Wind Turbines

Wind turbines create a lot of clean energy for people to use. Iowa has many wind farms to help create more clean energy.

This letter is in response to a previous editorial regarding renewable energy being advantageous for the U.S.

As your recent editorial argues, the increasing decentralization of U.S. electric power generation arising from deployment of renewable energy improves system resiliency against deliberate attacks on our national power grid.

It also better protects against natural disasters and accidents. However, sole reliance on intermittent solar and wind energy to keep the lights on also imperils our power supply.

To take up the slack when the sun sets or the wind stops blowing, the nation also needs to develop large-scale electric energy storage, which appears to be many decades away, or dispatchable renewable power — a more immediate solution employing storable renewable energy that can be switched on at a moment’s notice.

The Bioeconomy Institute at ISU is developing a liquid fuel from the pyrolysis of crop residues and wood wastes that can be burned in the kind of stationary diesel engines located in many Iowa municipalities for emergency power, although they are currently fired with fossil fuels. This “py diesel” even has potential of generating “carbon negative” electricity, thus removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits, something that solar and wind energy cannot accomplish.

The 2014 report of the International Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) notes that reducing emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere alone is not enough to meet targets for limiting global temperature rise. Its call for carbon removal strategies has encouraged researchers at the Bioeconomy Institute to explore how agriculture and engineering can join forces to grow and process biomass in ways that achieve carbon negative energy.

More information can be found at:

Opinion Policies

Opinions expressed in columns and letters are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Daily or organizations with which the author(s) are associated. 


Letter to the Editor Submission Link

(2) comments

Teiu Basque

As the Earth gets warmer and energy gets more expensive, "high-efficiency," in all its forms, is the grand designation of the 21st century. Cars, appliances and now entire homes have made the jump from water hauling in north dakota into the "green" realm, and eco-living doesn't stop with solar panels, tankless water heaters and double-paned glass. Aesthetics are going green, too. I'm talking about counters and furniture made of trash, or at least what would've been trash. Bamboo grows like a weed, at eight times the rate of hardwood, to be exact. It's extremely renewable, not just because of the growth speed, but also because when bamboo is harvested, the plant doesn't die. It just grows back, and quickly, making it an excellent green option for floors.

Tom Martin

Renewable energy will be used more in the future. Now people still rely on traditional means of having power. Also, when one needs electrical repairs, he should hire a professional such as the electrician Bakersfield. By hiring an experienced professional electrician, it will prevent anyone from spending a lot of money on buying equipment and wires that he has no knowledge of. Also, a professional's experience is necessary to repair fast what it is damaged.

Welcome to the discussion.

Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.