Though I love the discussion here at Renewable Energy World, I also try to keep my finger on the pulse of sites that cover the traditional energy markets, like Energy Central. The main voice there is Martin Rosenburg – and I have to say that I like the cut of his jib — good, clean prose, with solid insight into the issues of the day. His recent piece on carbon capture and sequestration lays out the true absurdity of the whole idea in a few short paragraphs and easy-to-follow stats that nail down the extreme volumes of gas, lengths of new pipelines, and extreme costs associated with the endeavor. Apparently, he is conducting an interview with one of the world’s leading solar business execs who believes that solar could provide half of our energy by mid-century.
This, of course, is more than possible technologically. Those of us who have studied the possibilities of concentrated solar power understand that a solar thermal farm in the shape of a square, approximately 100 miles on a side would generate more than enough power for the entire continent of North America. Begin to build distributed blocks of CSP in the southwestern desert in concert with molten salt energy storage and high-voltage DC power transmission, and, to use Mr. Rosenburg’s words, “game over for coal.”
But the truth is that once solar thermal achieves some level of scale, the game is over for virtually all other sources of energy as well – unless something unexpected, like cold fusion, materializes out of nowhere. I know not everyone agrees with me – in fact – I have yet to find anyone who agrees with me, but I see a future – perhaps 50 years hence — in which the natural hegemony of CSP takes root and overwhelms its competitors, just like a plug of Bermuda grass left unattended soon owns one’s entire front lawn. Fossil fuels will be the first casualty – and thank the sweet Lord for that. But I’m also betting – on my grandchildren’s behalf – that geothermal, PV, wind, wave, tidal, run-of river hydro, MSW, and algae will ultimately be obsolete as well.
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