ALTERNATIVES SOURCES OF ENERGY

We have the technology, if only we can stop the special oil interests from sabotaging it.

Itaipu Hydroelectric dam in Brazil

Yesterday as it has happened time after time, the subsidies to oil companies was filibustered by Republicans who by all accounts received mega contributions from the oil companies. 

This in itself is not out of the ordinary since we all know that Republicans are in the pockets of the oil companies. What is unthinkable is that subsidies should be given to the most profitable business in the history of mankind. It is totally repugnant to have the American people pay such high prices at the pump while also providing the funds for these oil subsidies.

What does this mean to regular Americans like you and me? Simply that instead of steak on our tables we have cheap hamburgers because the difference we have to shed out to keep the oil companies getting their dear subsidies. But most of all, it means that the corruption of politicians, particularly Republicans has reached a point of saturation that is endangering the very existence of DEMOCRACY. But there are alternative sources of energy and as soon as Americans realize they are being taken for a ride, the oil companies are going to have to retreat, no matter how much money they regale politicians, how much money they spend on advertising their supposedly positive contributions to America...it is all smoke and mirrors...they know it and a lot of us know it. That is why I am imploring you to observe the "DON'T PURCHASE ANY GASOLINE ON APRIL 15th" because that will send a very solid message to the oil companies to let them know that it is not their money or influence that calls the shots in a DEMOCRACY...it is the people!

 I will never forget when I took my family to Brazil my youngest daughter was 8 and the oldest 10. We went to Iguaçu falls and out of curiosity we also went to the Itaipu hydroelectric dam. We were admiring it from a distance and I said to my daughters: “girls, look at it and remember this view; this is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world” 

With a puzzled look, my youngest looked up at me and said: “but daddy, it is not in the United States.”

I remember back in the seventies during the first of the fake oil crisis that Brazil took steps to become energy independent. Brazil borrowed heavily to build that hydroelectric dam. Only the Chinese are now building one that is to be larger, 25 years later.

But the Brazilians didn’t just stop there. They had enough vision to convert their automobiles to be able to run on ethanol, a fuel that comes from their sugar cane and the bi-product is used as the fuel itself to produce it, therefore it becomes totally self sufficient. 

Sao Paulo traffic jam without pollution

I ask myself the question: If a third world country like Brazil in the 70’s lacking the funds and the know-how was able to accomplish this, why is it then that a country like the United States insists that the technology is not there, that we are looking at 20 or 30 years into the future before the U.S. becomes energy independent?.

OTHER COUNTRIES ARE LEAVING THE U.S. BEHIND IN DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY

Norwegian oil and gas giant StatoilHydro has inaugurated the world's first floating full-scale offshore wind turbine, paving the way for deep-water wind farms possessing the dual appeal of being out of sight as well as more efficient.

The turbine, known as Hywind, towers 213 feet above the waterline, but the steel spar on which it is mounted plunges another 328 feet below the surface, where it is anchored to the sea floor by three stabilizing cables. The spar is filled with water and rocks to provide ballast that keeps the turbine from capsizing in rough seas. Located about six miles off of Karmoey near the country's southwestern coastline, Hywind will serve as a test bed for offshore technologies over the next two years as engineers work on getting the cost of Hywind down and figure out how best to develop even larger deep-water turbines.

Hywind, which was covered in Popular Science's "Future of Energy" issue, is a fairly standard 2.3-megawatt wind turbine, but implementing it in such deep water (Hywind can be installed in depths ranging from 400 feet to nearly 2,300 feet, far deeper than existing shallow-water wind technologies allowed) cost StatoilHydro $66 million. Bringing the price in line with that of fixed turbines that are installed in 200-foot depths is one of the goals of StatoilHydro's ongoing research with Hywind.

