Behind the monopolist horizon

Contemporary time seems to not favour big energetic sources.  There can be seen troubles on many sides. Big solar projects in North Africa, big hydro centrals and nuclear power plants are the most impressive examples.

One of them for instance is the huge energy project Desertec, which is common project of large, mainly German companies like Eon, RWE, Siemens, Munich Re, the German bank and others. It is a renewable project, but not decentralized with immense participation of big economic players.

In the last time have announced Siemens and Bosch that they leave this project. The reason seems to be clear - on one side falling prices of  renewable electricity generation, especially  the photovoltaic and at second  the nowadays political situation in Northern Africa, where is not to suppose, at least not for few coming years, stabile political  system. Also the transmission lines through Mediterranean See aren’t at this time real. Therefore ingravescent condition for a bank loans and the project starts to have financial troubles.

For solar energy devices located in the desert region can be also find others potential damage in cases of sand storms. The other disadvantage of Desertec project but  are also  the long lines from Northern Africa  to the European grid which will be connected with losses. This fact is partially undermining the twofold insolation in the Sahara region compared to Middle Europe.

 

According to the first calculation Desertec  should  cost 400 milliards euro and should in the future provide 15% of European electric energy consumption. The technical solution should be based on CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) plants in Northern Africa deserts, in combination  with wind generators electricity production on windy places in Mauretania and West Sahara. The energy from this big sources should be transported via high voltage electrical lines using  direct current through many thousand kilometres  to the Europe.

 

Es others big energy projects also Desertec has his own pitfalls. At the construction of the facilities and the connections lines is a gigantic number of many interested parties and therefore  are  the costs  hardly predictable. Each State of transit and transport lines will manoeuvre to get the best condition for himself, and it is also necessary to calculate with local resistances. This takes time and ultimately money because the return on investment will be delayed again.

The double amount of solar power in Northern Africa in comparison with middle Europe  is used as main argument for project enforcement. But the line losses on the large distance to Europe would be immense, the technical and political reliability critical. On top of that, the power plants have to be operated under extreme conditions, just think of sandstorms. The maintenance costs are not comparable to those of known plants.

The companies connected with Desertec project wants to extend the production and distribution structures used by today's energy systems into  the age of renewable energy. Desertec means electricity from of single consortium that controls production equipment and transmission lines. It is a way how to make solar power even under monopoly circumstances.

 

Falling prices of  former most expensive electrical source - photovoltaic - create so called “grid parity”, it means  the equalizing of photovoltaic production cost a the market price for electricity. This point has been reached in the year 2012 in southern European nations - Italy, Spain, Portugal, and in country with higher electricity taxes, in Germany.

They are working desert solar projects in own land, for example the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California Mojave desert or in sunny regions in southern Spain where are located  the projects Solnova Solar Power Station and the first European Spanish Andasol solar power station,  both of 150 MW power.  These projects are located in the country, where the main part of produced electricity will be consumed. Nor was this proposed for  Desertec, but in the changing times seems to be possible, that desert electricity will serve for North African cities. This will be the right solution.

For the Europe seems to be better solutions create CSP (Condensed Solar Power) within the area of EU, in countries, which have already enough sun shine and nowadays economical problems, for instance Spain, Greece or southern Italy. Local production of clean electricity will deliberate national economy from raising costs, from fossil dependence, and will create new economy and new working places.

Instead of big solar power plant it will be more suitable to build reasonable sources mainly for local consumption. For the villages in developing world will be more suitable small devices on roofs, connected  to local low voltage grid and nearby the bigger cities, adequate photovoltaic or CSP bigger devices. One of big advantage at CSP is the possibility of heat storage and therefore electricity production also during night or unkindly weather.

The local or regional photovoltaic devices can be combined with small or middle size wind turbines build on  places with sufficient average wind (more than 5 m/sec). It has been found that wind  energy can  serve very well as a complementary source. In many regions, there is more wind in the night or in rainy season.  Wind energy is has good conditions on see  or big lake shores. The small wind generators can be also fabricated on relatively simple manner in regional scales.

 

The big water dams are on one side production places for very low nett emission electricity production, but this production is proceed on one place, there must be created high voltage line to transport produced energy to the cities and industrial areas. This will be connected with big losses according to the length and unpleasant maintenance costs. In some big African countries (Sudan, Uganda and Angola), at the turn of the century was estimated, that losses in the grid are from 30% to 40% of initially feed electricity. High voltage line will not be used for electrification of small villages and hamlets. There is also big volumes of investment necessary for long lines building and their maintenance.

