Even Now… We Are Beginning To See Some Of The Effects Of These Changes

With manufacturing efficiencies rising in most sectors of our industry, energy

costs are also rising, negating much of these gains, producing net gain adjustments in the final costs of producing a product. As our fossil fuels become less and less available, renewable energy sources will have to increase in order to replace them along with our increased needs. We are seeing greater investments in renewable energy projects as we enter 2006, mainly because of the Renewable Energy tax incentives passed in late 2005. The transition to these new energy sources is not without some reactions…from those who live within earshot of a windmill farm. Their “whirring” noise can sometimes be somewhat annoying. Some “avian”(bird) losses are attributed to their encounters with the rotating blades. Windmill farms require massive landscaped areas in their construction.

Some land value is also lost…usually permanently in the process. Even some of our most prominent elected officials have voiced opposition to proposed Windmill Farms along our eastern seaboard shores because they would obscure some of our beautiful scenic views. It seems the only way to rebuke the nay Sayers and to convince them of the advantages of using Windmill Renewable energy…is for one to respond…”maybe when you turn away from the less than beautiful scenery produced by the offshore Wind farm, your lights will still be on as you enter your home.”

There will always be some who oppose change, but it is not as though the U.S. and the rest of the world has a choice in the matter. The prime reason is not because Fossil Fuel sources will run out tomorrow, but because…as they become less available because of dwindling reserves or supplier disruption (for whatever reason), market prices will rise, causing a ripple effect and promote a negative industry growth, both here and abroad.

Global warming seems by some to be only a passing phenomenon. To others, it’s a well established fact. Even a few years ago, there was very little talk about this ecological dilemma. It is now seen on much of the almost daily news, in major magazines, along with the “man on the street” conservation of the day and has also been made into a movie to promote the cause and to convince the world. Of course, anyone can just stroll through one of our larger industry laden cities here in the U.S. and sometimes cut the smog with a knife. It is not as though we are not dealing with the problem, but as we manage to cut 1 or 2 percent of the previous year’s pollution level, the same city increases its industrial pollution output by 2 or 3 percent more, thus negating the efforts in those areas. Because we are a nation of easy living and comfort where many of our chores are more and more being automated for us and with it requiring a greater expenditure of energy, it seems like a never ending battle.

What about the automotive industry ?

We must all admit one thing to be a fact, the automobile for the past 100 years has dominated the american means of transportation. It has slowly increased energy consumption from the beginning to where it must now be dealt with very seriously, lowering the amount of fuel used per mile for each car on the road. We are now mixing ethanol with our present gasoline in the present amount of about 10 %, but this is certainly going to increase in the near future. This will help decrease our present oil imports, but will it help reverse the thermal increase of our exosphere , built up over the many past decades ?

There Is One Thing All Of Mankind Cannot Deny…

In the last 100 years or so, we have certainly produced more heat per day from our daily needs than at any other time in the previous history of mankind. Today, it has been calculated that our total daily consumption of energy is approximately 95 quadrillion BTU. Since the approximate weight of the earth’s total atmosphere is close to 5 quadrillion metric tons, does it take a rocket scientist to extrapolate over time the effects this could have on the total change in temperature accrued since the time of the great industrial revolution ?

Does anyone have an idea for its reversal ?

Scientists are confident that we…the world can find a working solution and that the continued increase of late in the use of Solar, Wind, Geothermal, etc., renewable energy sources will both help reverse the accrued increase in global temperature along with a corresponding lowering in the global pollution levels, which are due to the byproducts released in the production of daily energy needs. There is one absolute truth about this dilemma, i.e.,…we all have to work together to help make it normal again and not wait until a time of convenience, or there may not be any more time…then.

For as long as most of us can remember, when a lamp in our household fizzled out, we just reached into our stock on the shelf somewhere and simply replaced it. We probably never gave any thought of the extra heat being produced while we were trying to keep the house cool during the hot summer months, or its long overdue need for change.

We are all, as of late, into the doldrums of an ever increasing energy crisis, not only here in America, but the whole world. We are rallying together to help find answers. Some have taken the road of ridding themselves of the overuse of fossil fuels and its consequential further polluting of our environment. Some are choosing to better insulate their homes, both eventually saving them money in the long run and lessening the future pollution. The auto industry is designing future cars that they hope will begin to curb the present trend, but right now it’s really only a pipe dream. It is certainly hoped that with everyone’s effort, each contributing a minute amount to lower our total global pollution. The question is…just what can we do to create the biggest energy lowering change with the least amount of effort ? The first culprit that comes to mind is the incandescent light bulb. One might respond, ” why not just get rid of the automobile ?” We can quickly see the consequences that would quickly create. But, one might also ask, “why choose this almost globally universal light source ?” If we were talking about this subject a few decades ago, our thoughts on this matter would be a lot different.

Why The Incandescent Light Bulb ?

