CLEAN AS A BREEZE
Fossil fuels pollute the air and heat the planet. You say you
want a revolution? You'll find it in the sun and the wind. |
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BY CHRISTOPHER FLAVIN
Across the broad, fertile plains of northern Germany, a new crop has sprouted over the past five years. Sprinkled among the barns and silos are thousands of 30-m-tall towers topped by sleek, fiberglass blades that whirl slowly in the breeze. Functioning as clean, trim powerhouses, these modern windmills use even gentle currents of air to put out strong currents of electricity--energizing the region's businesses and homes without hurting the environment.
Half a world away, on the Indonesian island of Java, hundreds of rural families have mounted small, silvery panels on poles near their homes. Made of silicon semiconductor chips similar to the microprocessors found in computers, these solar cells convert the energy of sunshine into electricity. With these almost magical devices, people living a day's walk from the nearest power lines are able to turn on light bulbs, radios and TV sets for the first time.
In Europe, Southeast Asia and all sorts of places in between, something remarkable is happening. Alternative-energy technologies have moved quietly but decisively from experimental curiosity to commercial reality, economically turning sunlight, wind and other renewable resources into useful forms of energy. This achievement opens up an intriguing possibility. Just as the economic miracles of the 20th century were powered by fossil fuels, the 21st century may be marked by an equally dramatic move away from those fuels--and the environmental havoc they have wrought. The result may be nothing less than an energy revolution.
Roughly 100 years have passed since a transition of this magnitude has taken place. Much of the energy system now in place was created by an explosion of invention between 1890 and 1910. During that short period, cities were transformed, as automobiles and electric lights replaced horse-drawn carriages and gas lamps. The old technologies had prevailed for centuries, but they became obsolete in a matter of years.
Today we may be at a similar turning point. Thanks to a potent combination of government incentives and private investment, technologies that use synthetic materials, advanced electronics and biotechnology are sweeping through the energy industry. That will foster a new generation of mass-produced machines that efficiently and cleanly provide the energy that enables people to take a hot shower, sip a cold beer or even surf the Internet. The revolution is proceeding on at least three major fronts:
HERE COMES THE SUN
The world market for solar cells has gone from $340 million in 1988 to $900 million in 1996--growth spurred by the fall in the cost of these devices from $70 a watt in the 1970s to $4 today. Although the cost of the electricity they put out is still far above the cost of that produced by conventional generators, solar cells are already the least expensive source of power for rural homes not connected to a region's electric grid. Further price decreases in the next decade may make solar power an economically attractive option for many urban buildings as well. That prospect is stirring excitement all around the globe. In Japan, major housing companies have introduced a new type of dwelling with silicon roof tiles that generate enough electricity to meet most of a family's needs. Thanks to government incentives, some 70,000 of these homes are expected to be built in the next several years. In Switzerland and Germany dozens of office buildings have been constructed with solar cells integrated into the glass of their south-facing facades, allowing the windows to produce power, as well as transmit filtered sunlight.
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