Florida Energy Problems, Options,
and Suggested Solutions
Climate change
is a
serious problem with rapidly increasing world temperatures, (the last 5 years
were the hottest years in history), increased melting of ice caps and glaciers,
increased sea level rise, increased coastal flooding, stronger storms and
hurricanes, increased wild fire damage worldwide, increased tick and mosquito
borne disease driven by global warming, plant growing zone changes and more dangerous
droughts necessitating mass migrations, etc. The damage cost is already huge
and getting larger, amounting to billions per year in some states.
More needs to be done reducing carbon emissions through promoting
alternative and clean energy options, more energy and resource conservation and
increased energy efficiency standards, transportation system
energy
improvements
, low carbon food
system promotion, etc.
The following is a brief
summary of the main energy related problems and issues to be dealt with over
the next few years, and policy options and solutions to deal with the problems
and needs. Recent trends in energy use have been unsustainable and have led to
major environmental and economic problems including climate change, energy
dependency, and export of economic capital and falling value of the
dollar. Rapid advances in technology of alternative energy options like
thin-film
solar PV,
concentrators
, dye-sensitized solar cells,
energy storage equipment
, wind turbines, ocean and tidal power,
CHP
, etc. appear likely to make such options more cost effective, as
well as cleaner, than traditional generation technologies within 5
years. Some of these options including energy efficiency options
, solar PV, wind turbines,
and combined heat
and power(
CHP
) applications are already
more cost effective than traditional generation technologies, as well as
reducing global warming and pollution effects.
Nuclear power and
coal plant
capital cost
have been rapidly
increasing in recent years due to rapidly rising costs for steel, concrete,
copper, other materials, and specialty labor. Total
capital and operating costs
for all of the major fossil fuel and
nuclear power options are currently of similar magnitude, but fossil fuel
plants have significant
health and environmental
externality cost
and nuclear plants have questions about future
decommissioning and radioactive waste cost plus proliferation and security
issues.
Energy is a major issue in Florida for the next decade
. There are several
reasons for this:
(1)
Energy is a major economic factor in the Florida
economy
.
(2)
Fla. is currently almost totally dependent on imported
fuel
if fossil fuels are used
, which leaves the Fla.
economy vulnerable and at risk.
E
missions from coal are
causing widespread environmental and health problems through acid pollutants,
mercury, and other toxic emissions.
Moving to more
alternative energy options can alleviate this problem.
(3)
Importing over $50 billion per year in fuel and energy
is a major capital drain on the state economy (and
federal
) making us forever poorer. Increased
fertilizer imports and rapidly increasing world fertilizer prices, strongly
impacted by rising fuel prices adds to this total.
(4)
T
here is scientific consensus that
global warming
is occurring.
The
continued to increase.
NOAA buoy monitoring sites off the U.S. coast
have documented significant increases in
ocean surface temperatures
over the last 20 to 30 years. The
average global temperature has been progressively increasing, with melting
icecaps
and glaciers
, major vegetation and
growing season impacts in northern areas, rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion,
increased droughts and decertification, increased severity of
storms, insect borne diseases, water table draw down, crop losses,
etc.
(5) The largest source of atmospheric pollution such as mercury,
toxic metals, acid rain, and some of the most serious water pollution in the
state are from energy production and use
-power
plants and incinerators
.
Food chain impacts
on fish, animals, and
human health appear very serious already.
(6)
The Federal Health Agency, Center for Disease Control,
indicates that many thousands of
Fla. children
each year are having their health or learning ability
significantly adversely affected by toxic metals
. Based on blood tests,
over 10% of women of childbearing age have levels of mercury high enough to
cause developmental effects in infants. Preliminary results of nationwide hair
test program found that over 20% of the women of childbearing age had dangerous
levels of mercury, and over
30% in Florida
. A study by the
Mobile Register
of people who eat Gulf coast fish at least once per week
found a significant percentage had dangerous levels of mercury and that almost
30% of the sample ate fish at least once per week.
Dangerous
levels of mercury
resulting in fish consumption warnings have
been found in the freshwater fish in over 50% of lakes and streams tested in
all parts of the state have been documented to be serious problems made worse
by acidity and acid pollutants; 27 species of saltwater fish and shellfish have
been found to commonly have dangerous levels of mercury in Florida coastal
waters. Coal power plants and
incinerators have been found to be the main source of the mercury, which
studies in other areas have found to have contaminated over 100 thousand lakes
in most states and Canadian provinces to levels requiring fish consumption bans
or warnings. However
dental amalgam
(mercury) fillings
have been found to be the largest source of mercury in sewers which are a
significant source of mercury in water bodies and fish, as well as having
significant air emissions from out-gassing from sewer sludge and from
crematoria.
Dangerous levels of
lead
in drinking water, soil, paint, etc. and
arsenic
from treated wood of decks and playgrounds
and water fluoridation
, as well as from shellfish have been documented to be significant
sources affecting large numbers of people, especially
children. Mercury, dioxins, PCBs, PAHs, PDBEs, and pesticides
are having catastrophic effects on
bird and animal populations
at the top of the food chain in Florida
and elsewhere. Dioxins and PAHs appear similarly widespread like mercury in
Florida and are even more toxic and carcinogenic.