The key reason is simple…inefficiency. Today, with Energy Star rating in dominance guiding our purchase of appliances, etc., it is no wonder our thoughts on energy consumption is beginning to be first on our minds in our daily life. Today, we also have available much more efficient light sources and though the cost per bulb is still quite a bit higher, the brightness for the amount of power consumed is much greater, which lowers our total energy requirements. Since the trend is to decrease energy use globally, something must be done and as quickly as possible if we are going to avert the possible consequences from the effects of the realities Global Warming. It has now been agreed by many of the world’s top experts in lighting engineering that there are other much more efficient lighting sources now available on the market, namely, the CFL’s, which are 4 times more efficient, and are a modified fluorescent lamp designed to replace the almost universally standard incandescent light bulb.

What Are The Facts ?

First of all, many people are not aware the the incandescent lamp produces almost 90 % of the energy used as heat, which is invisible to the human eye and emits about 10 % as visible light. Simply, a 100 watt light bulb gives off only 1/10 of the power consumed, as visible light, 9/10 as heat, probably only good for keeping hamburgers warm at a fast food restaurant. Another point to be made is that before the light bulbs in our traffic lighting system began being replaced with the newer Led cluster lamps in the late ’90s, we were paying 100 % of the energy costs for running the traffic lights…in taxes, but were only getting about 10 % in visible light usage. This went on for several decades. Something to think about.

Is Global Pollution The Real Issue?

In the past few years, we have been told by our government and some medical experts alike, that many of the fish in our oceans and especially in our lakes and streams contain very high levels of mercury and CFL pollutants and that we should refrain from eating fish more than 2 or 3 times a week, especially those of us who might be pregnant or are planning to have children and that some species of fish such as swordfish, even less frequently. Knowing one thing, that we all have been taught for many years that, fish in general, contains very large quantities of Omega 3 oils which many expert nutritionists agree are a must in the human diet for optimal body function. Some parents decades ago made sure that their young children were given ” cod liver oil “and ate fish for this simple purpose, as their pediatricians would generally recommend. This does not require any advanced “rocket science”as it does to research whether global warming is real or not. Pollution is also inherent within all of our soils and the air we breath. It should have by now become “simple” common sense that if we let the pollution of our world continue…we will not be around to see the results of this “inconvenient truth”.

Then What Should “The World” Do?

First, we must deal with the “root” of the issue,i.e., the basic cause of pollution, in general. Promote and fund the use of only Renewable sources of energy and cut back on the continued large scale use of fossil fuel sources, such as oil and coal. Unless we all work toward using less energy in the normal processes in living and performing all of our chores and in the manufacturing of products useful in our lives, we will quickly see the deterioration of human as well as other species upon this planet. One might then ask ? What can the individual do ? A simple thing like replacing a light bulb from incandescent to CFL, thus decreasing the energy use by a factor of four for that one light bulb will certainly begin the long climb back to a more unpolluted society. Of course, it will require a “Global” effort and not just the dedicated action of a single nation or continent.

It is good to be conscious about our daily use of the power we use, whether it be in the home or the gasoline we put in our automobile’s gas tank. As far as energy saving programs in the home, one just has to change all the power hungry incandescent lamps that are easily accessible with the latest CFL screw in type fluorescent lamps, because the CFL uses about 4 times less energy than the standard incandescent. Another way to save energy in the home is to turn down the thermostat two or three degrees in each zonal area. Of course, the way to compensate for the temperature adjustment is to increase the insulation in the attic or crawl space. You might even be able to leave the thermostat setting at the original temperature and still save the extra energy by just adding the extra insulation. Each of us has some control on our own dwelling, but what about the city or town you live in ?

All of us, many times have stopped at a traffic intersection with multiple red, green and yellow lights. We may not give it any notice or thought as we transit, but just before the turn of the 21st century, the lamps used were between 90 and 120 watts. Since then, they have slowly been replaced with a new lighting source called the LED lamp cluster. These new lamps now use as little as 1/10 the original power consumed by the incandescent lamp. That’s like cutting your heating costs of $ 1,000. a month down to $ 100. per month…a substantial savings.The traffic lighting intersections throughout the U.S. are still in the process of being retrofitted with these new LED lamps. Before this major change in our traffic lighting system, we were consuming hundreds of millions of watts of power and our cities and towns were spending millions in energy costs…being passed on to the consumer as is the case with all our nation’s services. We have been paying for this energy waste for decades.

Even The European Is Aware…

It is said that when an american tourist leaves their hotel at sign out, the lights are usually left on, something that would annoy the hotel owners, since they are left with the cost. It is not as though this is a standard american practice, but it is certainly noticed by the hotel owners. The average european is generally more energy conscious, we are told. Here in the U.S., the latest trend is that many college and university students are being given..for free, brand new CFL replacement lamps for their halogen light bulbs because some of the students would leave them on when they went out to visit a friend, or even for the weekend. There is an inherent danger using the halogen because they burn very hot, besides being power hungry and are a fire danger when left on and unattended.

It seems that the average american, though surely not the majority are not very “energy consumption” conscious. Being generally more affluent than the average european, we probably just figure, I have the money, why not spend it. The autos we drive are less gasoline efficient, something we are slowly beginning to change in our ways with the looming realities of Global Warming, it may just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.