ABSTRACT
Why a text on the Science of Green Energy?
Good question.
Studying green energy through science affords us the opportunity to not only grasp the pressing need for green (aka renewable) energy, but also the complicated task of developing viable energy sources for the future.
Regarding future energy needs, there is no question or doubt that we are facing an international crisis of unprecedented proportion. We are headed for a train wreck: the end of affordable and accessible petroleum products, and the resulting economic and political turmoil. Keep in mind that we not only need to replace liquid hydrocarbon fuels because the wells are almost dry, but also that we need to clean up the environment—we need to produce reliable green/renewable energy that will not destroy or pollute our fragile environment. Even though peak oil is here, and hydrocarbon energy resources are soon to be strained to the limit, and the train wreck of world economies collapsing will then move beyond a pending disaster to actual disaster itself, we need to follow Adrienne Rich’s perfect words and “dive into the wreck.” Simply, a substantial and reliable supply of green energy—a subset of renewable energy—is the wreck-preventer we need. That is, the train wreck can be avoided simply by pursuing emerging technologies that include making oil from garbage, algae, plastics, sewage, and agricultural and forestry biomass/waste to power fuel cells and full-sized plug-in diesel hybrid SUVs. Moreover, the development of these emerging technologies must be accompanied by advancements in solar, wind, and ocean technologies.
