Why green energy initiatives have failed in the past

The push for cleaner energy is hardly anything new. From the fusion power plants of 1950s Science Fiction to the solar-powered dream-cars of the 90s, the public has been promised a lot. So far, most of those promises have come up empty. But why? And how? And who, if  anyone, is to blame?

Most ambitious green energy initiatives have failed in the past for one of three reasons: either because they were unrealistic from the start, abandoned due to fluctuations in the market, or simply took too long to come to fruition.

Earlier this month, the EPA made sharp cuts in its production estimates for an innovative new biofuel called cellulosic ethanol. “When do you know when to cut your losses?” asks Margot Anderson, executive director of the project. “When is a flop a flop?”

The main problem for any green tech company starting out is the pre-established energy infrastructure. Even reasonably successful renewables like solar and wind  have taken decades just to get to where they are now – and still, they occupy the bottom rung on the global energy ladder.

“Things do take longer in the energy business,” claims energy historian Daniel Yergin. “[Markets] can change more rapidly than people think. If Mitchell Energy had decided that, after year 16, shale gas wasn’t going to happen, we wouldn’t have had a shale gas revolution.”

Here are few of the more recognizable green energy initiatives that have failed to live up to the hype:

- Cellulosic ethanol. Back in 2006, U.S. President George W. Bush made “switchgrass” the word of the day when he promised to make ethanol produced from plants, wood chips, and other biomass “practical and competitive in six years.” However, the U.S. only produced 20,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol last year. That insignificant number forced the EPA to cut its requirements for how much cellulosic ethanol refineries blend with their gasoline.

- Hydrogen for fuel. Back in 2003, Bush pushed a $1.2 billion plan to make vehicles powered by hydrogen more cost effective and commercially viable “so that the first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen, and pollution-free.” Today, that child’s only 10-years old, so he or she can’ drive. But hydrogen fuel cells have diminished in popularity. Who knows if we’ll even remember them in another seven years?

- So-called “clean coal.” The U.S. DOE has invested nearly $7 billion since 2005 to help reduce the cost for companies to capture and store carbon emissions from coal-burning power plants, but today not a single commercial scale carbon-capture project is operational.

- Nuclear power. Back in the 1950s, the world was astounded at the splitting of the atom. It spelled a new age for energy – the dawn of the future! Countless movies depicted radioactive heroes and monsters, apocalyptic and Utopian landscapes. Even though nuclear power generates roughly one-fifth of the U.S.’s electricity, high start-up costs, meltdowns, and problems with waste disposal have nearly bankrupted the public’s trust.

Despite these unrealized hopes and dreams, NRGLab hasn’t given up the fight to bring clean, reliable energy to millions of people around the world. The carbon-free SH-Box. Biomass gasification. Plasma torches. You never know when you could strike gold. All it takes is the right team, hard work, and unwavering faith in what you’re doing.

At NRGLab, We believe in a greener future. A better tomorrow. And we will not fail. Visit nrglab.asia for more information.

Green energy windmills killing tens of thousands of birds!

There are a number of green energy projects vying for market share. Solar. Natural gas. The SH-Box by NRGLab, to name a few. But only one source of energy is killing over 83,000 birds each year – wind.

Bald and golden eagles, hawks, and falcons are but a few of the species of birds being victimized by the mills’ massive turbines. Grainger Hunt, an authority on the subject, explains why the birds are susceptible: “There’s nothing in the evolution of eagles that would come near to describing a wind turbine,” he says. “There’s never been an opportunity to adapt to that sort of threat.”

Although these birds of prey are no longer on the endangered species list, their populations are still considerably low compared to numbers from the turn of the 20th century. Disturbing their habitats, stealing their eggs, or killing an eagle is, in accordance with the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, punishable by up to two years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Yet the United States seems to hold certain sectors of their energy industry to a double standard. BP paid $100 million in fines for harming migratory birds during the 2010 Gulf oil spill. The previous year, PacifiCorp, the northwest U.S.’s leading utility supplier, paid $10.5 million for electrocuting 232 eagles in their power lines.

However, not a single wind farm has faced criminal prosecution since President Barack Obama took office in 2008!

In Altamont Pass, California, wind farms are responsible for more than 60 avian deaths per year, while more than 573,000 birds across the country have been killed so far. That number could even be substantially higher, since most companies are reluctant to admit how many birds they’ve butchered.

Wildlife advocacy groups are up in arms about the Obama administration’s indecisive double standard. “It’s the rationale that we have to get off of carbon, we have to get off of fossil fuels, that allows them to justify this,” says Tom Dougherty, formerly with the National Wildlife Federation. “But at what cost? In this case, the cost is too high.”

If the U.S. enforced federal laws concerning murderous wind mills, then green energy companies would be forced to regard avian populations and migratory patterns before starting construction on new farms. Even so, experts agree it’s unlikely that birds and wind mills will ever co-exist peacefully. Can you blame them? Giant metal blades whirling at incredible speeds versus creatures with hollow bones -- doesn't seem like a fair fight.

NRGLab is against bird murder! We developed a source of alternative energy that’s carbon-free, compact, and completely safe for your home, office, or bird sanctuary. It’s called the SH-Box -- a poly-crystalline electoral generator set to revolutionize the way people think about energy. Follow us on Facebook, and visit nrglab.asia for more information on our next SH-Box auction.