(7) Inefficient transportation systems and congestion are wasting
large amounts of
energy. More efficient and effective mass
transportation options, park and ride facilities, more availability of bicycle
and walking facilities, energy efficient community design, and electric vehicles
using more efficient and long-lasting battery options recently developed can
make a big difference
.
These circumstances
together mean that Fla. faces some serious issues for the 20
2
0s on
energy related issues. However there are known options and methodologies that
can go a long way toward alleviating all of these problems, while consensus is
developed on alternative long-range options for Fla.( & U.S. &
world) compatible with Florida's economic and environmental situation.
Coal plants
are the number one
source of mercury emissions in Florida and the U.S.
Scrubbers with activated
carbon systems installed to control mercury, dioxins, etc. are the most
effective method identified so far in reducing mercury emissions, but mercury
taken out in ash remains a problem and much of it vaporizes out of the ash pile
and creates a dangerous working environment. Requirements on
incinerator emissions have been successful at reducing extremely high mercury
levels in South Florida where incinerators were the main mercury source for mercury
in the everglades. However there are still significant toxic and acid pollutant
emissions from coal plants and incinerators which are documented to be having
significant consequences in Florida. Currently the value of
the
health
and environmental
effects of incinerators still appear to far exceed the value of the
benefits. Major adverse health effects from coal plant emissions
related to
mercury
, other
toxic metals
,
sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
oxides
,
etc. have been documented to affect millions in the U.S.
Another type of incinerator that is currently getting a lot of
attention is
biomass plants
. Although they are being
promoted and advertised as being a clean green source of power, this is not
accurate and
biomass plants
can
produce
more pollution emissions than coal plants and are not carbon neutral as
commonly advertised.
Given the high and increasing prices for the fuels that Florida
imports, there is a huge amount of proven, cost-effective technology improvements
and energy efficiency measures in all sectors of the economy that are not being
sufficiently pursued or encouraged by the political leadership. More attention
needs to be given to
conservation
, cogeneration
(combined heat and power) (
CHP
) ,
energy efficiency
, highly efficient natural gas
heat pumps and chillers
,
fuel cells
,
landfill and sewer gas
recovery, and
environmental or health effects
of energy choices in the near term; and
other alternative energy options including offshore wind and ocean
wave
power
and
river
power
without
dams
, and turbines in water or sewer pipes
.
Investments
in energy efficiency and renewable energy
keep our economic
capital invested in local economies and reduce energy dependency, with economic
multiplying effects.
In the near future Fla. needs to continue the process of
developing a comprehensive state energy policy, which takes into account both
long term economic and quality of life factors. We need to implement least cost
utility planning that takes into account all effects and costs, like many other
progressive or energy dependent states already have, where the adverse effects
on environment, climate, and health are explicitly taken into account in energy
decisions and choices. This would allow equal consideration of conservation,
energy efficiency, cogeneration, natural gas, load sharing, alternative energy
sources, and new power plants to satisfy future energy needs. Recently we seem
to be moving in the opposite direction, and that is a dangerous path to
take.
Given the high and ever increasing fuel prices, there are a very
wide range of proven cost effective conservation, energy efficiency measures,
and renewable energy sources already known and used in other states that can
make the Fla. economy more efficient and productive while saving money and
lowering pollution.
Proven solutions to most aspects of the world energy/atmospheric
pollution crisis.
Emerging
New Technologies that might help
- A
prioritized listing by the
New Energy
Congress
of the leading energy
technologies according to ten
criteria
including: renewable, environmentally safe,
affordable, feasible, credible, reliable, developed, safe, etc.
Sewer Gas and
Landfill Gas Energy Recovery
:
Renewable Energy
: Solar, Wind, Micro-Hydro
The U.S. has a
(
vast
offshore wind energy resource
. Our shores possess a power potential of more than 2,000
gigawatts (GW), nearly double the nation's current electricity use.
Solar water heaters and
solar pool heaters
are cost effective throughout most of
Florida. There have also been some promising breakthroughs recently
in solar collectors, solar
photovoltaics
, energy efficient and low polluting fuel cells, heat pipes,
desiccant cooling systems, storage batteries, and vehicles powered by fuel
cells, natural gas, methane, batteries charged by electricity or
solar photovoltaics or hydrogen,
etc. Solar photovoltaicswith battery backup are cost effective
in supply of electricity to locations isolated from the electric grid.
Hydro Power and Wave/Tidal Energy
Hydro
Power Directory
:
http://www.peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Hydro
Ocean Wave Energy Directory
:
https://peswiki.com/directory:ocean
Run-of-the-river
hydroelectricity - Energy Education.
&
Run of River Hydro - Alternative Energy Primer
The benefits of small run-of river-hydro power projects
Wave Power
-
EIA; &
Oyster
Wave Energy Device
2 New & Innovative Ocean Wave Energy Devices
-
ANSYS Inc
is a global trend setter of simulation software and
technologies to assist in converting the persistent forces of ocean waves into
electricity.
