Calculating What Change Is Worth By The Pound

Franco Battaglia : energy from the sun? Illusion.

In his new book, the professor becomes the champion of a thesis that will create quite a few criticisms: the solar and other renewables will not solve our problems of energy demand
theory brought forward by a professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in his book "The illusion of energy from the sun", released recently, is an opinion in opposition to the theories on the use of solar energy in place of the sources of which we are presently available. "The energy from the sun - said prof. Franco Battaglia - is certainly vital to our survival and the preservation of life on Earth. However, when it comes to energy in the context of human activities, things change radically. In this context (manufacturing buildings, roads, bridges, move around by car, train, boat or plane, to produce medicines, books, food and any other conceivable good, warm in winter, cool in summer, light in the dark, etc..) to use the keyword is not the word but the word, which must be provided consistent with our needs. "" The answer about the book - Battle continues - is that not only can not contribute, but it is an obstacle to the availability of energy according to our needs. In fact, the energy from the sun directly or indirectly (indirect hydro, biomass, winds), has faults that make it unusable: is diluted (in time and space), intermittent, unreliable. Diluted over time means that a low-power, diluted in space means that to be, or require large extensions of territory or that, although not prohibitively large, must be covered with expensive technology products; intermittent means that it always the sun shines or the wind blows; unreliable means, for example, that tells us when the wind stops blowing. The consequence of the above is, for example, to produce a 1 GWe (gigawatt electric) just (Italy absorbs 40 GWe) solar energy, it would be necessary to collect firewood from 25,000 sq km of forests, or bind € 6 billion in 6000 wind turbines, or 60 billion euro in photovoltaic (PV). The same could be committed € 2 billion and install a nuclear reactor. This damage of the first choice of the latter. The joke is that even if you choose and commit itself to adopt a figure of between 6 and 60 billion (depending on the mix of wind and PV), that nuclear reactor should be the same, for when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow. In short, the only function of wind farms or PV is to save fuel. The book, by supporting the illusion of solar energy, provides a measure of the precipice toward which we are journeying. " (Source Sassuolo2000.it)