OXYGEN STARVATION :: THE ENERGY CRISIS :: NEGLECT OF DUTY :: ECONOMIC REALITY :: MARIE ANTOINETTE SYNDROME ::
DIRECTED MOTION :: US Sanctioning Slavery :: Survival will Require Drastic Change :: Questioning Religion ::
letter to Prof. Urry, Yale University :: Revival of the Great Depression ::

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THE ENERGY CRISIS

Austin I. Weber

It is unfortunate and devastating to this country that our past and present leaders could not, and cannot, see into the future.  Energy supply is a monstrous problem and one we have failed to face honestly and intelligently.  New explorations may benefit the oil companies, but in no way will they solve our dilemma.  It will not matter if they drill and find a little or a lot of oil, since eventually all will be depleted along with our present resources.  Then we will be back where we started – in deep trouble.  Not only will we have gotten rid of our main energy resources such as bituminous coal, natural gas, petroleum, etc., but also the major resources for our organic chemical industry.

A process called destructive distillation converts the bituminous coal essentially into coke and coal tar.  The coke is used in the steel industry to convert iron ore into iron.  The coal tar is subjected to a process of fractional distillation where a variety of organic chemicals are obtained.  Natural gas is a mixture of organic chemicals called hydrocarbons.  When petroleum is refined it also yields a variety of organic chemicals, three of which are quite familiar:  gasoline, motor oil and heating oil.

Organic chemicals are very important since some of them are basic to a lot of our industries, while many perform a necessary function in others.  Here is just a partial list of industries using these chemicals or their derivatives:

The above list could go on and on since all industries depend on organic chemicals, their derivatives or polymers.

Modern electric motors with the power and efficiency we obtain today could not be made without derivatives from industrial chemicals.  In the end, when we have burned up our fossil resources, we will have destroyed all of the world’s industries.  Thus, it is of utmost importance to find a really good new energy source, and utilize most of the remaining fossil deposits in the production of vital industrial chemicals.  This would enable our fossil resources to last much longer, perhaps as many as hundreds of years.  As an added bonus, we would eliminate a major cause that pollutes the atmosphere.

We must not be deluded into thinking that fuel cells and ethanol (alcohol) are alternative energy sources.  On the contrary, fuel cells require more energy for their operation than they can yield.  While alcohol, when burned, definitely provides energy to perform useful work, the cost will be high and the amount of energy obtained may be a little less or a little more than what is needed to produce it.

Fuel cells consuming hydrogen are nothing more than sophisticated storage batteries--a convenient way of locating energy to operate a motor.  They are great in that they eliminate any atmospheric pollution in their creation of electrical energy.  Unfortunately, in order to obtain hydrogen from water by electrolysis, more electricity is used than the
cell can deliver.

Ethanol can be made by fermenting corn mash in water in a warm room.  This means supplying heat energy to warm the room.  The resulting dilute water alcohol solution then has to be distilled to obtain pure alcohol.  In the December 9, 2003 paper I forgot to include the energy necessary for planting, harvesting and transporting the corn to the mills, grinding it and transporting the ground corn to the brewery.  Since this will require a lot of energy, what then is the total energy gain?  Another question is where do you get the necessary energy to produce alcohol if the fossil fuels have been depleted?

Solar energy, wind energy, and water (hydroelectric) energy are great, but only in limited areas, and we should extend their use wherever possible.  They are dependable and nonpolluting, but unfortunately, there are many regions in the world where there is not much sunshine, the winds are not strong enough to generate electricity from windmills, and there is little or no water power available.

All over the world there is a nonpolluting, very dependable energy source that can probably take care of much of the world’s needs many times over.  This relatively untapped resource consists of the waves and ripples in the oceans, active seas and other large bodies of water.  Why has man not learned how to harness this massive power which is an energy source that is dependable, nonpolluting and free to everybody?  Perhaps it is because our government has had a “love affair” with the oil companies for far too many years.  One half percent of the energy in the oceans is more than sufficient to take care of the entire world’s needs.

Although late in acting, our government and others should start now and continue to heavily fund projects similar to the Manhattan Project in order to improve our present nonpolluting energy sources and develop new ones.  Such projects would be very expensive and beyond the capability of private enterprise. 

There are many intelligent and capable people in the world who, if put to work and properly funded, could most likely come up with some answers.  One suggestion might be to develop a device that could convert all the chaotic motion of the waters into unidirectional motion, and in turn operate another small device to produce electricity.  Although the amount of electricity would be small, many of the devices would be connected in series and mounted in a housing so designed as to magnify the motion of the waters.  Extensive “farms” of these housings would be anchored to piles offshore, and a collecting station onshore would distribute the electricity.

The sun delivers all the energy to the earth that makes possible our life, the winds, the growth of food, the waves and ripples in the waters, the stored energy in our fossil fuels, etc.  By itself, the sun can supply enough energy to sustain six billion people on earth.  The world population at present is well over six billion and still growing despite AIDS, cancer, natural disasters and wars.  By the year 2040, it is estimated there will be nine billion inhabitants crowding this small planet.  By the year 2030, with the ever-growing use and need of our fossil fuels, a significant shortage is bound to occur.

What will all this do to our oil economy?  Unbelievable inflation could arise that would affect every aspect of our lives.  A famine could also result in our world of overcrowded cities where all foods are not grown and have to be delivered.  Billions of people worldwide could die of hunger and deprivation.

Must we wait until it is too late?  We must act now.  We must realize that alternate sources of energy must be created and global population growth controlled.

May 18, 2006
December 9, 2003
April 30, 2002
November 15, 2001
August 18, 2001