Now I understand that we’re almost at the point where nothing is going to stop the planet plunging into a period of climate change that could ultimately wipe us out. There is no doubt that the climate is changing and we must do something to stop and reverse that change … but are we rushing into doing some things with undue or even dangerous haste?

Could it be possible that instead of reducing greenhouse gases and saving the planet we’re actually on the verge of increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and speeding the pace of climate change?

It hardly seems likely does it that we could be doing anything like that? Well perhaps we are and if a study that’s just been published in the journal Science is anything to go by then that’s exactly what we are doing.

It’s an undisputed fact that governments and private companies are pouring billions of dollars into research to find some form of advanced fuel that can be made from wood and grass. It’s being done in an effort to produce what is known as cellulosic biofuels that will cut carbon emissions because it’s known that these types of fuels have far less carbon emissions than normal petrol.

But in the short term … over the next 20 years … it’s quite possible that there will be no net reduction in the production of greenhouse gases if we use these fuels. Instead of a net reduction there will actually be a net increase in the amount of greenhouse gases that escape into the atmosphere.

How could this be? Perhaps it’s because of the haste with which we’ve embraced these new fuels. It could be that in our haste to save the planet we forgot to account for all the issues that might arise if we pushed ahead to develop cellulosic biofuels.

You see these new fuels require fast-growing trees … such as poplars …and tropical grasses and so, in some parts of the world, the drive is on to cut down slow-growing trees and create more land on which to grow the tropical grasses. And where the land has already been cleared for farming, if it’s suitable for growing the tropical grasses that can be turned into biofuels, then food crops are being ripped out and replaced with grass.

And right there are two serious problems. At a time when we need to be boosting food production we’re actually cutting back on it in some places simply because the farmers would rather grow tropical grasses and deforestation is taking place to make room for more crops of tropical grass. And we also have the problem of deforestation.

There’s also another problem that suggests that the plan to develop cellulosic biofuels has not been thought through. To encourage the grown of the poplar trees and the tropical grasses large amounts of nitrogen based fertilizers need to be applied … and of course that means even more greenhouse gases … carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide … escaping into the environment.

So in an effort to save ourselves … and the planet … we’re actually making things worse for ourselves and because the rush was on to get environmentally friendly things happening no one appears to have looked beyond the end of their nose when they were thinking about these cellulosic biofuels.

Another related study that has also been published in the journal Science suggests that we have gone beyond simply not thinking things through. It suggests that the United Nations has actually fudged the figures on the amount of carbon savings that biofuels offers and those incorrect figures have been picked up by the European Union and treated as solid fact and they have even made their way into climate legislation here in the United States.

Instead of taking into account the fact that there would be land clearing and more greenhouse gases for the fertilizers that would be used to encourage the growth of the materials that go into biofuel those realities were either overlooked or ignored. Now we’re going to have to live with the fact that what we thought would be good for helping to save the planet is just going to make things worse.

So what can we do about this looming problem? I guess the first thing we need to do is wait to see if other researchers agree that there is a chance that biofuels will actually increase the level of greenhouse gases.

If there is some agreement that biofuels are not as environmentally friendly as we might have hoped then it’s time to start making people aware of the problem and push towards having the governments who are investing all those research dollars call a halt to that investment. Trying to stop the government from doing something that it has already embarked upon can be like trying to stop a runaway train but it’s what we’ve got to do.

We’ve also got to encourage governments and investors to make better decisions in the future and not rush into things simply because they want to be seen to be doing something about a serious problem. When they do that all that happens is that we end up with a worse mess than when we started and that’s what looks like is about to happen with biofuels.

In the blog earlier this week we took a little look at geothermal power as a source of environmentally friendly energy and if you read that post you might have been surprised to discover that the United States is the world’s leader in the production of geothermal power.

A few years ago just one state … California … produced more geothermal power than the rest of the world put together. Since then geothermal projects have come online in states right across the country and even up in Alaska and more are in the development stage so our lead is being extended. But what is geothermal power?

Geothermal power is power that is drawn from heat stored within the earth and it’s been known and harnessed in one form or another for thousands of years. The ancient Romans used geothermal power to supply hot water to public baths and these days geothermal power supplies electricity to thousands of homes.