Some specifics are connected with common water use for energy production. Water is often used as a cooling medium in thermal power stations no matter if coal, gas or nuclear, either as a continuous cooling or in a cooling circuit with cooling towers. In the once-through cooling is expected that the rate of approximately 3.5 m³/s on 100 MW of installed electrical capacity brings warming of 10°C.  The waste heat is thus transferred to the water, which works towards thermal eutrophication. This can, mainly in higher Africa´s or South Asia´s  temperatures, cause ecological damage of systems, by lowering oxygen concentration. In a refrigeration cycle with cooling towers is reduced the heat input to water up to 10% compared to the once-through cooling. But in the evaporates water  escapes into the atmosphere heat. A part of the circulated cooling water must be let off regularly. But this water contains chemical additives, such as flocking agents, corrosion inhibitors, surfactants, etc., from the conditioning of the circuit water.

In the USA, the average water evaporation at thermal electricity production is about 2.6 litres/kWh for coal, oil or gas, and up to 3.2 litres/kWh at NPP. Average water consumption for thermoelectric generation is 1.8 l / kWh but for the hydro power generation 68 l / kWh. Water evaporation from the large area of ​​the reservoirs is responsible for the surprisingly large water consumption. The figure is based only on the increase in the area, the more influence (the shading of the river with trees and steep banks) were not taken into consideration. It was found that the evaporation of the river flux in comparison with the evaporation from dam lakes in the United States average make only 3.2% by weight.

In Africa, the water temperature is higher, which means, for physical reasons, a lower thermodynamic efficiency of the thermal power generation and a greater rate of evaporation. If all of the hydropower potential in sub-Saharan Africa implement dams, more than 4500 m3 of water per second will be evaporate.

The thermoelectric power generation, as well as the construction of large dams in Africa on a large scale, can have negative ecological and social consequences. Possibly even more negative influences - the expulsion of the indigenous population. This happens to the Tonga tribes living on the  Zambezi river shore, in the time when Kariba lake on Zambia/Zimbabwe boarder has been build.

Further disadvantage of the big dam is the loss of the original river biotopes. The big dams have also other problems, like  accumulation of various material in a dam lake,  for instance  the mud in High Asuan Dam build in second half of last century in Egypt,  the newest Three Gorges  dam in China or hundred  thousand  floating tree stems  as it is was the case in some Siberian river dams.

The renewable and sustainable concept of water energetic is another.  Small, ecological reliable and decentralized ways of water use are available floating power plants, imbedded newly discovered electric buoys. Electric floating devices represent economical and ecological use of water energy; they do not damage the water life ant it is decentre a immediately installable resource. They also cause don´t flooding the river valley and their installation is very quick. Floating hydro power source can be installed immediately.

 

Also the nuclear power plants (NPP) are in the last time in big troubles. Two NPP are now build in EU - nuclear reactor in Finnish Olkiluoto and second in French  Flammanville.  The death line and the construction cost are rising in both cases.  On beginning of the building Olkiluoto3 NPP it  has been announced that the grid connection  will occur in the year 2009. After few delays, in February 2013 were announced the final point  completion  not earlier than in the year 2016. New Finnish NPP  building is well known as perpetual  term prolongation and budget increasing,  apart from the fact that on the building are also Polish workers and they get  - because they are employs of polish companies -  2 euro hourly only. The prices for the nuclear electricity are in general permanent rising, and many years ago they are higher than those from coal power plants.

British company ..... has announced that will not participate on building of new reactors.

The mainly part of new NPP now is building in east in China, South Korea and India, one of them (Jaipur) in coastal region endangered by earthquake.

Also some African countries have  announced their interest in nuclear energy.  It is to suppose, that this is due to big interest of nuclear production firms in Europe and North America on seeking and reaching new markets. Building a huge centralized sources in developing countries, where have sufficient and profitable renewable energy potentials - mainly solar radiation or energy from big rivers, as in Nigeria, is a technical, economical and social mistake. The other reason against big power plant is due to small inhabitant density in developing countries. This means, huge losses and big infrastructure building and maintenance costs.

 Some African countries are political instable and this are not good  circumstances for nuclear energy production and nuclear material  ownership.  Also the need for nuclear power from view of military point of interest should be calculated. The contemporary western ideology is based on nuclear predominance and discouragement.

