ANALYSIS OF EXERGY

SUMMARY

In this section, a detailed description of all systems that are now subsumed under the term Renewable Energies, and which were formerly known as soft, alternative, new or regenerative energies, is presented.

The respective energy form is presented in its historical context, followed in most cases by a presentation broken down by country.

Special emphasis is placed both on the actual experiences made worldwide to date and on current research results.

To get a first impression of the scope of this presentation, I recommend a quick scroll through the table of contents, which is also fully linked.

Although many of the technologies are ecologically and economically sensible and can also inspire enthusiasm, it is often stated that the use of these new energy systems can lead to consequential problems in addition to various advantages, which in turn require further and often extensive problem-solving processes. As a result, the applicability of these systems as substitution energy sources is strongly questioned. Apart from their frequent dependence on meteorological or geographical conditions (position of the sun, wind strength, tidal range, etc.), the systems are partly dependent on other primary energies (hydrogen production), can only be used sensibly on a large scale and centrally (energy satellites) or only on a small-scale and decentralised basis (biogas plants). Other systems are not ready for application and still require a great deal of research and development.

In addition, the problem of intermediate storage of the energy obtained occurs almost everywhere. A special area in this section therefore explicitly deals with the topic of energy storage and electric mobility.

The analysis also shows that none of the systems under consideration is capable of playing the role of a globally necessary substitute energy source in the short or even long term. At least not without a far-reaching restructuring of very large areas of the global industrial and economic structures. And feasible does not by any means make sense.

Many of the systems can be used well and economically under special conditions (deserts, coasts, regions of strong and continuous wind activity, etc.), and especially with diversification (combined plants) – but by no means to the extent that the exergy needs of an industrialized planet on the leap into space could be covered. But this is not the task of these (conventional) renewable energy systems.

So if one wants to abandon the use of nuclear energy for safety reasons, one would have to stick to fossil fuels as the main source of energy – as has largely been the case up to now – with all the economic, political and ecological dangers and risks associated with it. The basic problem would, however, in the best case scenario, be postponed by only a few generations – until these non-renewable resources finally run out.

But there is hope! In the appendix of this part, under the title Database of the new energy presented many innovations and unusual discoveries, whose protagonists in all cases have one thing in common: They propose completely new solutions that often sound surprising and extremely unconventional. This database appendix has been prepared in the form of ‘index cards’ to allow quick and targeted access to this information, which is largely disorganized on the net.

A further and in my eyes especially promising model is presented in part D, which Synergetic model.

In this section, I have not dealt with fossil and nuclear energy, nor with the broad field of energy policy laws and regulations, starting with the so-called ‘Stromermächtigungsgesetz’ of 1934 (‘Law for the Preparation of the Organisational Structure of the German Economy’) – up to the so-called eco-tax, the liberalisation of the electricity market of the present time and emission rights. It is of course interesting to know that in 1900 the private share of electricity generation in Germany was 77 %, in 1913 it was still 42.9 %, but by 1934 it was only 10.7 % – but every job has its limits.

For this purpose, we are now entering the large and colourful world of nature-bound energies of water and earth and wind and sun – and we are looking at the really huge and still increasing number of ingenious or even crazy ideas to use these energies in a targeted way.

So have fun on this journey, which began thousands of years ago…!