Thursday, January 30, 2025

Green Quirk Part 1: Introduction--Permanent Solutions For a Healthy Environment

 

                                                                                                                                    Image: AdobeStock


Green Quirk part 1

Introduction: permanent solutions for a healthy environment

The five renewable energy sources; hydro, biomass, wind, solar, and geothermal are the main alternative energy sources to electric power produced from fossil fuels and nuclear-powered generating stations. The renewables are much cleaner but biomass burning has issues with environmental contamination, mainly air quality.

Fossil fuel burning, as we know, has a very high ecological footprint because of various pollutants released into the environment. Nuclear, although clean, produces radioactive wastes and has the potential to release radioactive contamination lasting for millions of years (Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Three Mile Island).

Wind turbines and solar panels are inefficient for a large-scale electrical grid system that requires a continuous reliable source of electricity. Solar and wind are very expensive and not very cost-effective since the sun doesn’t shine every day, and windless days are common even on the prairies.

In 2025 the most efficient solar panel available to the public was 22.8% efficient and that of wind turbines is roughly 20-45%. Dust, snow, and ice build-up further reduced the efficiency of solar panels. The panels have to be replaced every 25-30 years and are 94-96% recyclable. If the solar cells are disposed of in landfills chemical pollution (Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide, Cadmium Telluride, Cadmium Hallium (di)Selenide, Hexafluoroethane, Lead, Polyvinyl Fluoride) can become an environmental hazard. Modern wind turbines have a life expectancy averaging 20 years, and the 15% that can’t be salvaged end up in the landfill. Solar and wind farms are open to the destructive influence of hail and strong winds, and they take away the allure from the landscape.

Biomass and biofuel-burning electric generating stations have been sold to the public as a clean renewable green energy solution to coal and are popular in the US, Canada, and Europe. Biomass burning consumes millions of acres of forests annually coming from forests mainly in Canada, Indonesia, and South America. The forestry companies export chips or pellets worldwide to biomass-burning plants for a clean and efficient burn. However, some biomass facilities burn green and damp trees producing temperatures below the optimal level which is generally around 600C or higher. To raise the temperatures some US plants supplement the biomass with natural gas, tire chips and old creosote and PCP (pentachlorophenol) treated railroad ties. Some biomass power stations in eastern US cities are garbage incinerators. This leaves one to question whether biomass burning is actually green. The response to this question must consider the extensive destruction of forests, displacement of indigenous people in South America and elsewhere, endangerment and extinction of wildlife, and health hazards caused by air pollution. This is the opposite of what has been sold to the public. What exactly is renewable Green Energy? How serious is the concern about the environment? Is Green Energy just another exploitative capitalist tool creating corporate shareholder value and making a few people extremely rich?

There are more challenges to the extensive electrical grid infrastructure. The system is vulnerable to solar activity, heavy frost, ice, aging, wildfires, and hurricanes. The cost-effectiveness of the grid is affected by the reduced electrical power loss during transmission. The power loss occurs when electrical energy is converted into heat because of the resistance in the transmission lines and this loss can be significant over long distances. The repair and maintenance costs of this elaborate system are millions and billions of dollars.

Another challenge to the grid system is periodic major and even smaller solar events. Examples are, Solar Cycle 10 or the Carrington Event of September 1 &2, 1859 where a major solar geomagnetic storm caused sparking and even fires in telegraph stations. On July 23, 2012, a larger and possibly stronger solar disturbance than the Carrington Event, missed Earth by roughly 9 days. The Quebec Blackout of 1989 was caused by a significant solar storm resulting in a massive outages caused by transformer failure. The interaction between the solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and the Earth’s magnetic field can lead to electromagnetically induced currents along the transmission lines causing high voltage transformers to overheat and fail resulting in power outages.

The electrical infrastructure is further challenged by the arrival of electric vehicles.

Battery-powered electric vehicles (EV) have become the alternative to the polluting internal combustion engine (ICE). The EV has overcome many of the initial challenges making them as reliable as the ICE vehicles and their low maintenance has made them attractive initially; however, the replacement battery can be expensive and in 2025 is roughly 32-35% of the cost of the EV. The battery and access to a charging station are limiting factors for the EV. The size of an average EV battery is roughly 40-71 kWh lasting about 10 years with an 8-year warranty in the US and Canada.

The Green Quirk blogs parts 2 to 5 are stories of suppressed genuine alternative green energy and healthy environmental solutions that conflict with the established energy infrastructure. The conflicts go further into theshoddy’ environmental solutions attempting to solve man-made environmental problems that appear to be deliberately introduced in some cases. The innovators and their fate for bravely trying to insert their innovations into the established energy and environmental sector will also be discussed. Once you see what has been suppressed you might want to ask yourself a question, how serious is all this ‘environmental talk’ or is it simply exploitive capitalism or a clever way to raise taxes? While you’re pondering that question, take a deeper look at the driving forces and mechanisms behind the global economic system, and look at what’s being exploited to sustain an economy. Anyone offering a permanent genuine solution to disease, war, catastrophic events, and other problems can easily upset the global financial structure and threaten the national security of any nation.