 

But against nuclear power are speaking also medical reasons. In few countries has been found, that the distance between residence place and the nuclear power plant  and the occurrence of leukaemia for small children  until 5 years gives clear connection, as well as  loss of girls births.  The inexistence of end storage facility for nuclear waste, and damage of terroristic or military attacks and the everyday possibility of radioactive leaks is also crucial. In many countries is a public resistance against nuclear power. According the referendum in Austria in nineties  has been forbidden the exploitation of nuclear energy for energy production by law. After Fukushima disaster Germany has stopped 8 NPP. It has been stopped also others nuclear projects in various countries, for example in Bulgaria.

 

To realize small electric device seems to be on technical level small problem. Photovoltaic eventually with wind  generators in cooperation and today’s electronic device can provide local 230 V and 50 Hz without big investments and troubles. The price of photovoltaic panel is falling down, partially driven, by the low cost China production. But the price is driving down not only because of the scale effect, but as well for very promising new research.  They are announced and in labs tested new generations of photovoltaic cells, with lower quantity of photovoltaic silicon, but with doubled efficiency. This type should be able to produce electricity from coal on the level of wholesale price of coal power plant.

The common view on big  energy project brings repeatedly  budget and ecological, or healthy  problems. Almost all big projects, not only huge power plants, but also others building plans are in the first plans phases much more cheaper  than to the end of the building process. This can be seen in various plans in contemporary world, some traffic infrastructure as German project Stuttgart21. To get public agreement the politician are in decision period using lower prices and then announced the price growth. This cannot happen to the small  and decentral resources needed for sustainable living not only in developing countries.

Advocacy for small scale energetic

Worldwide well known  and many times repeated is Schumachers college parole: “Small is beautiful”.  It has been replicated by generations of ecologists and peoples who want take care about life and live in simple and responsible way. The small is understandable, reguladable, the small has a scale of human dimensions. But there are also big, globalized things, for example sun power or planetary wind system, internet, saving of biological information in DNA or contemporary money system. Some of them are necessary life conditions, some of them are redundant.

There are many regions of human life, where we can see decentralisation movement. In small energy sources, independent house, local food, local bakery, farmers markets  in cities and so on.

Everything on our planet is energy driven, from smallest organisms to whole ecosystems. Every leave knows, that the surviving and propagation of the plant will be successful only in the case of sufficient energy intake.

Today’s energetic has two development routes. One is the small, decentralized way consist on sustainable and renewable solutions for family houses, buildings a villages and the second is big and centralized. It would seem that the first is most linked to people and families and the second one is good for  the industry and big  business, but this differentiation is not clear in all aspects.

The distinction is not given by the size, for instance the broad spread meaning, that the towns are not eligible for small renewable energy devices and that they need big  energy sources.  But on the contrary the well interconnected town energy infrastructure and huge roof area for photovoltaic installation and higher attitudes for small wind turbines eventually are making town  suitable places for renewable energy implementation. In towns is also escaping immense amount of waste heat or low potential heat, for example from big underground spaces. Many big world towns and capitals are now working on the aim to be renewable and sustainable (Munich, London...).

The subjects really interested on centralized big energy sources are the energy monopolists. In majority of lands, they are connected with political power and they are supporting each other.  They have plans for new big electric source and new electrical lines connecting and crossing continents together.

Big energy market player are planning big lines in Africa to connect the South African power plants with big hydro in the middle of continent. But if, this super grid, will not supply the small villages and hamlets. People will hereinafter moving. Moving to the energy source as manifestation of job seeking possibility is known not only from the developing countries, but as well from industrial nation’s history. For instance at  19. to 20. century divide, the migration to the coal mines in North Bohemia was about  30-40 % greater  than that to the Czech  capital Prag.

The centralized energetic system stimulate people´s moving from county side to towns, stimulate profit of big industrial players and is exploiting mainly centralized prime energy sources - coal, crude oil, gas or uranium. The income from this sources slips in to strange pockets in  foreign  countries.

 

The other important point is the ownership of renewable resources.  The majority, 51 % of Germane renewable owners in the year 2012,  are small private or coops owners. Adequate situation is in Danemark. Danish law assess  that private investor of any wind turbine higher than 25 meters should  offer at least 20% of stock participation to the inhabitants living around  4,5 km from the source. The local ownership is very important point for credibility of renewable energies. The decentralized system should be decentralized not in places only, but also in the sense of ownership. It has been often repeated, that solar energy is energy for all. If were possible direct customize solar shine or wind, the spreading of renewable energy shall be probably more quickly. But nobody, except the owner of renewable source, gets some profit from delivery of solar or wind power.