Green Ocean
Energy Ltd
, an Aberdeen based company, is developing mechanisms to
harness energy from the Earth’s oceans, focusing on things such as the economic
viability and sustainability of their products. (
Alt Energy News
; Oct.
5, 2009)
Directory:
Wave Power
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Ocean_Wave_Energy
Sea Dog
Pump
www.inri.us/index.php/SEADOG
www.mindfully.org/Energy/2004/Wave-Power-Trinidad4aug04.htm
A new pump system designed to turn
salt water
into fresh water when combined with desalination
systems -- and produce clean renewable energy when combined with hydroelectric
systems. To create hydroelectricity, the SEADOG ocean-wave pump captures energy
from ocean swells or waves to pump seawater to a land-based holding area or
water tower, where the water can be returned to the ocean through hydroelectric
turbines.
In addition, because the device pumps water to a reservoir, it can store
salt water
or desalinated fresh water in the form of
potential energy to generate power on demand, even if the current wave regime
during a particular period is too low to generate power. Some units
have been tested and deployed in Texas and a project is currently under way off
the coast of California.
Hydro Green kinetic energy projects
- ocean, tidal, river, spillway, power plant outlets
Current
Projects:
http://www.hgenergy.com/hydrogreenenergyprojects.html
they have several projects and
contracts
Hydro Green Energy Hydrokinetic Technology Proves Fish
Friendly
Published:
January 8, 2010
Houston, United States
[HydroWorld.com]
The first and only direct fish
survival study performed on a hydrokinetic turbine shows that the technology is
exceedingly safe for fish.
this is just one such company;
another company more active in Europe
Marine Current Turbines
http://www.marineturbines.com/
Amory Lovins,
Rocky Mountain Institute
, &
http://www.rmi.org/
Fuel Cells
and Hydrogen:
Why they will play
a big role
Green buildings around the world: 18 examples of
sustainable ...
3 ways business can be profitable by addressing climate
change
Winning the Oil Endgame
&
How to Kick
the Oil Habit &
What
’’
s New
?
RMI
The first and most cost effective step in energy independence is taking
advantage of the huge amount of cost effective energy efficiency and
conservation measures currently available, along with the huge amount of cost
effective CHP applications
. However, t
here is a large supply of natural gas in the U.S. and our neighboring
trading partner Canada augmented by liquefied natural gas and new more
difficult to collect natural gas and tar sand fuel reserves which
can be used for many years in modern, reliable, efficient, and clean burning
combined cycle gas generating plants, cogeneration plants, fuel
cells, gas heat pumps, heating systems and chillers for commercial
applications. However the supply is not enough to meet ever
increasing demand for more energy and prices are increasing so there is an urgent
need to use energy more efficiently. As
the future gas supplies become questionable or expensive, proven and cost
effective coalbed methane is already available and new technologies
for thin-film solar PV, wind, improved energy storage options are advancing
rapidly. There is more energy available as methane hydrates than from all of
the fossil sources combined; however there are environmental issues to be
resolved if it is to be considered for use.
Higher energy prices have made use of methane from old
landfills and sewer
facilities cost effective, but Florida is increasingly
lagging behind in promotion and use of such measures that reduce pollution,
global warming, capital outflow, etc. while saving money. The methane can also
be used as an economic fuel for
vehicle
fleets
(which require conversion but can be done economically for school
bus fleets, Gov't fleets, etc.) While Florida in general
does not have much wind energy potential, the economics of wind energy on
offshore platforms to take advantage of the day/night sea breeze patterns need
to be considered. Likewise use of energy is showing promise in
test projects in other countries.
Solar water heaters and
solar pool heaters
are cost effective throughout most of
Florida. There have also been some promising breakthroughs recently
in solar collectors, solar
photovoltaics
,
concentrating solar
collectors, energy
efficient and low polluting
fuel cells
, heat pipes, desiccant cooling systems, storage batteries, and
vehicles powered by fuel cells, natural gas, methane, batteries charged by
electricity or solar photovoltaics or hydrogen, etc. Solar
photovoltaics with battery backup are cost effective in supply of electricity
to locations isolated from the electric grid.
Florida has both serious energy problems and many possible options
to deal with the problems. The task is to develop consensus on policies and
incentives which allow the most societally beneficent choices to be
made by government policy makers, government agencies, utilities, and the
public; while coordinating with and encouraging similar initiatives at the
Federal and International levels. One option that has been documented to be a
cost effective measure to save money, reduce fuel imports, reduce export of
capital, reduce the need for new power plants, and reduce pollution emissions
of most types is a measure to increase energy efficiency standards for
appliances. (See Energy Efficiency
links
)
Other Sources of Information:
Annual Report on
Activities Pursuant to the Florida Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act
Florida Energy
Office – Dept. of Agric.
K-12 public schools can apply for energy education kits designed to develop teamwork and problem-solving abilities, investigate environmental issues and gain hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills
Florida Counties Low-Income Residential Energy Efficient Grant
Program