alternative energy

Frances Whittelsey

Frances Whittelsey — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:02:22 -0700

S.W. Ela

S.W. Ela — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:27:04 -0700

Decline and Fall of America's Energy Empire

Sara Robinson — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:21:49 -0700

The current debate over offshore oil leases has put America's gargantuan energy appetite back on the discussion table this week. I've tried to stay out of it so far for two reasons.

The first is that (here comes the full disclosure) I married into a family that's been making its modest fortune in the oil patches of the American West for over a century, so there's some personal interest at stake here. (The upside: I've got a box seat from which to report on at least some of the festivities.) The second is that as a futurist — trained in America's oil center, Houston, no less — I take a much longer and systemic view of the situation. And that view gives my thinking about our energy future a rather different shape and direction.

For the bigger context on what's happening, we need to think in centuries, not just decades. There's a lot to this view — this article admittedly oversimplifies a lot, and bypasses a few important issues entirely — but that just means there's plenty more to discuss in future posts. For now, some basics.

Energy and Empire

The bottom line is this: All empires are built on vast amounts of energy. And no great empire in history has ever come to power without controlling and dominating the market in whatever the current preferred energy resource was at the time.

University of Toronto futurist Thomas Homer-Dixon lays out the argument in The Upside of Down, which I recommend to anyone seeking to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between energy and economic and political power. He carefully builds the argument that Rome rose on its ability to harness vast amounts of Mediterranean sunshine, turn it into food, and then reliably move that food around the empire to feed vast numbers of soldiers, builders, and horses and thus consolidate its regime. When that system failed, the empire crumbled.

Likewise, the Dutch built their short-lived empire on the ability to supply oil for Europe's lanterns. They were supplanted by England, which was able to supply better, cheaper fuel out of its vast coal resources. British dominance lasted until a rising America turned out to have unimaginable amounts of coal, which allowed it to undercut the British pound as the world's most stable currency — and outperform the UK economically.

And then came oil, which was soon preferred to coal because it proved to be a far more efficient (hence, cleaner and cheaper) and versatile fuel. You could get far more energy output from a smaller unit (coal's comparative inefficiency made it impractical for small vehicles like cars, for example) and with far less effort; and you could turn it into far more different kinds of products -- not just fuel, but plastics, fertilizers, wonder drugs, and much more.

As the world moved toward oil at the beginning of the last century, the UK — eager not to lose out again — made an early bid for the oil fields of Arabia. But North America counted among its original blessings more oil reserves than any other continent on the planet; and that, argues Homer-Dixon, was decisive. Unable to compete, the British Empire faded, and the American Century began.

But controlling the energy taps isn't the whole equation. To build the boon into a full-fledged empire, a country needs to create and export a whole infrastructure, a new and more productive way of life, based on the energy resources they control. The English built the first coal-fired railroads, ignited the Industrial Revolution with coal furnaces and steam power, and built a fleet of great ships that ran on coal oil. These, in turn, powered their global trading network and their military. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain developed a complex and tightly interrelated technological, political, and economic system that established the pound as the global currency standard, and the Brits as lords of everything they touched.

In the 20th century, America repeated the feat. We built oil-fueled cars, power plants, farms and factories; and then exported that technology to client states all over the world. The American dollar, backed by control of both the world's oil and most of the technology that made it useful, became the global currency standard. Powered by oil, we became the richest nation in history — so permeated with the stuff that very few of us can even see the degree to which we're soaking in it, let alone really grasp the fact that almost all of the wealth we have originally flowed out of the ground as crude.

Regime Change Begins At Home

Homer-Dixon also points out another, more sober lesson. It's never happened that an empire that built its wealth on one energy resource also succeeded in dominating the next resource that supplanted it. Human nature being what it is, societies that are deeply invested in the current energy regime tend to fall into denial when that regime comes to its natural end — either because it simply runs out, or because it's superceded by something even more efficient and versatile. People can't believe things won't go on as they always have, or imagine that life could be any different. They shut their eyes to looming trouble, ignore the signs of impending doom, and refuse to make any reasonable plans to navigate the coming changes.

In the meantime, as old system falls apart, someone hungrier and more nimble finds a way to capitalize on a new, more efficient energy resource. And so old empires die, and new ones rise to take their places.

