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25
Text I.
Clean as the Breeze
In Europe, Southeast Asia and all sorts of places in between, something
remarkable is happening. Alternative-energy technologies have become
commercial reality, economically turning sunlight, wind and other renewable
resources into useful forms of energy. Just as the economic miracles of the 20
th
century were powered by fossil fuels, the 21
st
century may be marked by an
equally dramatic move away from those fuels. The result may be nothing less
than an energy revolution.
Much of the energy now in place was created 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. 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 up. Solar
cells are already the least expensive source of power for rural homes not
connected to a region’s electric grid. Further price in the next decade may make
solar power an economically attractive option for many urban buildings as well.
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. Some 70000 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.
Blowing in the Wind. The global wind-power industry is growing
annually. Modern wind turbines consist of tough fiberglass blades and electronic
controls. The cost of electricity produced by these devices is compared with that
of fossil-fuel power.
Already thousands of wind turbines have been installed in a dozen
European countries. The North Sea winds could one day meet a sizable fraction
of Europe’s power needs. The boom is also being felt in Asia, where wind-
power companies are setting up successful joint ventures that are installing large
numbers of turbines in India, China and other developing countries.
No Smoke in Your Eyes. A device called a fuel cell combines hydrogen
and oxygen to produce electricity – and the only waste is water. Small, mass-
produced and containing no moving parts, fuel cells are a product of the U.S.
space program, where they are used to meet the electricity needs of the shuttle
fleet. Fuel cells could one day sit in millions of basements producing power and
25
Text I.
Clean as the Breeze
In Europe, Southeast Asia and all sorts of places in between, something
remarkable is happening. Alternative-energy technologies have become
commercial reality, economically turning sunlight, wind and other renewable
resources into useful forms of energy. 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. The result may be nothing less
than an energy revolution.
Much of the energy now in place was created 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. 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 up. Solar
cells are already the least expensive source of power for rural homes not
connected to a region’s electric grid. Further price in the next decade may make
solar power an economically attractive option for many urban buildings as well.
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. Some 70000 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.
Blowing in the Wind. The global wind-power industry is growing
annually. Modern wind turbines consist of tough fiberglass blades and electronic
controls. The cost of electricity produced by these devices is compared with that
of fossil-fuel power.
Already thousands of wind turbines have been installed in a dozen
European countries. The North Sea winds could one day meet a sizable fraction
of Europe’s power needs. The boom is also being felt in Asia, where wind-
power companies are setting up successful joint ventures that are installing large
numbers of turbines in India, China and other developing countries.
No Smoke in Your Eyes. A device called a fuel cell combines hydrogen
and oxygen to produce electricity – and the only waste is water. Small, mass-
produced and containing no moving parts, fuel cells are a product of the U.S.
space program, where they are used to meet the electricity needs of the shuttle
fleet. Fuel cells could one day sit in millions of basements producing power and
