Renewable energy could power the world without new technologies or higher costs

The world can be powered by alternative energy in 20 to 40 years by Louis Bergeron.

If someone told you there was a way you could save 2.5 million to 3 million lives a year and simultaneously halt global warming, reduce air and water pollution and develop secure, reliable energy sources – nearly all with existing technology and at costs comparable with what we spend on energy today – why wouldn’t you do it?

According to a new study coauthored by Stanford researcher Mark Z. Jacobson, we could accomplish all that by converting the world to clean, renewable energy sources and forgoing fossil fuels.

“Based on our findings, there are no technological or economic barriers to converting the entire world to clean, renewable energy sources,” said Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. “It is a question of whether we have the societal and political will” [emphasis mine].

He and Mark Delucchi, of the University of California-Davis, have written a two-part paper in Energy Policy in which they assess the costs, technology and material requirements of converting the planet, using a plan they developed.

The world they envision would run largely on electricity. Their plan calls for using wind, water and solar energy to generate power, with wind and solar power contributing 90 percent of the needed energy......

This article appeared in "Odewire" on July 14, 2011.  Read the remainder of the article in its entirety by clicking HERE.

Submit your question to Dept of Energy Secretary for tomorrow's live chat

Now's the time to make your voice heard!  Tomorrow (Tuesday), Steven Chu, Secretary for the Department of Energy, will be taking questions on building a "clean energy economy" during a live video chat.  Even if he is unable to answer all of the questions, it will surely make an impact if he receives an avalanche of them on the "cleanliness" of natural gas drilling as an alternative. To submit your question, click HERE for the online submission form.

From the White House:  "This week, Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu is answering your questions in a live video chat. Secretary Chu recently delivered a speech calling on the United States to sharply accelerate innovations in clean energy -- citing China and other countries' recent advances in clean technology as a critical "Sputnik Moment" for the U.S. Now, it’s your chance to ask the Secretary your questions on building a clean energy economy."

What happens when a windmill falls in the ocean? A splash.

Bill Maher's "New Rules" segment on yesterday's show promotes a transition to wind and solar power not only for environmental reasons, but to create jobs in renewable energy.