Put it in this perspective, and it becomes obvious that when we talk about running out of oil, we're not just talking about higher prices or low-carbon lifestyles or making an easy transition to something else that America (we like to think) will also dominate. When we fully grasp the foundational role oil played in securing America's wealth and global power, it becomes obvious that when we talk about moving off oil, we're really talking about nothing less than the demise of American power throughout the world, and the end of the American Way of Life as we've known it for generations.

That's serious stuff. But it's the truth that provides the backdrop for everything else that's going on right now. Against this larger process, it's easier to see that the dollar is weakening because our control over the whole oil economy that has supported its value for the past century is in serious trouble — and that we won't be out of financial danger until we can base on the dollar's value on something other than oil. Our political stature is tanking because the world doesn't need to kiss up to us anymore to keep the cars running and the lights on — and it won't rise again until we find something else of equally high value to offer. Our standard of living is falling because it always floated on a sea of oil — and that sea is drying up. Oil prices are high not because of market manipulations and oil company profit-taking (though plenty of oil economists are sure that's part of the story, too); they're high because the whole system is destabilizing, heading for a major tipping point.

There may be brief reprieves, rallies, and respites over the next few years; but over the long haul, we shouldn't assume that "normal" as we've known it will ever be coming back.

Even before 9/11, the Bush Administration has always had a sense of panicked desperation about it — a desperation we've usually attributed to conservative revolutionary zeal, religious fanaticism, or free-market fundamentalism. But it's also plausible to interpret some of this as the desperation of people who were tasked with protecting the American empire by keeping the oil taps open and under control at any cost — and who know, deep in their guts, that time is running out.

The Project for a New American Century's stated strategy for maintaining the American superpower in the face of a rising China was to invade and dominate the Middle East, and thus control China's access to oil for the next several decades. That was the intended long-term payoff of the Iraq War: control the oil, and thus control the world. In their minds, if we have to bankrupt the country, tear up the Constitution, and piss off every other country in the world along the way, it's worth it — since they know we're not worth a damn economically or politically without the oil anyway. Sure, the means are ugly; but according to their view of the ends, there's simply no alternative — and no other possible future worth discussing. They don't care if we hate them now, because they're convinced we'll thank them in 20 years for having the statesmanlike foresight to do what had to be done.

(Blame it on too much time in the oil patch. That toxic elixer of crude and money so easily goes to one's head....)

This perspective also provides some extra context for why locally-based power generation, like on-site or community wind and solar, are political non-starters for energy execs and their government minions. It's obvious that they hate it because they can't take profit from it; but they also know that America's global hegemony depends on keeping the world dependent on energy supplies they control. Since nobody can capture a monopoly on the wind or the sun, there's no way to build the next global empire on them. And therefore, renewables simply aren't very interesting to people whose first priority is geopolitical dominance and stratospheric profit.

The Long View

From this 10,000-foot view, it's easy to interpret the political spats and economic machinations and deal-making and climate debates and regional wars — the whole parade that dominates the news now — as simply opening acts in a long transition that could end up taking most of this century. Unless a) we discover vast new reserves on a globe that's been already explored from pole to pole (unlikely) and b) we come up with dramatic new evidence proving conclusively that climate change isn't a problem after all (even less likely), then the hard fact is: We will be spending the next several decades moving off oil.

It's going to be the most important work of this century. And Americans can either get out in front of this change and come out of it at the century's end with much of their greatness intact — or continue to fight it, and end up as another of history's has-beens.

Meeting this challenge means we're going to have to get very smart, very fast, about a lot of things.

• First, we need to accept that this change is happening, and start having serious conversations about how we're going to handle it. The Bush Administration's denial has already cost us eight valuable years. It's an understatement to say that the longer we avoid the issue, the worse the transition will be.

• Second, we need to stay mindful of the horrific pitfalls. The unimaginable grimness of the worst-case scenarios alone should be enough motivation to get and keep us talking.

Even the most-likely-case scenarios are disturbingly short on sunshine and roses. Historically, energy transitions (involving, as they do, the collapse of vast economic and political systems) have never happened smoothly. Rome fell so hard that it took a thousand years for anything like it to rise again. The stable world order held together by the British coal empire shattered apart in two vast world wars and another dozen colonial revolutions (some of which still aren't resolved decades later). It's not unreasonable to expect similar disruptions as the American oil empire begins to unravel. It's not going to be pretty.

