Minnesota's Energy Future?^©

Minneapolis, MN
October 20, 2003

Part III:  Conservation, Jevons’ Paradox and
Alternative Energies


Due to its length, Part III is separated into two sections:

Part III-A:
Conservation
    Consumption
    Efficiency & Productivity
    Conservation and Vehicle Mileage Standards
Alternative Energies
    Net Energy
    Tar Sands
    Hydrogen
    Evaluating Windpower

Part III-B:

Solar & Photovoltaics
Light & Commuter Rail vs. the Bus
Biomass: Agriculture, Ethanol & Biodiesel
Biomass: Energy, Footprint, Land, Food & Lifeboats
Sustainable Farms Transition

Part III:  Conservation, Jevons’ Paradox and Alternative Energies	144
Conservation & Jevons’ Paradox	144
Conservation	145
Consumption	148
Efficiency & Productivity	150
Conservation and Vehicle Mileage Standards	151
Conservation Summary	153
Alternative Energies	155
Net Energy	156
Table 12: Comparative Net Energies	158
Implications in Brief	158
Tar Sands	159
Hydrogen	161
Storage & Transport	165
The Hybrid Car	166
Cost Comparisons	170
The Fuel Tank	171
Hydrogen & the Automobile Industry	172
Hydrogen – Hybrid Car Summary	174
Evaluating Windpower	176
Overview	176
Wind Potential	178
Transmission Costs	180
The Load Factor, Growing Demand, Capital Investments, & Air Pollution	180
Greenhouse Emissions	184
Removal	184
Access Roads, Crops & Demonstration Projects	185
Jobs & the Local Economy	186
Table 13: Direct Employment in Electricity Generation, Various Technologies, United States	187
Buffalo Ridge – Lake Benton Development	189
Energy Storage	191
Birds	194
Pollution	196
Noise Pollution	196
Visual & Land Pollution	197
Figure 22: Windturbine Next to Minnesota Capitol	198
Figure 23: Size Comparisons of Windturbines	198
Miles of Land & Changing Rural Values	199
Table 14:  Land Requirements of Energy Technologies	199
Windcommerce Photographs	202
Figure 24: Access Roads,  Lake Benton, Minnesota	202
Figure 25: Roads, Stormlake, Iowa	203
Figure 26: Hilltop Roads, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)	203
Figure 27: Landscape, Koudia, Morocco	204
Figure 28: Construction Site, Pennsylvania Windproject	204
Figure 29: Windproject Remnants, Altamont, California	205
Figure 30: Collapsed Tower, England	205
Figure 31: Loss of Turbine Blade, Minnesota	206
Windcommerce Subsidies	207
Federal Subsidies	208
State Subsidies	209
Summary of Windpower	215
Solar & Photovoltaics	217
Concentrating (mirrors) Solar Power	219
Light & Commuter Rail vs. the Bus	221
Biomass: Agriculture, Ethanol & Biodiesel	223
Ethanol & Corn	225
Energy, Ethanol, Efficiency & Costs	226
Methanol	229
Biodiesel & Soybeans	230
Subsidies	230
It’s Expensive!	232
Ethanol, Biodiesel & the Economy	233
Wood	235
Biomass: Energy, Footprint, Land, Food & Lifeboats	238
Figure 32:  United States Per Capita Arable Land 1700 – 2100	240
Sustainable Farms Transition	242

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Used with permission of Dell Erickson
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