Evaluation of potential energy sources needs to include their total costs of production.
We’re often told what the future of American energy will look like.
Solar panels drawing energy from the sun. Wind turbines powering homes and businesses.
“We can effortlessly meet all of our energy needs with minimal impact on the environment
We have the motivation. We have the technology.” Or so we’re told.
GST has previously posted comments on the issues of renewable energy.
It’s not just a matter of will, but of scientific and economic constraints on how we produce power.
An energy source has to be reliable, affordable and scalable to large levels of production.
Those are all important considerations, but so is power density.
Power density quantifies the level of resources (land, materials, etc.) required to produce energy.
It’s a measure of how many watts you can generate per square meter, or liter, or kilogram.
This video from Kite & Key Media® explains these concepts:
Click here for the video script, sources of data and additional reading.
Posted by GST Chairman Ray Chadwick