Independent Guestatorial: Lean energy solutions

There is no such thing as paranoia. Your worst fears can come true at any moment.” – Hunter S. Thompson

Last week an Executive Order was signed at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with a peculiar title: “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth.” My worst fears came true, we were back in the past with no way out.

The signing ceremony was surreal. Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, Secretary of Interior, Ryan Zinke, EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, and a group of coal miners were on the stage. It looked like Saturday Night Live on “Coal Power Revolution” played by real people, setting the stage for another Executive Order.

Clean air, clean water, jobs for coal miners, energy innovation, energy growth, and many other words were mentioned at random, pretending to send a powerful message to the world. Little was said about economic growth, and nothing was said about the economic and environmental devastation caused by increased greenhouse emissions. What we saw was a group of climate deniers pretending to change reality with a magic pen. It was very depressing and hard to watch.

Why would Trump smile and lie to coal miners saying, “You are going back to work!” It seemed he was back on the campaign trail hoping to win West Virginia votes, attacking EPA and President Obama’s Clean Power Plan.

Once again, Trump is trying to solve the wrong problem. There is nothing Trump can do to change the market or the climate. Coal is long dead due to old inefficient thermal plants and high operational cost. The cost of coal energy per kilowatt-hour is higher than natural gas, wind, or solar systems.

Lean Energy Solutions

Lean Energy Solutions are waste-free, emission-free, simple, low-cost, good for all, scalable, using the best, right-sized technology. Lean solutions start with specific needs and involve the end-user. Like the leaves in a forest, each tree generates the necessary power to grow and survive and is part of a live ecosystem. Trees in a forest are not isolated sticks in the ground.

Energy efficiency with LED lights, conservation behavior, Tesla solar roofs with integrated solar tiles, Powerwall batteries, and plug-in electric vehicles like the Chevy Bolt are examples of lean energy solutions.

The U.S. grid, a random collection of poles and wires, controlled remotely by power pool operators, is based on flawed assumptions. The grid tries to provide energy to all users, pretending the demand is unknown and unmanageable. To service the load, the grid uses large remote power plants designed to run 24/7 at full tilt, with excess power on the grid and fast generation plants to meet peak demand.

Several energy storage technologies are now available, a new, fast growing industry. The U.S. has most of the patents and mass manufacturing technologies. The best-known operation is the Tesla Gigafactory making lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, home and community solar power systems, and the grid.

Having storage on the grid will eliminate the waste of over-generation and standby power plants. Grid storage will simplify the integration of wind and solar energy. When the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow, distributed generation with grid storage will increase grid reliability. This is what Rick Perry should have said when he promised clean air and water.

Energy storage will provide thousands of high-paying, safe jobs; it will be worth tens of billions of dollars in revenue within a decade. Rick Perry needs to learn about energy storage and stop dreaming of coal.

New solid-state cells use glass electrodes, sodium instead of lithium, have three times as much energy density as lithium-ion batteries. Hydrogen based storage systems and fuel cells used by Honda and Toyota are other alternatives.

Once again, Trump wants to eliminate EPA proven regulations with nothing to replace them. The Clean Power Plan has already reduced greenhouse emissions, and it has the support of industry leaders and all rational people. Protecting our forests and soil, and planting as many trees as we can, are part of the Climate Response. God willing, we will prevail.

Dr. Luis Contreras