Renewable energy: Some issues

At the outset, I must confess, it is with the expectation of severe criticism from those interested that I broach this subject. It is known that wind is interconnected with the sun. Firstly, let me start with the basics, which some experts seem to overlook, and hence fail to explain, as the sun unevenly heats the surface of the earth, air rises and sinks resulting in high and low regions of air pressure, and in the surrounding area air moves in to replace it, causing wind. The more pressure changes over a given distance, usually the faster the wind will be.

Solar Power

When calculating the land area needed for a solar power plant installation, one must look at things that will consume space in the facility. Two main items that consume space are the solar panels and the structural components. It is said that a one-megawatt (MW) plant requires approximately four acres when using crystallised technology. When using thin-film technology, a 1 MW plant will require four to five acres of land. In other terms, each kilowatt (kW) of solar panel requires 100 square feet of space. Considering that the extent of land in Sri Lanka is 65,610 km², and the population over 21 million, can such a large area be allocated? Apart from the large extent of land, it would mean deforestation, destroying indigenous vegetation to the point of extinction, and also wildlife.

The other serious aspect is, as plants and trees do not grow under these large panels, oxygen and carbon dioxide produced by the vegetation will be reduced, and will not enter the atmosphere. I need not stress the importance of how essential oxygen is for all living beings; animals and plants, to exist on this planet. Isn’t reducing this vital requirement suicidal?

There is also a proposal to have floating solar panels over hydropower reservoirs and lakes. Have they considered the impact on aquatic life; water plants and fish? In this respect, George L. Clark of Biological Laboratories, Howard University writes, “Light is a limiting factor for aquatic plants and animals. Every schoolboy knows that light is required for the growth of green plants and that all animals, including ourselves, depend directly or indirectly upon the plants for their food supply. It is not so obvious, however, that exactly the same situation is encountered in the aquatic habitat. The ultimate source of energy for all the multifarious life in the sea and in every body of freshwater is sunlight. Furthermore, most fish and many types of animals need enough illumination to see – at least part of the time – to catch their food, to avoid being caught themselves. But light does not penetrate into the water indefinitely; it is absorbed by the water itself and further reduced by sediment and by stains. The aquatic biologist is thus concerned to know how much light exists at various depths in rivers, ponds, lakes, and in the ocean itself, and what are the maximum depths at which the fish can see and at which the all-important green plants make a living.”

Apart from aquatic life, there are other aspects to be given serious thought, such as inland freshwater fishing, water sports such as boat racing, which is a tourist attraction and also landing of amphibious planes. The only advantage cited by those who advocate floating solar panels is the saving of 20 percent of water, through the prevention of evaporation, which will help farmers and hydropower generation. Another factor that should be given due consideration is that with vaporized water not rising from the reservoirs, will the rainfall in these areas be affected, streams and rivers in catchment areas go dry and will the weather patterns be subject to change? If so, what is gained by saving 20 percent of water in reservoirs which will be lost if the rains fail in these areas, or are reduced? Under the circumstances, in this Island of ours, it is best to concentrate on and promote local companies and individuals to install rooftop solar panels in houses, hotels, garment factories and other similar business organizations, granting certain tax concessions for the import of necessary components, which will, in turn, allow the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to purchase power at a lower rate.

Wind Farms

Although wind farms take a lot of land space, it does not require clearing of vegetation around it, as cultivation could go on as usual. However, it makes it difficult to predict exactly how much electricity it can generate over time if the wind speed is too low at any given time. Another problem is noise. As wind turbines are built on elevated platforms, they can mar scenic beauty and also harm birds and other creatures that fly.

Biomass

Burning biomass produces similar greenhouse gases to burning of fossil fuels, such as coal. Greenhouse gases contribute to rising global temperature. Burning biomass also releases other pollutants into the atmosphere. These pollutants include particulate matter and nitrogen oxide. Biomass generated electricity can also have an impact on the environment in other ways. For example, cutting down trees can lead to deforestation. Growing plants to use as biomass can have an impact on soil quality and water usage. Indigenous vegetation will be lost, as mentioned earlier and valuable species will be lost forever. With this, the question arises, whether biomass is worse than coal. In my opinion, biomass is the infancy stage of coal. Coal is formed when dead plant matter decays into peat and is converted into coal by the heat and pressure of deep burial over millions of years.

Surfing the internet, I came across another article titled ‘Carbon Emission from Burning Biomass for Energy’ under the strapline ‘Is Biomass worse than Coal? Yes, if you are interested in reducing carbon dioxide emission any time in the next 40 years.’ It is claimed that Biomass is a ‘low carbon’ or ‘carbon neutral’ fuel, meaning the carbon emitted by biomass burning won’t contribute to climate change. But biomass-burning power plants emit ‘150 percent the CO² of coal and 300 to 400 percent the CO² of natural gas, per unit energy produced’. The other disadvantage is the large acreage required to plant any quick-growing trees for use as biomass. Can an Island like ours allocate such an extent of land in the face of a growing population? It was reported that a biomass plant at Walapane in Nuwara-Eliya District had to close down due to difficulties in collecting plants from villagers from their home gardens and transporting them at much cost.

I must confess the contents of this essay have been obtained by surfing the internet for the benefit of those interested, both foreign and local.

In conclusion, the question arises as to whether we are headed in the correct direction in solving energy needs. Certainly not. What we are attempting is the destruction and vandalism of natural endowments and assets, to feed an ever-rising population. It is this factor of overpopulation, which should be tackled, and solutions found for sustainable development and healthy living. The answer is stemming the population explosion by educating the masses in birth control methods, to alleviate poverty and improve health care in addition. Unfortunately, the efforts of the World Health Organisation (WHO) have failed due to religious, national, racial and caste-based battles for supremacy, to beat the other by having a larger community. It will be interesting for readers to know what researcher and novelist, Dan Brown, has written in his book Inferno, “‘Did you know that if you live another 19 years, until the age of 80, you will witness the population triple in your lifetime. One lifetime—a tripling. Think of the implications. As you know, your World Health Organisation has again increased its forecasts, predicting there will be some nine billion people on earth before the midpoint of this century. Animal species are going extinct at a precipitously accelerated rate. The demand for dwindling natural resources is skyrocketing. Clean water is harder and harder to come by. By any biological gauge, our species has exceeded our sustainable numbers.

And in the face of this disaster, the World Health Organisation—the gatekeeper of the planet’s health—is investing in things like curing diabetes, filling blood banks, battling cancer.’ He paused, staring directly at her. ‘And so I brought you here to ask you directly why the hell the World Health Organization does not have the guts to deal with this issue head-on?’ Elizabeth was seething now. ‘Whoever you are, you know damned well the WHO takes overpopulation very seriously. Recently we spent millions of dollars sending doctors into Africa to deliver free condoms and educate people about birth control.’

‘Ah, yes!’ the lanky man derided. ‘And an even bigger army of Catholic missionaries marched in on your heels and told the Africans that if they used the condoms, they’d all go to hell. Africa has a new environmental issue now—landfills overflowing with unused condoms.’”

What we should do is concentrate on stemming the ever-increasing population growth rate, by educating and convincing the people of the harm to the environment and also poverty. This should be done either by enacting laws to promote small families and as said earlier by educating the masses. One example is China, which has vast areas of uninhabited land, yet they curtailed population growth through the one-child policy. The result is that today China is a world power, in terms of science, technology and economy.

It is time for a course correction lest it should be suicidal. Or, we can opt for the much-hyped sustainable development, which also includes population explosion.

G.A.D. SIRIMAL

Boralesgamuwa