Renewable Energy and Clean Energy

Norman Rogers

10/13/24

 

The International Energy Agency defines renewable energy as “energy derived from natural processes that are replenished at a faster rate than they are consumed.”

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Clean energy means energy that does not emit CO2. Clean is a propagandistic term for carbon free energy.

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The definitions aren’t very rigid. For example, geothermal energy is widely accepted as renewable energy even though it is often consumed faster than it is replenished. Geothermal energy extracts heat from underground rocks, but over a period of time the rocks often cool down. So in practice geothermal energy is not renewable. The Geysers geothermal energy field in California has suffered declining output for years as the resource is depleted.

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One might think that hydroelectricity is renewable because it is replenished every time it rains. But state laws often say hydro is not renewable if it involves a dam.

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Environmentalists don’t like dams.  It is hard to do hydro without a dam. Some states grandfather existing hydro projects but restrict new projects.

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Renewable energy actually means energy that politicians like. Environmental organizations don’t like dams, so hydro ends up not being renewable in states where environmentalists have influence.

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Nuclear fuel is depleted a lot slower than the heat in the hot rocks of a geothermal energy project, but nuclear energy is not renewable because environmental organizations don’t like nuclear.

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Clean energy has nothing to do with actual pollution. The propagandists use “clean” rather than “carbon free” because it sounds better. It’s not dirty.

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Clean energy may be displacing renewable energy in popularity. New Jersey has a goal of 100% clean energy by 2050 and nuclear will play a part. Nuclear is the good part. New Jersey is also planning on extensive solar and offshore wind. Offshore wind is famous for killing whales. That is a real dilemma for Greenpeace.

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For the record, modern coal and natural gas plants are pristinely clean in the sense of being free of pollution.

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The graph below illustrates the futile nature of U.S. turning its energy infrastructure upside down in an effort to control world CO2 emissions.