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A nearly forgotten breakthrough in nuclear power technology has the capacity to virtually replace the use of fossil fuels within 10 years according to researchers.  However, the technology was shelved during the Clinton administration at the height of the anti-nuclear movement in the U.S., and kept there by the Bush administration.

Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) technology has been tested and proven viable at the Argonne National Laboratory in Idaho over a thirty year span beginning in the mid-1960’s.  These “fourth-generation” reactors use existing stocks of nuclear waste as fuel and produce clean energy with virtually no radioactive byproducts.  The common objections to use of nuclear power are virtually eliminated.

Based on current research, it is conceivable to meet virtually 100% of our electrical generation needs using the integral fast reactor technology within a matter of years if we were to undertake an aggressive switch to this technology.  Using currently available nuclear waste material as fuel would allow for several hundred years of operation at current levels of worldwide energy usage without any need for extraction or mining of additional nuclear fuel.  Additionally, the process consumes nearly all of the radioactive material, leaving low volumes of waste material that require containment periods measured in decades rather than millennia.

Further, the reactor design is essentially disaster-proof.  Should something go wrong during the process, the reactor naturally shuts down.  This has already been successfully tested at the Argonne facility.  Concerns over proliferation of nuclear material are reduced as well, since the material used in the IFR is much less suited to weapons development than that of the current generation of nuclear plants.

The primary obstacle seems to be commercialization of the process required to reprocess the existing stockpiles of nuclear waste into nuclear fuel for the IFR. While this technology, called pyroprocessing, has been developed and tested, the cost of handling a large scale effort would require a significant upfront investment. 

There is a growing consensus that green-energy technology alone cannot meet our energy needs.  Those in the fossil fuel industries have been pushing for increased use of natural gas and coal, which continue to add CO2 and other greenhouse gasses to the already elevated levels in the atmosphere. It seems that a technology that has been neglected for over a decade may hold the key to solving both the worldwide energy crisis and be a major factor in reducing climate change.

How many times have you heard that the secret to weight loss is diet and exercise together? How many people actually take that advice? Or, do we Americans tend to look for the quick-fix, the fad diet?

Welcome to America’s latest fad-diet: Bio-fuels. The main entree these days seems to be Ethanol, which we are producing in ever increasing quantities each year at the expense of our own food supply, and ironically, the environment itself. This heavily government-subsidized fuel requires a large amount of energy to produce: Its feedstock, corn requires fertilizers derived from hydrocarbons (fuels) to grow, then more fuel to harvest and process, and finally to deliver it to the point of consumption. The most pessimistic estimates of how much fuel is required to produce 1 gallon of ethanol exceed 1 gallon of fossil fuels. That means we are actually losing energy by switching to ethanol, resulting in larger imports of oil and natural gas from our close friends in the Middle East, not to mention the inflationary pressure this puts on food products, especially on our ubiquitous corn staple (refer to The Carnivore’s Dilemma which claims that close to 90% of America’s diet is in some way connected to corn and soy.) So why does this process continue? Think of some of the most powerful lobbies in America: Agriculture and Energy. They benefit tremendously from this situation at our, the taxpayer’s expense.

So how do we find balance? Americans keep on tweaking the supply side of the equation: Produce more fuel! Let’s look at the dieting aspect of this now: If we are still far away from producing bio-fuels or hydrogen economically and ecologically, then let’s try saving some energy instead! To paraphrase Ben Franklin: “A Kilowatt Saved is Truly a Kill-a-Watt Generated!” It is said that more efficient use of our current resources could make America self-sufficient in energy without forcing the alchemists to magically concoct a viable renewable fuel. This is one reason Maryland Green Power Co. scrapped its plans to build a biodiesel production facility in Baltimore last year.

Ouch – that means we have to go on a starvation diet, right? Hopefully not. The goal of my newsletter is to examine techniques for reducing our energy usage and still maintaining a comfortable way of life. My current topic concentrates on air conditioning, which is for most of us the largest summertime energy hog in our homes and offices. Yet, with the heat waves we have been experiencing every summer, who wants to turn up the thermostat by a few degrees? You might not have to.

Hence, our goal is to save money and to save energy without sacrificing comfort, or breaking the bank in the process. With fuel and electricity prices increasing at their current rates, we are being financially squeezed into a recession. However, investments in energy should be viewed as an investment much like stocks and bonds. For instance, if you were presented with a piece of equipment which would save enough in electricity costs to pay for itself in one year, would you consider it a good investment? You should – it’s returning 100% ROI annually, which is hard to find in the stock market. Consider that after it pays for itself, it is generating profit at the rate of 100% annually! The exciting part is that these types of opportunities are plentiful in the green energy industry.

For example, using a company’s existing emergency power generators to shave peak demand surcharges off your energy bill, or contracting with your local energy supplier to be “on-call” on an interruptible electricity plan frequently pays for itself in months, not years! However, most of us do not own emergency generators, nor do we consume enough power for the utility company to be interested in giving us generous monetary incentives to disconnect from the power grid temporarily. We residential and small business customers have to content ourselves with small investments in energy efficiency such as the Enigin ACES unit, which can pay for itself in about a year of operation on an average size central air conditioner.

Specifically, a device such as an Enigin ACES is an intelligent version of what the utility company already wants you to do. Some of us have contracted with BG&E for installation of their air conditioner cut-off switch, which cycles your AC compressor on and off to reduce energy usage during hot days, typically periods of extreme peak power consumption, in order to prevent power shortages which contribute to rolling brown or black-outs. Baltimore Gas & Electric offers a small incentive for this operation, but I removed the device because I felt it decreased the cooling ability of my air conditioner unit and I was uncomfortable. However, MGPC ACES is a microprocessor controlled device, which learns the operational profile of your air conditioner over time, reducing over-cooling of the coils, leaving your air optimally cooled. It’s operation can be compared to a person riding his bike uphill. When the rider reaches the top, it is desirable to coast on the plateau as long as speed is maintained. An air conditioner without this kind of control will keep on pumping out the same power even on the plateau. The ACES Air Conditioner Efficiency System lets your air conditioner’s compressor enjoy its free ride.

In summary, opinions on green energy are separated into two extreme poles: Those who believe government should subsidize any environmental project or technology even if it loses money, and those who, in reaction to the first group, claim that the energy crisis and global warming were thought up by some mysterious group seeking to profit from scare-mongering and we should maintain our status quo. These two groups confuse the rest of us into inaction.

I’m hoping that our new generation of small green-energy companies will be the evangelists who tell you to relax, enjoy the ride, and take a deep breath of CLEAN, fresh air, because you can make a difference without making a sacrifice!