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As I look out of my office window across the expanse of I-94 in St. Paul I can’t help but notice the large bank of solar collection panels installed on a building across the highway. Positioned at 70 degrees to catch the sun’s rays beaming down, this array of collectors was installed a few years ago on the roof of a small office building in the Midway area of St. Paul. Because it is within my view, I notice how our daily weather changes affect the status of this solar collection station.
Throughout the year there are cloudy days, a few bright sunny days, many rainy days and there are days when the collectors are covered with snow. My observation is that much of the time there is no electricity being generated by these collectors. But recently, I have seen something very different…the solar collectors have been covered with plastic. Plastic, you ask, why?
Well several weeks ago there was a hail storm…seems that solar collectors and hail storms don’t mix well. I don’t know how long the repair of the solar generating panels will take or if the owner has solar collector insurance, all I know is that the panels maybe basking in the warm July sun, but they aren’t generating any electricity.
When looking out my window at my neighbors solar panels, I can’t help but reflect on the words of renewable energy pundits who babble on and on about how wind and solar energy can power our economy in the 21st century. These renewable energy pundits could do more to help solve the world’s energy needs by working from their homes one day a week rather than their pontificating that the U.S. will soon be producing massive amounts of solar energy.
How can someone who isn’t a scientist, or a PhD educated engineer refute their predictions? Simple, it’s called real life experience. I have spent 40 years in the energy business at the retail level; i.e. selling heating and cooling equipment. This may not sound like much of an education on energy policy, but from my high school science project on solar collectors, to observing Honeywell’s failed attempts to produce and sell solar collectors in the 1970s. I have witnessed first hand the challenges of change in Americans energy consumption. Recently, I ventured into trying to sell passive solar products, while watching areas of the country endure massive blackouts. The truth is we are energy addicts.
Someday we may be able to effectively harness the sun’s power but to think, hope or dream that the days of large quantity solar power lies just ahead is an illusion. Affirming my thoughts, last week the U.S. Energy Information Administration released a report on world wide energy consumption for the next 25 years. The report estimates that world energy consumption will grow by more than 50 percent. Much of the increased consumption will come from rapidly developing countries such as China and India. But even in highly developed countries, the energy demand is expected to grow by 19%. The agency included a scenario for oil prices to reach $186 a barrel by 2030, something we could see within a year at the current trend. But even with these prices the prediction maintains there will still be increased demand. The report also states that electric generation will nearly double by 2030 with most of the increased capacity coming from coal and natural gas.
The report’s conclusion is that in developing countries energy consumption is likely to double and even with conservation efforts here in the U.S., energy demand will continue to grow at a rapid rate.
We all realize that the days of cheap energy are behind us, but let’s not imagine that we can sustain our economy on the fool hardy premise that we can satisfy our massive energy needs with wind and solar power. I saw first hand how difficult it was to sell a high efficiency gas furnace in the 1980s and today I know the challenge of promoting the energy conservation. Over the last forty years, I have seen hundreds of energy saving products flop in the market place. Changing our energy consumption habits will be a long and difficult path, but one thing is clear…it is time for our politicians to quit basking in the sun about renewable energy and face the reality that America needs all the fossil fuel energy it can get. We should drill, dig, explore and recover everything we can, if we want to maintain our current standard of living.
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