When complex economic systems fail, they almost always fail catastrophically, leaving vast numbers of displaced, disoriented and righteously angry people in their wake. Bad economic and environmental decisions get made. Critical issues are ignored, or abandoned due to lack of resources. If folks get desperate enough for security, it's entirely likely that they'll reorganize into feudal kingdoms or even warlord-run clans, as has already happened in too many Middle Eastern countries in the wake of war. Restoring these lost democracies can take generations. Much of that risk can be averted — but only if we're aware of the potential for trouble, and start figuring out how to deal with it now.

• Third, an important part of that planning will involve taking stock of the carbon-based resources remaining to us, and figure out how to best invest them to smooth the way to the next era. We can use that remaining margin of oil to rebuild walkable cities, construct next-generation energy infrastructure, and install electric transit. We can leverage it to repave the world with agrichar, restoring millions of acres of arable land, creating a vast new carbon sink, and eliminating the need for petroleum-based fertilizers in the bargain. We will still be able to afford to run oil-fueled bulldozers and trucks and ships for a while yet. Let's use them wisely while we can.

• Fourth, "globalization" may take on a whole new meaning, one that's more about global governance than global trade. Executing transition plans necessarily means empowering planet-wide organizations that have the ability to make and enforce the rules. We've already done this on a limited scale in the CFC treaties, international non-proliferation efforts, and so on. But navigating a transition of this magnitude is going to force us to take the whole idea of global government to the next level. (Can't you hear the far right howling about this already?)

Creating these new powers will raise all kinds of hard questions about national sovereignty and the rights of the global collective. In the end, we may revisit the meaning and purpose of government, and perhaps create entirely new forms of government that better balance local needs against global goals.

What's Next?

Over the next decade, some of the most heated political battles of all will be pitched over questions like: Who wins the next round? What new energy regime will rise in place of oil? What countries will take the lead? What price will they exact? What corporations will profit? How do we make sure that the new energy order is more sustainable, just, and humane than the one that's soon to be past?

We can discuss possible answers to those questions in other posts. (This one's already long enough.) In general, I'm keeping an open mind. James Kunstler says that we're looking at the inevitable End Of The World As We Know it — but I see that as an absolute worst-case scenario, and far from the most likely one. The people who say we'll invent our way out of it have a somewhat better claim. We're well aware by now that all technologies come with a cost; but there are also a great many promising ideas already floating around out there, and we've barely started looking. Who knows what we'll find when we get serious about the search?

But the evidence is now overwhelmingly supporting the idea that the Age of Oil — and an American empire built on oil — is coming to an end, and there is no turning back. The small debates we're having today are the opening strains of a change process that most of us probably won't live to see the end of; but the choices we make now will have long-term reverberations down the century as that process unfolds.

And the conservatives who continue to distract us from that reality and commit atrocities in the name of maintaining an unsustainable status quo and "securing our future" are, in fact, setting us up for a decline of historic proportions. The future they want for us is no longer possible — or even desirable. When the century is over, we may not be an empire anymore -- but do have the choice to become a different kind of force for good in the world. The sooner we recognize that the 20th Century is over and that the 21st Century will demand different things of us, the sooner we can get on with remaking ourselves to fit the new era ahead.

Majority of states have wind farms

Anita Chariw2 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:47:16 -0700

Currently, thirty-four states have wind farms.

Ron Spross

Ron Spross — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:24:15 -0800

Paul Roden

Paul Roden — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:04:26 -0800

Management and interpersonal skills training professional working at a Catholic University. Married with two child, a girl in her second year at college and a son, who is a sophomore in high school. Part time political activist working to change the Democratic Party and the government and policies of the United States for a more just and sustainable world.

Robert Colee

Robert Colee — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:22:10 -0800

Robert Raymond Colee
7216 Williams Rd...
Flowery Branch, GA. 30542
Voice (770)965-34444 Cell (678) 887-2216 bobcolee@yahoo.com
global33.net
colee.us
robot.global33.org
global33.org
myspace.com/robertcolee
myspace.com/whitelightmagicshow/
globalmarine.us
geocities.com/bobcolee

Note: This is my “master resume”, reflecting my life work, to date. Since it is not uncommon for me to have worked in several jobs at the same time, I realize that it may be difficult for your Human Resources branch to fit me into any narrow category.

OBJECTIVE: A leadership position in a fast-paced technologically supported environment.

Technological generalist - Familiar with taking any product
through its life cycle including engineering, procurement of raw
materials, manufacturing, testing, re-work, quality control,
scheduling and marketing.

