Renewable
energy – a delusional dream
The dream of the world
relying 100% on solar and wind turbine electricity just crashed -- at least for
Canada (and northern U.S.A.).
John Gorman, a former
Chair of the Solar Industries Association and a 20 year advocate for solar and
wind turbine energy, has now conceded that these 'renewable' electricity
sources have serious limitations imposed by Nature[i].
Solar panels only
work during sunlight hours. At best,
that averages out to 12 of every 24 hours, and then cloud cover,
rain and snow reduce their output.
Similarly, wind
turbines are limited to areas were the winds blow continually and
strongly; (thankfully) not the normal situation over most of the planet.
Finally, he notes, efforts
to create super-batteries for their power storage have failed.
However, his aversion
to 'fossil fuel' oil and gas power generation is so intense that he has fallen
for the lunacy of nuclear power!
He is now President
and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Association, and repeats the nuclear industry's
propaganda of cheap and safe energy: ignoring Fukashima and Chernobyl and Three
Mile Island, where human error and the vagaries and rages of Nature
(i.e., tsunami or earthquake) immediately and over time kill all exposed
people, and leaving vast areas radioactive zones for centuries!
Europe is shutting
down all its nuclear plants as such an event would make Europe and its cities -
Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Berlin and all the rest 'uninhabitable’[ii].
Only ‘natural’ gas,
oil and abundant coal can supply a reliable stream of power and electricity to
Canada, northern U.S.A. and similar climates where during half the year - the
coldest half--sunlight hours drop to under 9 hours in Montreal, Toronto and
Seattle; Calgary to under 7 hours,[iii]
and with communities in Alaska and the far north even less: Anchorage under 6
hrs, Fairbanks under 4 hours, and some further north such as Barrow, NO
sunlight for 67 days![iv]
In truth, the only ‘safe’ and reliable
sources of energy -- 24/7 year round -- are
‘natural’ gas, oil and even coal.
2.
Wildfires
- Canada
With the coming of
fall and cooler temperatures, wildfire season in Canada has come to an end. As explained
by Professor Eric B. Kennedy of York University’s Disaster and Emergency
Management program in York University Magazine, Fall 2019[v],
our wildfires mostly start in remote mountain areas not visited by humans
but subject to Nature's lightning strikes.
New techniques to
minimize spreading by creating forest 'gaps', - i.e., controlled burns and
clear cutting, avoiding building homes too close to forests, using fire
retardant building materials, and emergency fire retardant sprays, are
proving successful.
Moreover, as he points
out, a better understanding of how forests work and regenerate has altered the
attitude and approach to wildfires by academics, governments and those in the field.
Wildfires are now
recognized to be an essential part of Nature's normal 'plan': to
allow for new growth and promote biodiversity.
So much for the fears
of and links to Global Warming!
3. Wildfires – California
Annual
wildfire season has again returned to northern and southern California.
Despite
the rhetoric and common media assertions, California’s northern and southern
wildfires are not due to Global Warming.
The
causes are well known meteorological patterns that are centuries old and
documented from the mid-19th century[vi] -- and local human activity.
California
fires are due to a complex of Natural and human factors.
1.
Winter rains.
Surprisingly, ample winter rainfall makes
wildfire season more dangerous.
For the first time in 8 years,
California received above average rainfall and was no longer a drought zone[vii].
But such rainfall makes wildfire season
worse as it allowed for rapid and extensive growth of grasses, weeds and brush[viii]
– all of which become fire spreaders in wildfire season.
2.
Hot, dry
summer and fall. California’s
beautiful sunny and hot beach weather starting in mid-June through July and
August is a period of increasing vegetation dryness. This dryness continues
through September-October-November – i.e., wildfire season -- when brush, open
grass and forest trees become ‘bone dry’.
3.
Winds. California’s
regular northern Diablo winds and southern Santa Ana winds. During autumn, they
blow dry Nevada desert air westward across California’s mountain ranges with
gusts up to 80 mph, hurricane level 1 force [ix].