If successful, Hywind could revolutionize offshore wind power, especially in countries like Japan, South Korea, the U.S. and Spain, where coastline is plentiful and wind is abundant. The U.S. Department of the Interior estimates the U.S. alone could generate 900 gigawatts off its Pacific coast, but many offshore wind farms face objections from wildlife groups concerned with the effects on avian life along the shores as well as coastline dwellers concerned with their being an eyesore. Hywind could circumvent both problems for the most part, while also proving that it's possible to place turbines in offshore areas where winds are generally stronger and more consistent. StatoilHydro said the turbine should be producing electricity in the next few weeks.

WHAT ABOUT TURBINES THAT ARE PLACED TO HARNESS THE SEA CURRENTS AND TIDES?

Aquabuoy

Marine Current Turbines Unlike other RES, Ocean Energy is not captured from a single source, but, instead, is stored in a variety of forms: the energy of waves, the kinetic energy of marine and tidal currents, the potential energy of tides, and salinity or thermal gradients. As a consequence of this variety the number of concepts for ocean energy conversion is very large. A first, basic division is grounded on the specific source of energy that the technology is tapping into: waves,  tides,  currents,  salinity gradient, and  thermal gradient. Wavestar Major achievements have taken place over the last few years with various ocean energy systems having been deployed at sea in several countries and these technologies are making the transition from research to demonstration to market penetration. NY Turbin Though ocean energy technologies are not yet economically competitive with more mature renewable energy technologies such as wind, in the medium term these technologies will become significant contributors to those markets adjacent to the resource. In the longer term, ocean energy could become a much more important part of the world's energy portfolio. The potential worldwide wave energy contribution to the electricity market is estimated to be of the order of 1-10 TW, which is the same order of magnitude as world electrical energy production capacity. Wave energy has the highest density among all renewable energy sources The best resource is found between 40 - 60 degrees of latitude where the available resource is 30 to 70 kW/m with peaks to 100 kW/m. The supply potential is estimated to be 7 TWh/y from ~200000 MW installed wave and tidal energy power by 2050 with a load factor of 0.35 (DTI and Carbon Trust estimates). Oyster in operation To date wave and tidal energy are the most advanced types of ocean energy systems under development. More information on the different types of ocean energy systems and their current status of development can be found by clicking on the links on the right Imagine what the potential for harnessing the Gulfstream off our Eastern Seaboard…it is one of the strongest sea currents in the world.  Hoover Dam The United States was harnessing rivers as far back as one hundred years; some monumental feats of engineering were testament to the genius and perseverance of American technology…we can see it more than 75 years later in the amazing HOOVER DAM and other projects of smaller scale throughout the country. Solar Seville Electric cars The important thing to remember is that oil and coal interests, the media and politicians have been working earnestly to convince Americans that energy independence is not feasible, cost effective, practical or even attainable because we don’t have the technology at the present time to do it. Poppy cock, I say, it is all a sham and we should call on our elective representatives to come clean with us regardless of how much money these companies donate to their political campaigns. The days of the purchased and paid for politician are going to be over soon. MORE DETAILED INFO AT: *European Ocean Energy Association Renewable Energy House | Rue d'Arlon 63 - 65 | B-1040 Brussels | Belgium Tel.: +32 (0)2 400 10 40 E-mail: secretariat@eu-oea.com © Copyright 2010 European Ocean Energy Association Header photo: StatoilHydro's Hywind Deep-Water Turbine If successful, Hywind could make deep-water wind farms a reality. Øyvind Hagen / StatoilHydro SOURCES: http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-09/deep-water-wind-statoilhydro-inaugurates-worlds-first-floating-wind-turbine http://www.worldtourismplace.com/itaipu-dam-one-of-seven-wonders-of-the-modern-world/ PHOTO SOURCE: http://images.google.com http://gosouthamerica.about.com/library/graphics/3229108.jpg http://inhabitat.com/sevilles-solar-power-tower/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-the-sun-setting-on-solar-power-in-spain http://www.scientificamerican.com/report.cfm?id=alternative-energy http://hooverdamtourcompany.com/stats.html