Even in recent times geothermal power could only be tapped in areas along geological fault lines … such as California … where the raw heat from deep within the Earth’s crust could escape to the surface but that’s now changing. Modern technology has given us the ability to reach down into those depths without the need to have access via unstable fault lines.

Geothermal extraction plants are currently operating in such geologically stable locations as Germany, France, Australia and parts of the United States that are well away from any fault line. But drilling in these areas is not without some risk and care is taken to monitor the drilling as it goes deeper into the Earth’s crust. In Switzerland one geothermal project was terminated several years ago when it was found that the drilling had triggered a large number very small earthquakes – so small that most went un-noticed by the local population.

Of course, drilling for geothermal sources around unstable geological areas is the easiest and most economical. But while it takes some effort to tap into those sources away from fault lines the use of geothermal power is still very cost-effective.

How much power are we generating
Back in 2007 there was enough electricity generated by geothermal power to provide 0.3 percent of the world’s demand for electricity. Now that may sound like a very modest amount but the use of geothermal power to generate electricity is still in its infancy and almost three times as much direct geothermal power was used in 2007 to provide heating for buildings and spas and power industrial processes etc.

That modern technology that I mentioned a few moments ago has dramatically expanded the amount of geothermal power that we can tap into. At the same time there have been great advances made in the technology needed to convert the heat from the earth into power in the grid and with greater reach and more effective use of the geothermal power it’s no wonder that output is growing by at least 3 percent each year

The down side of geothermal power
No form of power generation is completely free of problems. Even solar energy relies on sunlight and too much exposure of your skin to sunlight can result in skin cancers and melanomas. So we shouldn’t be surprised … or even dismayed … that there is some environmental impact when we use geothermal power … and it’s not as if we didn’t know about the impact before we started tapping into geothermal power sources.

You only have to go to somewhere like Rotorua in New Zealand … or anywhere else where hot mud bubbles to the surface … and the smell will tell you that something very unpleasant is escaping into the atmosphere. It has been estimated that existing geothermal power plants are currently releasing around 269 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere per megawatt-hour but that’s only a small percentage of what conventional coal and oil powered electricity generation pumps out into the air.

It’s also known that the heat sources that some geothermal plants tap into can produce high levels of acids and other chemicals but those emissions are filtered to remove the harmful chemicals before the gas is released into the air.

The positive side of geothermal power
Geothermal plants are compact so they don’t sprawl across the landscape as many coal and oil fired power plants do. Nor do the power sources for geothermal power sprawl across the landscape as most coal mines do so land usage is down to an absolute minimum.

Geothermal plants don’t require large amounts of fresh water either and the current amount of usage is around 5.25 gallons of freshwater per megawatt hour compared to more than 264 gallons per megawatt hour for other types of power plant … including nuclear.

As I said earlier, the production and use of geothermal power is still very much in its infancy. There is a lot of development work still to be done and there is still a lot of research to be done into the harvesting and replenishment of geothermal power.

There is evidence that many geothermal power sources are virtually limitless as long as the amount of extraction is restricted and steps are taken to supply these sources with water. One plant in Italy has been in production since 1913 and a plant in New Zealand has been in production since 1958 so the evidence is looking good.

With a much cleaner imprint on the environment and the possibility of being limitless there’s little doubt that the use of geothermal power is something we definitely need to push Congress to encourage.

Whether you live in the United States or in some other part of the world it may come as a real surprise to learn that the United States leads the world in geothermal energy production. In fact we have so much of it here in the United States that back in 2005 California all by it’s lonesome had more geothermal capacity that every other country on the planet.

In 2008 geothermal energy accounted for four percent of renewable energy consumption and that’s sure to rise in the months and years ahead. And we’re not going to be relying just on California to meet that demand.

As of September this year geothermal power was being generated in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming and more states will be coming online soon. Oregon, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi all have geothermal energy projects that will soon be ready to start production.

Development of the technology to make use of geothermal energy isn’t standing still either. Research is being conducted in several places around the United States and it seems that an increase in production efficiency of up to 40 per cent is quite possible.