Hands on experience from a managerial, engineering
and technicians viewpoint.

EXPERIENCE:

Alternate Energy - Familiar with: Solar Voltaic, Solar Thermal, P.E.M. Fuel Cell, Biomas, Zero Point Energy, Back Up Generators/Alternators, U.P.S., Closed Loop Systems.

Web Master: Created and maintained a number of corporate and other web sites.

Operations Manager: Responsible for a balanced ecology both company and client, crew leader, estimations, bids, hands on tree removal, planting, landscaping, erosion control, vehicle maintenance, logistics, electrical maintenance, QuickBooks, translation to Spanish, collections and any other duties in the realm of a company Operations Manager with hands on management style.

Senior Wireless Consultant: Responsible for customer support and sales,
Trade Show and Convention Executive

Chief Executive Officer: Implemented and oversaw complete environment including, but not limited to, purchasing, sales, advertising, inventory control, point of purchase, financing, shipping and receiving, accounting, computer integration, security, staffing and all other corporate management duties, at a variety of locations. Adept at generating sales, customer goodwill, and return business.

Managerial: Maintained corporate office positions at various times, with a number of companies, over the last 26 years. Responsible for hiring, recruiting, setting policies and procedures in industrial and retail locations. Directed and oversaw a number of successful projects, from conception to completion.

Telecommunications: Have been involved in radio, television, telephone, fax, cellular, computer integration, supercomputer and e-commerce. Well versed in sales, site survey, manufacture, systems integration and technical support.

Sales: Adept at Cold Call, Business to Business, Consumer, and Government sales, in Industrial, Retail and Wholesale. Has personally sold over $20M in lifetime.

Mechanical: Trained in repair and rebuilding of transportation systems, including aerospace, automotive, motor sports and marine craft.

Electro-mechanical: Excelled at numerous aspects of hydraulics, pneumatics, avionics, power generation, solar, reciprocating and gas/turbine engines, generators, alternators and A.G.E. air conditioning/ heating systems.

Aerospace: Mastered various facets of quality control, research and development, pilot skills, electrical, mechanical and avionics. Oversaw and directed projects such as: research and development of YF-22 aircraft HUD control box SMT manufacture procedures, various bids in conjunction with U.S.A.F. Warner Robins AFB Defense Logistics Command, brokerage of Russian air craft and space craft, defense conversion recommendations for the operation of Russian IL-76 aircraft to operate in U.S. and other International airspace. Support of avionics equipment for use in museum aircraft. Access to N.A.S.A. and D.O.D. data bases and technical support. Coordinated with many U.S. and foreign government agencies to allow use of Russian aircraft in U.S. civil airspace.

Construction: trim, painting, roofing, gutters, electrical, plumbing, repairs, landscaping, bobcat, chipper, solar power, retrofit, refurbish, floor, pressure wash, tree removal, tree planting, terraforming, repairs, decks, stairs, punch, recycling.

Industrial: Initiated production and directed others in manufacturing and remanufacturing environments, building prototypes, production and lab fixtures, coordinated quality control, calibration, test, rework, and drafting of electronic, electrical and mechanical equipment including CATSCAN X-Ray and telecom.

Teaching: Instructed technology students and trained technical workers in various aspects of electronics, computers, robotics, telephony, manufacturing and component level circuit repair.

Personal and Creative: Conceptualized and created own telecommunications company which became a pioneer in re-manufacturing of Hitachi PABX telephone systems, EX-Soviet Union (Primarily Russia) trade relations, E-Commerce, and defense conversion. Global Communications Group Inc. has been successful for 10+ years.

Related Skills: Well versed in most areas of engineering relating to high technology, telecommunications and Precision Measurement Equipment Lab fixtures. Specializing in PABX telephone equipment, TVRO Space Satellite Communication and Two way Radio/Wireless Communications (i.e. AM, FM, SSB, CW, Satellite Telephone and Cellular). I was responsible for the creation and maintenance of more than 500 web sites. Familiar with Windows, DOS, Linux, ICQ, QuickBooks, HTML, Delrina, Word Perfect, Adobe, Norton, SPLH, CPM, RPG and most Microsoft products.

