The world has changed fundamentally in the last 10 years. The price of oil, which had been low-cost energy for as long as any of us can remember, doubled and then doubled again.
The cost of oil is out of our control; it’s determined by the demand from China, India and other developing countries. The U.S. is using a million barrels per day less than it used to, but the developing countries are now using 7 million barrels per day more.
What should be our overall goal? Net Energy analysis can help us make sense of things. That is the Energy Return on Investment (EROI). It’s the net energy left over from the energy spent to obtain it. Subtract, from that energy, the energy it takes to get food and that gives you your lifestyle. That is why energy and agriculture are inextricably tied together. EROI analysis can help us understand the basic elements at work.
The ancient Hawaiians, without metal ores, were able to manage a positive energy balance such that their civilization flourished. They did this by maximizing energy – sun, wind and waves. And they were extra observant of the environment. They had to be, because they did not have the tools available that others had.
They were good at what counts. They were survivors.
Now it’s our turn.
There is a limit as to how much solar and wind energy we can put into the grid as it’s presently configured. And we have not been able to demonstrate biofuel on an industrial scale. Biomass is limited by the supply of trees and fossil fuel inputs. Ocean energy and energy storage could be game changers in the future. But we are not there yet.
Our task is to figure out how we will achieve a positive energy balance for Hawaii in a future of rising oil price. Globalization has made the world very complicated. And it’s easy to confuse capital and technology for energy. A long time ago, a friend of mine from the mountains of Tennessee told me about a saying they had back home. He said, “You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip.”
But we can get affordable geothermal energy – a proven technology – out of the ground.
Hi Richard,
For sure. Many here that advocate for the wisdom of a stone age culture ought to try it out first, rather than pretend to live in a stone age manner with the benefits of a fossil fuel empire on their doorstep(if not embossed on their checks.)
No snark here, I mean it. It is too easy to pretend otherwise, and that’s potentially fatal. The penalties for failure are going to be high. It’s well everyone is informed.
The truth is in the midddle.