Sustainability of Renewable Energy

[Brian Davey]

An important piece of research on why renewable energy may not always be sustainable by Simon Davidsson at Uppsala University can be found here:

http://www.uu.se/en/media/news/article/?id=7536&area=2%2C5%2C10%2C16&typ=artikel&lang=en

http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A955725&dswid=-6239

Quote:

"In a new thesis from Uppsala University, Simon Davidsson shows that a rapid expansion of renewable energy technology is not necessarily sustainable. To find the best way forward in the coming transition towards renewable energy, we need to take account of the materials used and make sure the industries that emerge are sustainable."

The study is Simon Davidsson's doctoral thesis.

My comment:

The wider problem is the limits to ecological growth. In their 1972 book and the follow up studies on the "Limits to Growth" MIT authors, Meadows, Meadows, Randers and Behrens  suggested that what was likely to happen as the limits to growth is approached is that technological fixes to solve one problem would end up creating another...or more than one new problem(s).

So...dependence on depleting and climate destroying fossil fuels "solved" by certain types of renewables creates a new problem of dependence on depleting lithium and other rare earths for the renewable technologies....

We have already begun to see that in relation to the "bio-fuel fix" - it requires too much land and labour to be a viable alternative fuel source and ended up with fuel crops competing with food crops, as well as creating a shortage of fresh water

Again, unconventional oil and gas production which is allegedly a "solution" for depleting oil and gas supplies and for climate change is turning out to be nothing of the sort - creating a methane problem, water and air pollution and a host of other problems too...

[Edward Hill]

A fundamental problem with renewable energy is ‘Energy Return on Energy Invested’ EROEI.    It is unlikely that renewable energy will be economically viable in a future world that does not have access to cheap fossil fuels and other resources.  Gail Tverberg has just written another article about this:

https://ourfiniteworld.com/2016/10/27/how-researchers-could-miss-the-real-energy-story/

 

The bottom line seems to be that the economics of renewable energy such as solar PV may limit its use to critical aspects of the future economy, such as 12-volt power supply so that we can link to the internet.  A prudent plan B is start rebuilding traditional infrastructure such as tidal mills for directly milling flour, which can be built in countless locations, since they do not require the large water volumes & pressures that are needed for energy generation.  

 

Tim Garrett has described what happens if economic growth and environmental destruction continue.  His paper is difficult for non-mathematicians, can be found here:

http://www.earth-syst-dynam.net/3/1/2012/esd-3-1-2012.pdf

It has been summed up like this:

“We are trapped between mindless consumerism and the thoughtless destruction of the environment. Tim Garrett calls our dilemma a double bind. The only thing that will save us from a deadly warming of the planet is the very thing that will destroy most of us if it happens —the complete crash of the global economy and its CO2 emitting process of “building wealth.” Homo economicus is too busy converting his rich environment into monetary tokens to think about the consequences of what he is doing or perceive the impending crash of the earth’s biosphere that will take care of the human overshoot problem and all the transient material wealth that has been covetously accumulated and guarded. Rising oceans, floods, fire, drought, and various superstorms from a damaged biosphere will take it all back and destroy it.”

Edward Hill

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