Green Energy from Above
Dr. Robert Howard
Space SIG Director
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson emphasized to of us with well paying high tech careers. The problem
NSBE in the fall 2009 NSBE Magazine that President is competition and availability. The rest of the world is
Obama is committed to green energy. This has been catching up to America’s quality of life, and the global
needed for decades. The cost of gas continues to energy usage is increasing as a result. Under Snead’s
increase with no end in sight. Global tensions con- analysis, the global energy use in 2100 is ten times
tinue to erupt over the planet’s dwindling oil supply. that of America and the total projected energy con-
Concerned environmentalists continue to warn of long sumption from 2010 to 2100 is 17,000 billion BOE – a
term damage to the planet from the use of coal and global cost of $1,700 trillion. Of course, the greater
other fossil fuels. the demand, the greater the cost. And worse, Snead
reports that the World Energy Council estimated in
In The Space Review online magazine, AIAA*
2007 that the current world reserves of oil, coal, and
Senior Member and Spacefaring Institute President
natural gas total 6,000 billion BOE and only an addi-
James Snead reports that the United States is pro-
tional 6,000 billion might be recoverable through addi-
jected from 2010 to 2100 to consume roughly 2,000
tional exploration.
billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) at a cost of $200
trillion – assuming an average BOE cost of $100 per Projections almost never match reality and even
barrel. This is based on a projected growth in energy if we are not one lifetime away from global energy
consumption from 17 billion BOE annually today to 28 disaster – as these projections predict – we certainly
billion BOE annually in 2100 – which assumes a mod- are headed in an undesirable direction.
est decrease in per capita energy use due to increase
energy conservation. (http://www.thespacereview. It has been said that “non-oil” energy sources
com/article/1364/1). He also notes that 85 percent of are the gold rush of the 21
st
century. Advocates of
America’s energy use to day comes from non-sustain- many forms of alternative energy (renewable and
able sources (oil, coal, and natural gas). non-renewable) all want to be seen as the solution to
the world’s present and future energy needs. As engi-
There is room to question some of Snead’s pro- neers, we know better – or should know better – than
jections, though the general premise is sound. For to believe the spin of advocates who claim that says
instance, MSNBC reports the benchmark crude for any “one” solution will replace the myriad of current
November at $69.95 per barrel (http://www.msnbc. energy sources. Be it biofuels, nuclear, wind energy,
msn.com/id/12400801/ns/business-oil_and_energy), hydroelectric power, solar, geothermal, and the list
so the $100 figure may or may not be an accurate goes own, all of which clearly will be part of the equa-
extrapolation of an average cost over the next ninety tion. Even petroleum energy itself will continue for
years. And there is no doubt that the use of energy the indefinite future, regardless of the shrinking per-
will increase, whether it hits, falls below, or exceeds centage of the energy pie it occupies.
his 28 billion mark. Thus, it is safe to say that the
United States will spend in excess of a hundred trillion I do believe that there is a component to this
dollars over the next ninety years to acquire the ener- energy solution that is often overlooked, despite its
gy it needs to sustain our way of life and one should having been present longer than humans have walked
not become distracted quibbling over decimal points. the Earth. Just beyond our grasp lies enough energy
to render the “energy crisis” a non-issue. However, it
This is non-sustainable, but not because of the does not need to lie beyond our grasp any longer.
dollar amount. The United States is a wealthy nation
– despite the current economic downturn – and can The Moon receives roughly 13,000 TW of incident
continue to spend at this rate, and higher, on energy. solar energy, which equates to 69.9 trillion annual
We may not like it, but we can pay it. Especially those BOE. Clearly, we could not and should not cover the
6 • Alumni Arsenal | November 2009 The Official Magazine of the NSBE Alumni Extension
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