Double-Digit Growth, Global Renewable Energy

[jpak]

http://www.technologynewsdaily.com/node/8756

Renewable energy use is growing much faster than 10% per year throughout the world, according to a new report from the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). Excluding large hydropower, the global electric generating capacity of renewable energy facilities reached 237 gigawatts (GW) this year, up 15% from last year. That's about 5.5% of the electric generating capacity throughout the world. At 93 GW, wind power provided about 40% of that renewable generating capacity; wind power capacity increased by 25% over 2006. Grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems reached 7.8 GW in capacity, a 56% increase, while the global production of photovoltaic systems reached 3.8 GW per year, a 52% increase over 2006.

Among non-electric renewable energy sources, solar hot water capacity increased by 17% to 121 thermal GW. Global ethanol production increased 16% to 11.6 billion gallons, while biodiesel production increased by a third to more than 2 billion gallons. The REN21 report estimates that global investment in renewable energy will exceed $100 billion in 2007, including $15-$20 billion invested in large hydropower facilities, at least $66 billion invested in other renewable energy facilities, $10-$12 billion invested in manufacturing plants for photovoltaic devices and biofuels, and $16 billion invested in public and private research and development. The full REN21 report will be published in January, but a pre-publication summary has been released in December, in time for the climate conference in Bali.

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[Systematic Chaos]

1. As I read this, a song enters my mind and now it won't leave.

It's from a CD I borrowed from the library a few years back by a band named Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. The song, which other than the chorus where they repeat the title a few times pretty much escapes me now though it really wasn't bad music.

The name of the song is "One Percent of One" which turns out to equal about 15% of 0.667. I'm being subtle, but work with me here. :evilgrin:

[greenman3610]

2. fortunately, our government is determined to protect us from the evils of

double digit growth, good jobs and prosperity.

[GliderGuider]

3. Where exactly do you think the world's current troubles came from?

That's right, from "double digit growth, good jobs and prosperity."

What do you think a "sustainable" civilization will look like?

Zero growth (well, actually with a period of severe contraction to begin with), lots of jobs digging in the dirt, and global poverty on a scale that beggars the imagination. Our piper's bill is a lot bigger than the one presented to the good burghers of Hamelin.

[kestrel91316]

4. The "global poverty" part depends on your perspective.

I do not consider a live lived smaller and more simply to be impoverishment of any sort.

Read this book, if you haven't already. It changed my life.
http://www.ecobooks.com/books/reasonablelife.htm

[GliderGuider]

5. I agree with you.

I doubt Dick Cheney does, though.

As a large part of the world drops below an income of less than $3 a day over the next 4 decades we will have plenty of opportunity to discover the point at which the deprivation of physical needs starts to interfere with happiness. Though I do think that level is a lot lower than most of us Westerners assume - look at Kerala for example.

[diane in sf]

6. Due to the process of ephemerilization described by Buckminster Fuller,

you can do more and more with less and less physical material and more embedded information. The progress made in microchips, starting to take place now with batteries, power generation from burning wood to the latest thin film solar and wind generators, the internet as a holder of information versus stone slabs and then stacks of books, are all examples.

Another interesting example is the integrated farm. Michael Pollan writes about Joel Salatin and his farm in his book The Omnivore's Dilemma, which uses practically no petroleum inputs. Janeen Benyus in her book, Biomimicry, writes about a Japanese farmer who slowly discovered how to work with the procession of growing things--plants and animals on his farm. He works much less than similar farmers for higher yields and with little petroleum input. Both of these farmers methods are gaining popularity here and abroad.

It is imperative that we work to make life decent for all humans by respecting nature's operating principles. This is a matter of enlightened self-interest.

[Dead_Parrot]

7. Trouble is...

Although humans have self-interest down to a fine art, Enlightenment is rather thin on the ground. Making life decent for all humans is about as likely as making a walrus play a ukulele.

Not saying we shouldn't try, of course. Anything's an improvement at this point.