This type of energy production is very eco-friendly so it’s definitely something that should be encouraged and, while there’s plenty of research funding being thrown at this type of energy production more is always needed. And of course there are plenty of vested interests that would rather see us remain dependant on the burning of fossil fuels and the release of all those greenhouse gases.

So if you want to see the development of more geothermal energy projects and a reduction in our dependence on coal then it’s time to start writing to your representatives in Congress and encouraging them to support any bills that are before Congress that will encourage further research and the use of this environmentally friendly form of energy.

I was just reading an instant message from a friend who lives up near Montreal in Canada and she was telling me that they snow is falling “in big fat flakes”. She’s got the heaters on and everyone is feeling snug and cozy and just for a minute … well maybe only 10 seconds … I had a bit of a yearning to be once again living where it snows.

Of course that yearning didn’t last long because down here where I live it’s warm all year round and I can’t remember the last time I had to put the heater on in winter. Of course it does get a little cool but it’s never ever snowed down here and even with today’s changing climate it’s probably never going to snow. On those days when it does get a little cool we just dress a little more appropriately for that cool weather.

And that’s the mistake that a lot of people make when winter comes around … they think that they should keep their houses just as warm inside as if it were summer outside. They turn up the heat just so that they can get around the house in a t-shirt and they don’t stop to think that maybe that’s just a little excessive.

If you want to be environmentally friendly in winter then you have to realize that winter is a time when the temperatures drop and we should be prepared to have lower temperatures inside our houses. Now I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t have the heaters on at all or that we should be running around the house dressed for an Arctic blizzard but is it reasonable to keep our houses so hot that we can live in them as if it were summer?

Personally I think that winter is a time for wearing sweaters and warm clothes around the house so we should be prepared to set the thermostat a little lower … maybe around the 65 degrees is a good indoor temperature in winter. Certainly reducing the amount of heating in your house is going to reduce the demand on the environment and it’s going to reduce the amount of fossil fuels we consume too.

It’s also going to save us money by cutting our energy bills and that’s got to be a good thing too. You’ll find some more tips for saving on your energy bills around the home right here.

A few weeks ago I talked about some very simple steps you can take to start being environmentally friendly around the home. Most of those suggestions were inexpensive and didn’t require a whole lot of effort because all you would be doing is making better use of the power that was already coming into your home from the electricity grid.

Today I want to take some of those suggestions to the next level and briefly look at some options that can change your house from being a net consumer of electricity to actually putting power back into the grid. Now I know that you’re immediately going to think that we’re talking major expense here and there’s no doubt that these suggestions do cost money in the short-term but in the long-term they can both save you money and provide you with a source of income.

So let me give you some starting points for alternative forms of energy that you can explore.

Solar Pool Heaters
Many people these days have swimming pools and they can consume large amounts of energy if you have a heater fitted to your pool. All that energy costs money and in the future it’s going to cost a whole lot more so now is the time to think seriously about fitting a solar powered pool heater.

These solar pool heaters come in a range of shapes and sizes to fit just about anywhere around your home. They can be free standing or they can be fitted to the roof of your house or even to the roof of a poolside gazebo and they even produce enough power to heat your pool on cloudy days.

Solar Powered Water Heaters
If you have a big family then keeping up a good supply of hot water can be very expensive. We never did see the electricity bills the Brady Bunch got but I bet that they were HUGE and today they would have been even bigger.

If you want to be eco-friendly and save money then a solar powered hot water heater is something you really must consider. There are several different types and the people that I’ve spoken to who have a solar powered water heater fitted think they’re just wonderful.

Solar Powered Houses
Yes, you can turn the roof of your house into a power generating plant that will provide more than enough electricity to power your whole home. Of course it means that a large part of your roof will be covered by solar panels but they’re not unsightly and these days panels are being produced that blend into your roof. So now not only do they look good and they definitely will reduce your dependence on the local power company.

Many householders who have turned their whole house over to solar power have found that they produce more power than they consume on most days and local power companies are more than happy to fit a small piece of equipment to your meter box that allows you to sell that surplus to them. Within 10 years you can recover the cost of that installation.