We have seen, that people´s feelings “we have our energy” is very important point of the energy change, it is a challenge for further development. People feel they are a part of new (energy) system. We have seen it in many cases, some in Czech Republic, as well as in other countries in Europe and Africa. The village Kněžice, the first energy independent seate in Czech Republic is excellent example of following local activities, initialised by the villagers. There are raising various economic, social and local politic actions. In Kněžice was build old people's home in very nice manner, it is running reconstruction of old mill house, where a new education centre will take place.

The main parts of dispersed  stable renewable  energy solution is complex of technology and public participation.

 

In general it is not possible to declare, that a big energetic project have always problems. For instance in Germany exist already a successful major project, namely the conversion of fossil and nuclear energy to renewable energy (in German: Energiewende). The Renewable Energy Sources Act has laid the foundation, and progress - despite considerable resistance just planning the established energy companies - is impressive. In thirteen years, (between 1999 to 2012) has in Germany increased the share of renewable electricity in the grid from 5 to 25 percent. It is the best world example for renewable electrification. This goal has been provided by application of Renewable energy act.

The Renewable Energy Sources Act is the most successful Germany´s political export item and it has been adopted in more than 60 countries. The efficiency of this law is much greater than those of so called quota system. Power generation, as promoted by the Renewable Energy Act is decentralized and in the hands of many small vendors. Their structures are small or medium. Small producers of renewable energy sources are more innovative than large corporations. Renewable energy construction and maintenance is a fruitful competition from many flexible companies that are associated with very different motives behind it. Their dynamic existence ensures in long term better prices than the structures of the old monopolists.

 

But they are also exemptions. According to the extraordinary strong financial and political friendship between energy monopolist and the main political parties, from the left to the right side in Czech Republic has the monopolist easier life, than in other countries. Each legal step done in energetic is saving and supporting  the strong position of CEZ monopoly.

The important part of supporting law is feed -in-tariff for renewable generated electricity. In the Czech law from the year 2005, has not been estimated the minimal price for renewable produced  energy explicit  and should be given yearly by the notice of Energy regulation office (ERÚ), but in accordance with the law at maximum decrease of 5%.  The surplus price is calculated to every consumer.

Due to this situation has been made a bad  price prescription in connection with other  reasons has led to opposition  to renewable energy.

For the year 2010 the price was estimated at 66% higher, than in Germany. This was big mistake and the parliament said that there has not been possibility for change, but it is very well known that in legislation pressure the parliament can make change very quickly, in few days, as we have often seen. But the price correction has not been done.

The situation starts to be dramatically and dangerous for renewable energy. The installation speed was forced by the highest price in Europe and the final yearly installed power  was the same as in Germany. But in Germany everybody knows, that this country is leader in renewable energy,  has big renewable industry and over 380 thousands employ people in renewable energy branch and broad civic support. In the year 2010 has been installed in  Czech republic 5% of the worlds 2010 installations. This is a huge part, for the nation with 10 million inhabitants. United States with 312 million peoples in the same year have installed 6% of the installation volume only.

In the year 2012 some of partly installed big photovoltaic devices in Germany have been demounted a transferred to Czech Republic. Pity that big installation of photovoltaic in Czech Republic has been realized in the first step not on roofs or facades, nor on brown fields, like in Germany, but on good arable fields. This has led to extreme negative wave in Czech society. The Czech society is not well-disposed towards ecology, partially due to political climate and major anti Europe attitude.  Also the political leaders from governmental parties from left to the right wings are anti ecologically and pro atom oriented.  Nobody in main Czech media is reporting about positive impacts of renewable energy, nor is mentioned cleaner production, less dependence on energetic imports or saving of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases emissions.

This reasons, in connection with less than half average salary in Czech republic in comparison to Germany has led to very negative understanding of renewable energy among Czech public. To partially eliminate his own error Czech Parliament add special tax on it.  According to some foreign politician it is the first time since communistic putsch in 1948 where the state has touched the private property by law.

 

The Czech story about disaster of renewable sources installation is a lesson we should learn .  It seems to be an example of manipulation against renewable energy and  immense support of the energetic monopoly. The message is, that the local development of renewable energies should lay in hands of civil society.  

It is possible to feed our word by renewable energy only. It will bring many advantages. Less dependency on fossil and nuclear fuels, less emissions CO₂, better environment, less pollution and waste. But on the other side new economical and social advantages can also be obtained: new working places for broad spectrum of technician, scientist, workers and revitalisation of socially devastated regions. And important - the new places will be for every time.

Poorest development countries  in Africa  import primer energy sources for  more money, that  is their whole export income. They are creating energy debts . This can be  stopped by renewable energy only.