Living in the hydro-rich Pacific Northwest it is hard to imagine rationing showers and lawn watering in order to have a few hours a day of electricity, but that is what is happening in Venezuela right now.

One of the severest droughts in decades has given Venezuela’s socialist president a political nightmare as hydro-electrical power dribbles to a standstill, unleashing blackouts, rationing and protests. The waters behind the Guri dam, which supplies more than half the nation’s power, have touched perilously low levels.

Nevertheless, with energy production requiring as much water as agriculture and once mighty rivers like the Rio Grande no longer reaching the ocean and energy usage expected to grow beyond existing capacity, unless we decentralize now, it will happen here.

There are many reasons I focus upon wind energy, not the least being the ample supply…this from the November 2009 Scientific American.

Plenty of Supply
Today the maximum power consumed worldwide at any given moment is about 12.5 trillion watts (terawatts, or TW), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency projects that in 2030 the world will require 16.9 TW of power as global population and living standards rise, with about 2.8 TW in the
U.S. The mix of sources is similar to today’s, heavily dependent on fossil fuels. If, however, the planet were powered entirely by WWS, with no fossil-fuel or biomass combustion, an intriguing savings would occur. Global power demand would be only 11.5 TW, and U.S. demand would be 1.8 TW. That decline occurs because, in most cases, electrification is a more efficient way to use energy. For example, only 17 to 20 percent of the energy in gasoline is used to move a vehicle (the rest is wasted as heat), whereas 75 to 86 percent of the electricity delivered to an electric vehicle goes into motion.

Even if demand did rise to 16.9 TW, WWS sources could provide far more power. Detailed studies by us and others indicate that energy from the wind, worldwide, is about 1,700 TW

Another reason I favor wind is that wind is the only renewable energy source that does not require any water during the production of electricity. Even solar requires massive amounts of water when used in a centralized system.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, to generate one kilowatt hour of electricity from nuclear power 2.3 litres of water are needed. Coal requires 1.9 litres and oil consumes 1.6 litres…Some CSP technology utilises rows of curved mirrors focus heat onto a tube filled with oil which boils water to make steam, in turn spinning a turbine a turbine – this is called a trough system. Another uses reflective mirrors called heliostats to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto liquid-filled tubes used to generate steam and spin turbines.

In the case of trough technology, the water footprint is considerable – around 3.6 litres per kilowatt hour.

This video produced in England shares the benefits of decentralizing even if still using fossil fuels.

Friday, I will be speaking at the EconVergence all about decentralizing and empowering communities with local owned power generation. Noam Chomsky will be speaking that same evening, all at the First Unitarian Church in Portland. Monday we moved the LIM stator using a very substantial forklift as seen in this cell phone photo.

The V-LIM wind generator is working to completion in Portland and we can’t get it done too soon as we have pending orders awaiting only the data collected from the field tests.

This week I met with Congressman Peter DeFazio in his DC office about the Western Oregon Wind Project a 5MW renewable energy smart/micro-grid to generate $2 million in alternative funding for local schools. Happily, he agreed to carry the request to the House Appropriation’s Energy and Water Subcommittee but cautions it is a very competitive arena and he has received $800 million in requests from the 4th District alone.

In Coos County the unemployment rate has reached almost 14% and Coquille Schools are facing an $850,000 budget reduction next year. More than ever our local leaders need to start looking for alternatives for our greatest resource, our children. Oregon already has one of the shortest school years in the nation while at the same time spending more on corrections than higher education. There is a correlation between poor education and crime and prisons.

Studies have indicated for a family of four to make ends meet and have one stay at home parent requires $24 per hour. The WOW will save or create 196 family wage jobs right out the gate and because the $1million now being exported out of the local economy to import power will stay local many more jobs will spring up. Repeating the WOW template ten times will generate, over ten years, $310 million to put back into Oregon schools.

Additionally, $35 million in federal stimulus money is being set aside for projects in Oregon that reduce fossil fuel emissions and energy use. Coos County can harvest electrons through its rich wind and solar resource and sell those electrons just exactly as it harvests timber and get paid extra to do it by helping the state achieve carbon neutrality.

Before returning to Oregon I am meeting with the US Department of Energy to learn how best to bring these and other federal energy stimulus dollars into our area working through the Oregon DOE. Opportunities are abundant despite the dire news and if we work together, organize and maintain pressure on our federal and state representatives to support decentralized power generation in rural Oregon and beyond our children can expect the same or better educational benefits of every other child in America.

Last year Dian Courtright and I observed Earth Hour at my home by turning off the lights and appliances for one hour and walking around Coquille to see who else might be making the gesture. This year in Alexandria, Virginia many lights went out and the nation’s Capitol did make an effort, as did other major cities around the world, to dim the lights and hold candle light vigils for our planet.

Pubs served drinks by votive candle and restaurants brought battery-powered lights into restaurants and drums beat softly amidst the cherry blossoms as I walked around the city. Hopefully, next year Coos County and Coquille will join the increasing number of communities each year that celebrate Earth Hour by turning off the lights.

Rachel has a little conversation with Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy regarding pollution or carbon tax and a little thing like winter storm blackouts… how come they can’t keep the lights on?