And don’t forget, right now the Federal government is offering incentives for you to move to alternative energy sources so it may not be as expensive as you might think.

For those of us who have been brought up on electricity generated by coal, oil or gas powered plants the idea that there are other options for power can be a little hard to grasp. Perhaps if pushed we might be able to come up with maybe one or possibly two eco-friendly alternative energy sources but that’s about as far as we could go.

If you’re one of those who are struggling to name more than one alternative energy source then here are a few more to add to your list. Some of them may surprise you because they’re not what you might have considered to be sources of alternative energy at all … but they do work and they are being looked at as serious alternatives to fossil fuel power generation.

Biomass energy

This is perhaps the most unusual form of energy generation for, in one form, it basically draws energy from rubbish. Some years ago we lived high on a hill and away in the distance we could vaguely see the city’s rubbish dump.

It was definitely not your most spectacular view until one night the gases, that all that rotting garbage produced and that had developed under the surface of the dump ignited. For the next week our nights were lit up by the most incredible light show as great plumes of burning gas leapt hundreds of feet into the air.

While that city just let the gasses burn these days other cities are tapping into that methane and using it to generate power. Other forms of biomass such as wood, plant and forestry waste etc. are also used to generate power. Unfortunately not every type of biomass mentioned here burns clean and green.

Wind and the waves

There is nothing cheaper or more reliable than the wind and the waves when it comes to generating power. Nor is there anything more eco-friendly than what nature provides.

Of course there are costs involved in developing the technology to harvest all that power but ultimately we will be generating a large amount of our energy needs from wind farms and coastal waves. There’s also research being done into harvesting the heat that is stored in the sea.

Solar

This is perhaps the most common form of alternative energy there is. Solar panels on the roof will generate enough electricity to power an average suburban home and leave some over to be fed into the city grid.

Larger arrays of solar panels are also being trialed to provide alternative energy solutions for large businesses and even small towns. The sun can also be used to provide hot water to your average suburban home too and if the marketing that goes with those systems is to be believed you will never run out of hot water when the sun provides the heating.

Hydrogen

Two thirds of the water on the planet is made up of hydrogen and that means that it’s the most common element on earth. Years ago in high school we were taught how to separate hydrogen from water with a very simple array of tools. If we can do that on a much larger scale then hydrogen can be used for heating, electricity generation and even powering our cars.

At least one major European brand has a hydrogen powered car on the market today.

Hydropower

Hydroelectricity has been available in many parts of the world for over 50 years and it is definitely one source of power that many are hoping can be developed further. Unfortunately there are drawbacks to hydropower and in Australia at least one mighty river has been destroyed by the dams that were built around its headwaters to provide the water needed to generate power.

So as you can see, there are alternative energy options if we really do want to stop burning the fossil fuels that we currently consume to generate power. All we really need is the desire to make the change and invest in the research necessary to make it all happen.

While many people think that being eco-friendly when it comes to electricity involves sourcing your power from alternative energy sources and immediately give up because they have no idea where to source that alternative energy there are plenty of things people can do around the home to become more eco friendly with the power they use.

One of the major ways to be environmentally friendly when it comes to power is to reduce the amount of electricity that you use around the home. A reduction in the amount of power you use means that the power companies don’t have to produce as much power and that means that they’re going to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that they’re pumping out into the atmosphere.

So how do you reduce the amount of power that you use around the home? One of the simplest things you can do is just to turn the lights off when there’s no one in the room. Yep, that’s it … it probably sounds way too easy but that really is all you have to do to make a major impact on the amount of greenhouse gases that power stations pump into the atmosphere. Just turn the lights off when no one is in the room.

Another easy way to be environmentally friendly when it comes to electricity is to turn off all your appliances when they’re not in use. Sure, many appliances are turned off as soon as you flick the switch … most kitchen appliances fall into this category … but there are plenty of appliances in every home that you may think you’ve turned off but have only gone into standby mode.

Televisions, stereos and computers are just a few of the appliances that go on using electricity … and quite large amounts of it … when they’re running in standby mode. So be eco-friendly and go right to the wall socket and switch those appliances off at the wall and you will be doing your bit for the environment … as well as saving money too.