Research and Development: I participated in research & development for a telecommunications project, in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Some of my research is in a paper I wrote and delivered to interested parties, in Harvard University. Much of my research and development was done in conjunction with Northern Telecom, Bell South Corporation, AT&T, R.C.A., Magnavox/Hughes, and many other Telephone Interconnect companies. Feedback from the interconnect companies, the United States Government and the Government of the Russian Federation were used in President Clintons "Information Super Highway" speech. This led to the "Telecommunications Act" of 1996.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

President/C.E.O., Global Communications Group., D.B.A., "Global Supercomputer", Global Properties, Global Marine, Global Robotics, Global Energy 2001-Present
Operations Manager, Perkins Tree & Landscape Mgt./North Atlanta Tree Services 2002
Construction, Global Projects, D.B.A. "Handymen" 2002-Present
Construction, Metro Painting, 2002-Present
Real Estate Pre-Appraisal, Home Providers Inc. 2001-2002
Senior Wireless Communications Consultant, WorldCom, Atlanta Georgia. U.S.A. 2001
C.F.O.; Chandler Telecom, Inc. 1998 - 2001
C.F.O., Chandler Motorcycles Inc. 1998-2001
Director of Research and Development, Global Telecom Inc. 1998-1999
President; Global Communications Group, Inc. 1990 - 2002
Engineer, PMEL; Healthdyne Industries 1990
Electronics Instructor; Interactive Learning Systems 1990-91
Electronics Instructor; Total Technical Institute 1988-89
Plant Engineer; Hitachi America Ltd. 1984-90
Partner, Mark Krell Properties 1983-1990
Sales, Installation Engineer; Earth Station Satellite Systems 1983-84
Sales, Installation Engineer; Home Microwave Receiver 1982-83

Supervisor Electronic Sub-assemblies; Synergetics 1980-82
Marine Technician, Bills Sunrise Marina 1979-1980
Real Estate Investor, Robert Colee Enterprises 1978-Present
Construction Worker, Barron Construction 1977
Rock and Roll Producer, "White Light Magic Show" Rock Opera 1977-Present
Amusement Worker, Degglar Magic Midway 1977-1979
Solar Power, The Farm Commune 1976
President; Systems Marketing Corporation 1976-93
Secretary Treasurer, Superbikes, Inc. 1971-75
Account Executive, Wheels and Deals Magazine Inc. 1975-1976
President, Motorcycles and Things 1971-1975
Technician, Streits Honda 1971
Aerospace Ground Support of Aircraft on Nuclear Alert Duty; U.S.A.F. 1966 - 1970
Technician, Hudson Pulp and Paper/Georgia Pacific 1966

EDUCATION (Formal and Continuing):

2004 Exopolitics Institute Washington - D.C. - US
National Association of Home Inspectors Certification
12/2004 Real Estate Training Academy Certification Atlanta - GA - US
Harvard University - Russia: A Crash Course and Orientation
Federal Emergency Management Agency - Radiological Monitoring
Civil Air Patrol (U.S.A.F.A.) - Air Search and Rescue School, Corporate Learning Course, Radiological Monitoring and Radio Operators Course.
Skill path Seminars - First things First
Interactive Learning Systems Instructor Certification
Total Technical Institute Instructor Certification
2/1988 Hitachi, America HD200 PABX Telephone Norcross - Ga. - US
Hitachi, America - Line and Trunk Card Repair DX, and HD-200 PABX
Brenau University - Information Technology
1976 Knight Foundation -Theology D.D.
Santa Fe Community College-Para-Psychology
University of Florida - Advertising and Marketing
University of Florida - Electrical engineering
St. John's Community College - AA Engineering
USAF Air University Aerospace Ground Support
1967-1968 Air University Aerospace Ground Support Technology 42153 Torrejon, A.B. - Torrejon - Spain
1969-1970 Air University Certification Kinchloe, A.F.B. Michigan - U.S.A.
1966 USAF AIR UNIVERSITY Aerospace Ground Equipment Support Chanute A.F.B. - IL.
University of Maryland Spanish Washington - D.C.
Capitol Radio Engineering Institute 75% College Course work Completed towards A.S. Degree Communication Engineering Technology Washington - D.C.

INTERESTS, ACTIVITIES and ACHIEVEMENTS:

- Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

- American Air Museum of Britian

- American Radio Relay League

- Atlanta Amateur Radio Society

- Atlanta Systems Operator Society

- Civil Air Patrol

- Ham Radio Operator K4NKD 1960-1997

- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

- International Who's Who of Professionals

- National Space Society

- Over 40 years of electronic experience

- Planetary Society

- Secret Clearance from U.S.A.F.

- Who’s Who in U.S. Executives