Green Quirk part 1 Introduction

Green Quirk part 2 Radiation Remediation and Thorium Reactors

Green Quirk part 3 Over Unity/Free Energy

Green Quirk part 4 Internal Combustion Engine Efficiency

Green Quirk part 5 Electrogravitic Space and Personal Vehicles

Green Quirk part 6 Water Electrolysis and Hydrogen


References:

  1. Admin, Solar Maintenance, Technology; The Truth About Dangerous Chemicals In Solar Panels; March 7, 2022; The Truth about Dangerous Chemicals in Solar Panels - Iowa Solar; Site accessed 1-12-2025.

  2. Battlbox Articles; How Do Solar Flares Affect Power Grids; How Do Solar Flares Affect Power Grids | Battlbox – Battlbox.com; Site accessed 2-17-2025.

  3. Bhutada, Govind; What Are the Five Major Types of Renewable Energy? June 8, 2022; What Are the Five Major Types of Renewable Energy?; Site accessed 1-19-2024.

  4. Calculo Online; Electric Power Loss Calculator (Transmission); Electric Power Loss Calculator (Transmission) - Calculo Online; Site accessed 2-17-2024.

  5. Crownhart, Casey; Solar panels are a pain to recycle. These companies are trying to fix that; August 19, 2021; Solar panels are a pain to recycle. These companies are trying to fix that. | MIT Technology Review; Site accessed 1-25-2025.

  6. D, Nikole; How Efficient Are Wind Turbines?-Complete Facts; WX Research; February 21, 2024; How Efficient are Wind Turbines? - (Facts and Data); Site accessed 1-13-2024.

  7. Dempsey, Eilidh; Are Solar Panels Recyclable? What You Should Know; February 27, 2022; Are Solar Panels Recyclable? What You Should Know – Utopia; Site accessed 1-25-2025.

  8. Dualsun; Recycling solar panels; Updated January 14, 2025; Solar Panel Recycling [Percent, Issues, Process]; Site accessed 1-25-2025.

  9. Electric Vehicles Database; Useable battery capacity of full electric vehicles cheatsheet - EV Database; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Site accessed 1-19-2025.

  10. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-United States; Renewable Energy Fact Sheet: Wind Turbines; August 2013; Renewable Energy Fact Sheet: Wind Turbines; Site accessed 1-13 2025.

  11. Geeks for Geeks; What Are Transmission Line Losses? Causes, Types and Reduction Strategies; February 15, 2025; Transmission Line Losses: Causes, Types & How to Reduce Them; Site accessed 2-17-2025.

  12. GlenFarrow; Biomass boiler temperature ranges: Everything you need to know; January 29, 2024; Biomass boiler temperature ranges: Everything you need to know; Site accessed 1-19-2024.

  13. Greer, Steven Dr.; et al; YouTube-PopNet: The Lost Century; October 24, 2024; The Lost Century | Full Documentary; Site accessed 1-1-2025.

  14. Khillar, Sagar; Difference Between.net; Difference Between Biofuel and Biomass; June 19, 2019; Difference Between Biofuel and Biomass | Difference Between | Biofuel vs Biomass; Site accessed 1-19-2025.

  15. Marchall, Alexander; Energy losses in the electricity grid, what are they due to and how much do they impact?; August 11, 2024; Energy losses in the electricity grid, what are they due to and how much do they impact?; Site accessed 2-17-29-024.

  16. Moore, Michael; YouTube-Michael Moore: Michael Moore Presents: Planet of the Humans| A Film by Jeff Gibb| Full Documentary; April, 21, 2020; Michael Moore Presents: Planet of the Humans | A Film by Jeff Gibbs | Full Documentary; Site accessed 1-12-2025.

  17. Normal, Nick; Nikola Tesla, he Opera: A Preview; Make: Magazine; February 18, 2015; kola Tesla, the Opera: A Preview – Make: ;Site accessed 1-11-2025.

  18. Phillips, Alexis; How Long Do Wind Turbines Last? Average Lifespan Explained; Updated January 14, 2022; How Long Do Wind Turbines Last? Average Lifespan Explained - Energy Follower; Site accessed 1-19-2025.

  19. Walker, Emily; How efficient are solar panels? Top brands compared in 2024; Energysage; July 19, 2024; How Efficient Are Solar Panels? Top Brands Compared in 2024 | EnergySage; Site accessed 1-13-2025.

  20. Wikipedia; Carrington Event; Last update January 6, 2025; Carrington Event – Wikipedia; Site accessed 1-12-2025.

  21. Wikipedia; July 2012 solar storm; Last update September 10, 2024; July 2012 solar storm – Wikipedia; Site accessed 1-13-2025.


Charles Kuss

2025

Updated: 2-19-2025