Ecoblogi – A Blog by Daniel Elkama

Two renewable energy sources are clearly above the others: solar power and wind power. They are the cleanest and cheapest ways to generate electricity. They are up to 10x cheaper than nuclear power and much cheaper than fossil fuels. Weather-based electricity is an endless and completely circular circular economy. Fossil and nuclear power are linear and environmental problems are focused on the beginning and end of production: mines and oil wells that pollute the environment and destroy ecosystems, as well as pollution and nuclear waste following combustion. They are always limeary, and not enough to last forever. With these prospects, my career will end in 30 years at the latest. The fossil fuel economy is completely unsustainable: currently the whole world is burning due to climate change and 7-10 million people die from air pollution every year.

In addition to solar and wind energy, hydrogen is needed. Hydrogen is burned when there is no wind or sun. Hydrogen is made from water, and only water vapor is emitted from it, which returns to the sea as rain. Hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of seawater in connection with offshore wind farms with energy obtained from the wind when there is an oversupply of wind. Hydrogen is transported to the continent, for example, along old oil and gas pipelines. In the future, new wind turbines and also solar panels will be manufactured with the power of hydrogen, and thus climate emissions will be brought close to zero. Nowadays, there is little need for rare earth metals for wind turbines or solar panels, and the steel required by wind turbines can be recycled 100% in a circular economy. The production of solar panels mainly requires silicon from quartz, which is obtained from sand. The environmental impact of quartz mines is minimal.

The pallets of wind turbines can also be recycled. The Finnish forest giant Stora Enso has developed recyclable shovels made of wood. Fiberglass pallets can be recycled into concrete, which can be used, for example, in the foundations of new wind turbines. This was originally a Finnish innovation. Thanks to the circular economy, it is possible to get close to zero emissions in terms of wind and solar power. In wind and solar power, emissions are mostly only generated during the construction phase.

The first windmills were developed in Iran around the 4th century, and the Scottish professor James Blyth, who developed the first wind turbine, was developed from them as early as 1887. The first solar panels were also developed in the 1880s, and already in 1913, the world's first solar power plant was built in Cairo, with an output of 88,000 W, which was huge at that time . A large detached house today consumes about 5,000 W of electricity. Today, there is already twice as much wind power as nuclear power. The capacity of wind power is 850 GW and nuclear power 400 GW. The solar power capacity is more than 650 GW. Thus, solar power and wind power account for more than 10% of the world's electricity production. Hydropower is the most renewable. And the number of relapses is increasing exponentially. We are entering a new era. Electric transport will need much more renewable energy capacity. There are already two countries in the world that get 100% of their energy from renewable energy sources: Iceland and Costa Rica. What's most amazing is that China, where 1.4 billion people live, gets 6% of its electricity from solar power. Each country has its own most reasonable combination of renewable energy, for example Iceland and Costa Rica use a lot of geothermal energy.

A new miraculous experiment conducted by scientists was where they managed to transfer electricity from a solar panel in space to the Earth as microwaves and with this electricity they managed to light two LED lights. Space and the sun are an endless source of energy.

Don't be afraid of new technology. Most of the time, fear is pointless and based on people's psychology and imagination. Many people are naturally afraid of everything new and perceive new things as a threat. This doesn't make sense. When radio was invented 120 years ago, people were afraid that radiation would fill the world and kill people. Today we know that long and low-energy radio waves are completely harmless. When the first steam train was invented, people feared that its speed (40 km/h) was dangerous. When the first film screening was shown, the audience fled the theater because they were afraid of the train on the big screen. It is true that sometimes new technology can be dangerous, like asbestos was thought to be a miracle substance in the 60s and was used in construction until it was realized that it causes lung cancer. However, today science is so advanced that we know, for example, the effects of almost all chemicals. The safety of products and technology is closely monitored in Western countries, especially in the EU region. In a large part of the rest of the world, supervision is insufficient. In the West, the principle of "the best possible technology" is used. Technology must therefore be developed to be as safe and environmentally friendly as possible.

However, there are always Don Quixotes who fight windmills or new technology with their ignorance. These "heroes" spread lies and disinformation, partly knowingly, and falsify statistics to suit their own use. No scientific study says that wind power destroys a lot of forest or that wind power is harmful to animals such as birds. No study by the University of Helsinki claims this. Wind turbines kill very few birds, as evidenced by thousands of observation visits. Up to a thousand times more birds die in traffic, killed by cats, crashing into windows, and due to agriculture and forestry. Those who are afraid of wind power spread false myths.

However, it is great to see how renewable energy, especially wind and solar power, is increasing exponentially all over the world. In Finland, new capacity was built in 2022 up to +41%. Now the capacity is even more than 5 GW. Solar power plants of up to 1 GW are also planned for Finland. They can be placed ecologically on wastelands, old fields, on the roofs of halls and warehouses, etc. Many shopping centers run completely thanks to the panels installed on their roofs. Small wind power and solar panels can be placed on the roofs and yards of private houses. One 10,000 W power plant is about 1.5 m high and produces plenty of electricity. The price is only around €2,000. This is self-sufficient energy, and there is no need to fear blackouts when the power lines are down. In general, it would make sense to build self-sufficient and separate regional electricity grids controlled by smart technology.

Lappeenranta University of Technology, together with other universities, conducted a study in 2022, according to which all energy can be produced globally with renewable forms of energy production and hydrogen technology in the 2040s. In this case, all traffic also runs on electricity and hydrogen. Link to the study below.

Windmills have won the battle against the "donquijotes". Reason and science have overcome humanity's primal irrational fears. Science, especially natural science, is the one that, together with ethics, humanism and philosophy, should lead us to a brighter tomorrow. Science enables us to create utopia and a better future.

Daniel Elkama, environmental scientist

https://www.lut.fi/en/news/researchers-agree-world-can-reach-100-renewable-energy-system-2050

World’s oldest wind power plant from the year 1887

The growth of wind power capacity in Finland