The world needs more alternative energies and less polluting ones. Here is a statement that more and more people agree to. Some might ponder on ways to pollute less. Some might fight for the alternative energy cause. And some might even act to alleviate their environmental footprint, by driving their car less, using energy-saving services or changing their light-bulbs. To all these people I say: congratulations. Congratulations for caring about our planet. Congratulations for acting towards the common good. Congratulations for inspiring other people.
Why am I mentioning this? I recently stumbled upon a very interesting June 2008 article from the Economist, one of my favorite sources. (It is available to registered users at: http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?STORY_ID=11580723&source=login_payBarrier.)
What is the article about? Looking at our energy needs, the writer describes the need for a transformation of our energy infrastructure in order to face global warming. The need for energy is real and current energy sources, such as oil or gas, cannot last forever. Many bet on technology developments to replace them: solar, wind power, biofuels, electric cars. Over time, their costs go down and economies of scale develop. With the support of a carbon tax, these solutions could well replace one day fossil fuels and allow the world to cool down.
That might be true. But why wait for this hypothetical wave of alternative energy cost reductions, economies of scale and worldwide availability, with their subsequent bottlenecks in materials, to address climate change? Why not try to focus more on the quick fixes that are already available?
Faced with daunting challenges, we commonly think of radical solutions instead of focusing on the smaller yet more workable solutions. However, these can take a worthy first stab at significant parts of the problem. What can these quick fixes be? We are surrounded by opportunities. I am for instance amazed at the number of airports that run shuttles between their terminals. They usually run on oil, 24 hours a day, at low speeds, with frequent stops. Here’s a quick fix that could have a big impact: replace them with electrical shuttles, or natural gas ones if you really can’t put those wires together. A small step in the grand scheme of things, but if every airport adopted eco-shuttles, local and global pollution could be seriously reduced. Likewise, if every one of us identified one small fix per year, and communicated it to others, there’s little doubt that a great deal of carbon emissions could be avoided.
Are all quick fixes good though? No, they are not always as efficient as we would like them to, and careful prior analysis is needed. For more on that topic, see “Business Owners Beware: Quick Fixes Can Cost More Than Smart Energy Savings Strategies”, http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/11/04/business-owners-beware-quick-fixes-can-cost-more-smart-energy-savings-strategies.
Where am I going with this? To the solution we have developed at EGG-Energy of course, which is a quick fix! How is it a quick fix? Well, first the energy source and power delivery technology, batteries, are neither new nor revolutionary: we don’t need to wait for huge worldwide demand or economies of scale to develop and operate our service Second, we do not need to amortize it over such long periods as are required by wind or solar farms. Rather, the novelty lies in a smart concept: making available electricity by packaging it into batteries and transporting it from power lines to energy-less areas through a clever supply-chain. Here’s a quick fix. And a quick fix that could have a great impact on the world
- Emmanuel
So good to digest such a insightful post that does not resort to lame antics to get the topic fulfilled. Thank you for an enjoyable read.
Every government should focus more on Alternative Energy so as not to be too dependent on Oil and avoid air pollution as well.*::