As such, their dry air adds to the desiccation of vegetation
and trees, and their blowing winds rapidly spread ignited fires and carry
airborne burning embers and branches far and wide.[x]
4.
Human
habitation. 1 in every 4
people living in California ( = 25%) are at risk of property loss and loss of
life during normal wildfire seasons as they live too close to forests and
grass and brush areas: all potential ‘matches’.
The state now advises everyone to create a 100 foot
radius ‘clear’ zone around their homes and buildings/barns: removing all
brush, weeds and grass growth[xi].
So,
under these combined circumstances, wildfires can be sparked and spread easily
during this period.
TRIGGERS
As
lightning strikes are rare in these months, the triggers are of human origin.
Smoldering
campfires, flicked burning cigarettes and arsonist have long been blamed[xii],
but, as of 2018 and a series of lawsuits, it is now clear the major causes of
California’s worst wildfires are the electricity grid and overhead
transmission lines crossing forested areas.
When
gusting winds – up to 60 mph and even 80 mph - blow overhead high voltage lines
against dry, flammable tree tops, sparking results and the trees and forest ignite!
Pacific
Gas and Electric (PG&E) transmission lines were found to have started 19
major wildfires in 2017-2018, including the Camp Fire that killed 86 people
and burned to the ground the town of Paradisevi.
This
year already, PG&E has acknowledged its transmission lines were the trigger
for three current fires, and Southern California Edison (SCE) has acknowledge the
Sim Valley wildfire may be due to its transmission equipment ,and has
acknowledge its transmission lines “contributed” to last November’s massive
Woolsey Fire.[xiii]
And
PG&E, struggling to revive after Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has become
‘pro-active’ this season and is shutting down major transmission lines as a preventative
measure[xiv],
thereby cutting off electricity to an estimated
2,500,000 people – yes, TWO AND A HALF MILLION – in at least 36 counties[xv]
PG&E
has further stated such power 'cut offs' will continue for the next
10 years until it can resolve the transmission wire issues: i.e., by
clearing away adjoining treesvi.
In summary, wildfires are a double
edged sword.
They
are Nature’s way to clear underbrush debris and deadwood and allow for regrowth
and forest diversity on the one hand.
But
they are also major threats to human life and habitation when human activity gets
‘too close’ -- with even brush and grass becoming ‘kindling”.
And,
electricity and its long distance transmission through the skies is now
acknowledged as a major fire hazard when hung
too close to tree tops.
These
lessons from Canada and California, need to be apply everywhere.
Blame
Climate Change/Global Warming and CO2?
For
all the anxiety and Climate Change fears constantly promoted by media coverage
of any and all ‘negative’ weather events, and it standard villain, carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions, remember: CO2 emissions are
what keep this planet alive!
All
plants on land and in the oceans: trees, grass, shrubs crops, vegetables and
fruits, sea weed and kelp -- need CO2 to live and grow.
And,
in exchange, all plants exhale O2 (oxygen) -- without which all animal and
human life would end!
This
is Nature's miraculous, symbiotic process -- photosynthesis.
Today,
the atmosphere - when totally dry of any water vapour - consists of 78.08%
Nitrogen (N2), 20.95% Oxygen (O2), 0.93% Argon, with all other gases combined amounting
to under 1%![xvi]
Specifically,
the atmosphere contains a mere 0.0416% Carbon Dioxide (CO2) or just over 4
molecules of CO2 in every 10,000 molecules of air. And at 0.000187%, Methane (CH4) – the new
‘other villain’ -- which breaks down in 10 years into CO2 and H2O (water
vapour) [xvii]-accounts
for a miniscule, just under 2 molecules for every 1,000,000 – yes, one MILLION
– molecules of air.
Fixation
on their impact on the atmosphere and any heating effect is laughable, except
it has become standard scientific dogma.
The
most important factor for any change in Climate is H2O (water), the material
that covers well over 71% of the planet in streams and rivers and lakes, and to
enormous depths in oceans, and ice capped mountains and glaciers[xviii].
