www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic Evolution^SM

Energy

"The second revolution, equal in importance, is a material, economic, and industrial revolution that alters the connection between the way we meet our material needs, on the one hand, and Earth's resources and ecosystems, on the other. This revolution is a technical one, about extreme efficiency in the use of all energy and materials. We must learn to use as little energy as possible - and the safest kind - to heat buildings, move vehicles, and drive machines. Every material product used by human beings should be designed to last essentially forever, to be recycled, or to be composted. Every 'waste' then would become a resource. Prices and economic measures must take natural systems into account." - John Firor and Judith E. Jacobsen in their book, The Crowded Greenhouse (Population, Climate Change, and Creating a Sustainable World) [your humble webmaster had the pleasure to interview Firor and Jacobsen on February 26, 2003...]

Government chart shows that we continue to waste more than half of our energy:

This flowchart and image was created by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the US Department of Energy. It shows the amount of energy, defined as a "quad" (see the quad defined, further, below this chart), that's produced by different U.S. energy sources and consumed by various sectors. The chart shows that more than half (58%) of the total energy produced in the United States is wasted due to inefficiencies at power plants, in lighting, and with our vehicles. At the 58% level of waste it means that the U.S. is only 42% energy efficient. This chart also indicates that wind, solar, and geothermal energy sources, combined, still only provide about 1.2% of total energy production. The vast majority of our energy still comes from petroleum (37%), natural gas (25%), and coal (21%). Enlarge

Defining a Quad:

A quad (short for quadrillion) is a unit of energy equal to 10¹⁵ (a short-scale quadrillion) BTU or 1.055 x 10¹⁸ joules (1.055 exajoules or EJ) in SI units ("SI" is a French abreviation for Système international d'unités, or International System of Units).

The unit is used by the U.S. Department of Energy in discussing world and national energy budgets. For example, the 2004 global primary energy production was 446 quad, equivalent to 471 EJ.

Some common types of energy carriers that are approximately equal to one (1) quad are:

• 8,007,000,000 Gallons (US) of gasoline
• 293,083,000,000 Kilowatt-hours (kWh) electricity
• 36,000,000 Tonnes of coal
• 970,434,000,000 Cubic feet of natural gas
• 5,996,000,000 UK gallons of diesel oil
• 25,200,000 Tonnes of oil
• 252,000,000 tonnes of TNT or five times the energy of the Tsar Bomba nuclear test (conducted by the USSR, the world's largest ever nuclear blast)

Home Energy and Money Saving Checklist
(Distributed on a frig magnet by the Rocky Mountain
Chapter of the Sierra Club in the early 2000s...)

• Replace frequently used incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents - use 75% less energy!
• Lower hot water heater setting to 120 degrees.
• Insulate hot water heaters.
• Replace old appliances with Energy Star appliances.
• Install programmable thermostats.
• Caulk and weather strip cracks and gaps in walls and windows
• Replace furnace and air conditioner filters regularly.
• Ensure ceilings and attics are properly insulated.
• Wash most laundry with cold water- it works just as well!
• Install low-flow showerheads - save water, tool!

Links:

Back to Roger J. Wendell's Home Page...

Abbey | About | Blog | Contacting Me | Copyright | Disclaimer | Donate | Guest Book | Home | Site Index | Solutions | Terms, Conditions and Fair Use
Copyright © 1955 -