Community Series
From the March 2009 issue of Alabama Living magazine

Energy Types and Why Some Clean, or
“Green”Energies Will Not Work in Alabama

Legislators all across the country are debating the hot topic of clean or “green” energy resources - also called renewable or alternative energy. Because power plants now must meet U.S. environmental standards for clean energy production we find ourselves dealing with higher electric bills through no fault of our suppliers.
Most of us have heard or read about clean energy, but what exactly is clean energy, and why will it not work efficiently enough to sustain our normal expectancy here in Alabama? To begin this series on Clean vs. Coal let us first explore the terms that make up the clean energy labels.

SOLAR POWER
Solar energy is the sun’s rays (solar radiation) that reach the earth. It can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity. Solar energy can be converted to electricity in two ways:
n Photovoltaic (PV devices) or “solar cells” that change sunlight directly into electricity. PV systems are often used in remote locations that are not connected to the electric grid. They are also used to power watches, calculators, and lighted road signs.

n Solar Power Plants indirectly generate electricity when the heat from solar thermal collectors is used to heat a fluid which produces steam that is used to power generator. Out of the fifteen known solar electric generating units operating in the United States at the end of 2006, ten of these are in California, and five in Arizona.

Why is Solar Power a poor choice for Alabama?
Alabama does not sustain the amount of direct sunlight necessary to successfully produce the quantity of power needed for the average household or business. In fact, according to information from www.poweredgenerators.com, only the southeastern part of Alabama is slightly suited for small application concentrating solar collectors. The rest of the state does not provide a good source for concentrating solar collectors.

How would you feel - as you are hurrying to ready yourself for work - if you did not have enough stored solar power to use a blow-dryer or make toast or coffee? It is something worth considering. The major disadvantages of solar energy are:
n The amount of sunlight that arrives at the earth’s surface is not constant. It depends on location, time of day, time of year, and weather conditions.
n Because the sun doesn’t deliver that much energy to any one place at any one time, a large surface area is required to collect the energy at a useful rate.

While Solar Power is an excellent idea - on paper - it does not have the ability to capably and efficiently electrify our homes and businesses.

WIND POWER
Like old fashioned windmills, today’s wind machines use blades to collect the wind’s kinetic energy. Windmills work because they slow down the speed of the wind. With Wind Energy there is still the problem of what to do when the wind isn’t blowing. At those times, other types of power plants must be used to make electricity. There are two types of wind machines (turbines) used today based on the direction of the rotating shaft or axis:

• Horizontal–axis are the most common type with blades like airplane propellers. They typically stand as tall as a 20-story building and have three blades that span 200 feet across.
• Vertical-axis wind machines have blades that go from top to bottom and some look like a giant two-bladed egg beater that stands 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide.
  

Why is WIND Power a poor choice for Alabama?
Although yes, we do have tornados and wind, we do not have sustainable winds like other areas of the county such as California and Arizona. For our energy to come from Wind Power there would have to be a steady wind and wind speed varies throughout this country. It also varies from season to season. For example, in parts of California the wind blows more from April through October than it does in the winter. This is because of the extreme heating of the Mojave Desert during the summer months. On the other hand, in a state like Montana, the wind blows more during the winter.
Alabama, with her hills, trees, and rolling landscape has very little sustainable, or dependable, wind - as shown in the map at upper right.

Other considers with wind power

Concerns over the speculation around global warming are partly the cause of the rush to find energy alternatives. Between our governments efforts to “do our part” toward a clean environment, and the political agendas of many elected officials, the hastiness in pushing for a change from traditional power resources, that use coal to process electricity, and the buzz-words of green and cleaner energy some very important issues may be overlooked.

With Wind Power, for example, did you know that - according to an article by Earl Jones, at www.poweredgenerators.com, “Wind energy is not as efficient because too many turbines are needed in order to create as much energy as say a nuclear plant or coal plant. This means, to meet the high energy demand, lots of land needs to be planted with wind turbines. There is also no real answer to whether this land can then be reconstructed for another use if wind turbines are not the right answer. The process is liked destroying the land with turbines, cables, and material without really knowing the end result.”
Jones continues to cite statistics including noise pollution and its damage to humans, as well as deaths caused to indigenous wildlife and birds.

Is There An Easy Answer?

Perhaps, perhaps not, but one thing is certain. Unless those of us in this state speak up and voice our concerns to our local and state representatives we will be shuffled along in the push for greener, cleaner energy before a clearly defined alternative is found for Alabama.
We have, over the past several months, given you information on how to contact your local and state legislators. We urge you to use your voice.

Please also take a moment to visit Our Energy, Our Future at www.ourenergy.coop, and do it today.

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