Water
(H2O) as airborne ‘moisture’ and clouds, accounts on averages for between 2%
and 3%[xix] of the atmosphere, and, depending on location
and temperature, can range from 0% to 3%[xx]
or even 4%[xxi].
The
atmosphere holds about 3,100 mi3 (12,900 km3) of water at any one time - mostly in the form of water
vapor. “If it all fell as precipitation
at once, the Earth would be covered with only about 1 inch of water.[xxii]
Furthermore,
the bizarre fixation on CO2 as a Climate Change mega-force is undermined by the
recent, August, 2019 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC). Buried in its laments about
planet’s deterioration due to human fossil fuel burning and animal husbandry,
it did acknowledge that in the 10 years up to 2016 (its data base), the
planet and its “forests, wetlands and other land systems soaked up 11.2 billion
metric tons more carbon dioxide (CO2) per year than
they emitted.”[xxiii]
[My red and underlining.]
I.e.,
the planet has been a NET SINK for CO2 for at least 10 years!!!
That
this extra absorption will continue for many more years was also admitted by
Louis Verchot, the lead author of the study, but he warned: “this additional
gift from nature is not going to continue for ever.”[xxiv]
As well, according
to a NASA study published in Nature
Climate Change, April 25, 2016, “a quarter to
half of Earth’s vegetated lands has shown significant greening over the last 35 years largely due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon
dioxide.”[xxv] [My red and italics]
Similarly,
controlled NASA experiments with various crops as published in Nature Climate Change, April 18, 2016, show
increasing CO2 levels produce more abundant crops and while reducing the
amount of water needede.[xxvi]
Put
simply, increases in atmospheric CO2 ,
as acknowledged above, has not been harmful as the plants of the Earth absorb
the increase -- and flourished as a result.
Maybe, the
vegetation of the planet has been in a state of ‘starvation’ for millennia and
only now is the needed CO2 levels starting to rise and correct the imbalance.
After all, how is
it that reciprocal photosynthesis has created such an abundance of atmospheric
oxygen (21%) and such a miniscule level of carbon dioxide (under 0.05%)?
Is it possible all
animal life is relying on oxygen produced by plants eon’s ago?
Unfortunately,
lingering fears of global warming and its misguided link to CO2 still rule the
scientific community, the media and the public mindset.
Maybe
the news presented in this blog will let ‘fresh air’ sink in:
·
Renewable solar and wind are not the panacea solution, and reliable,
24/7 energy generation will always been needed.
Aside from hydro-electricity, the
only safe
and readily distributable sources are natural gas, oil and even coal.
·
Wildfires can be positive, natural events allowing areas for
regrowth and promoting diversity .
·
But when they spread too close to human habitation -- by the
natural forces of wind and/or careless
stringing of overhead electricity wiring, disaster results.
·
Living near such flammable areas is unwise, and requires
careful planning and use of flame resistant building materials and ‘clear
zones’ to separate humans from the trees and brush and wild grass. Less pretty scenery, but a life saving
necessity.
·
Finally,
for all the raving against CO2 emissions, the planet is doing quite well, thank
you. As the 2016 and 2019 reports admit,
the planet loves the extra, life giving CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere.
[i] Globe and Mail, October 24, 2019, B4, “Nuclear energy is an
important part of solving the climate crisis”.
[vi] See https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/a-brief-history-of-the-santa-ana-winds; https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-fire-winds-explainer-20171205-htmlstory.html; and Wikipedia lIsts of major wildfires over
the decades at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_California_wildfires
[x] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-santa-ana-winds-expected-to-whip-up-new-wildfires-in-california-after/
[xv] https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/npr/npr-story/773424410
[xvi] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth
[xvii]
https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/outreach/info_activities/pdfs/CTA_the_methane_cycle.pdf
[xviii]
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/where-earths-water?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
[xix] https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Water_vapour
[xx] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth
[xxi] https://www.thoughtco.com/water-vapor-in-the-earths-atmosphere-609407
[xxii]
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/how-much-water-there-earth
[xxiv]
Ibid.
