, converting the nuclear sources into power production grade material for clean and non polluting nuclear power. But nuclear power plants present grave dangers, tempting targets for enemies and terrorists, and grave ehancements to natural disasters. The scorched-earth construction requirements for nuclear plants also ensures that acres and acres of land will be stripped of all life and will never be safe or usable for ages. Finally, no universally satisfactory solution is available for distributing the spent or waste fuel rods to disposal.
In the end, however, the ownership and management of the power grids are going to be the biggest threat to converting from fossil fuel to electricity based power. The US power grid is a treacherous hodgepodge of individual and uncoordinated power districts, a patchwork of wire and equipment, and little agreement on how, exactly, a major failure would be handled.
With many of these quasi-public/private messes, it is not even possible to find the offices or officers of the corporations, how many of these corporations exist, or exactly what it is that they are doing, yet the government retains liabillity and responsibility. In an era of insane levels of privatization, the public forgot that, while the public profile of government was reduced, the liability of government remained the same.
In other words, all of the clean power in the world will not help if the distribution and delivery networks continue to be owned, operated and managed in the way that it is right now.
