Comments on: Is Global Energy Use Getting Better?

By: mike hamilton

mike hamilton — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 19:55:28 +0000

thank you Mr. Bailes for this
thank you Mr. Bailes for this great information site. it is as far as i’ve seen THE resource about all things energy / energy conservation related.
For that reason, i hope that you’re new web site or a follow up and switch to Disqus will not change the ease with which myself and others can access the valuable information you provide.
mike hamilton

By: Lloyd Claycomb

Lloyd Claycomb — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 16:34:38 +0000

Energy use is increasing and
Energy use is increasing and will be due to the number of the masses increasing. The real area we should be worried about is how much harm the current usage is doing to us. Please note by masses I mean humans, not animals.

By: Teddy Kinyanjui

Teddy Kinyanjui — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 02:15:38 +0000

Very interesting post –
Very interesting post – thanks for the good write up about this.

One thing with solar stoves is that you can make breakfast, dinner (at night night time) or a warm meal on a cold rainy day.
They also have a life cycle manufacturing and disposal aspects to be considered – how much plastic, metal for 3 billion cookers?

I personally believe a hybrid efficient cooking system is the way to go, a mix of what users decide is best for their type of cooking, fossil gas, LPG, electric and of course charcoal for the occasional BBQ 😉

Luckily in a way, tree’s are amazing solar batteries, they make air, rain and soil, are home to hundreds of mirco-fauna and are easy to grow http://kenyacharcoal.blogspot.co.ke/2011/10/grow-and-make-your-own-charcoal-in-half.html

How will we (ironically) control the energy used for our new digital era? http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/10/can-the-internet-run-on-renewable-energy.html

and mad things like http://motherboard.vice.com/read/bitcoin-could-consume-as-much-electricity-as-denmark-by-2020

By: Alketi

Alketi — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 21:29:56 +0000

Here’s the per-capita usage
Here’s the per-capita usage chart, for reference:

http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/iedindex3.cfm?tid=44&pid=45&aid=2&cid=r1,&syid=1985&eyid=2011&unit=MBTUPP

Too bad the statistics only go to 2011, as it’d be interesting to see the latest numbers.

Please use Disqus on your new site, it’s ubiquitous and I assume it’s free, and good luck with the new web design! I enjoy all your energy articles.

By: Dale Sherman

Dale Sherman — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 21:15:23 +0000

Yes, we appear to be moving
Yes, we appear to be moving in the right direction; shifting towards efficiency and renewable energy sources, and raising the quality of life for those at the bottom of the global economy.

SCI is a worthy organization that has been in it for the long haul. As I recall, NASA, Home Power Magazine, and others used to have a solar cooker design challenges each year. Has SCI ever engaged in such an event?

Another worthy organization, Waka Waka http://us.waka-waka.com/ sells solar lights and solar-powered cell phone chargers. Buy one and they’ll send one to a person in need in a third world country. Without solar-powered lights, folks are using kerosene lamps which creates indoor pollution.

There is also Gravity Light https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gravitylight-2-made-in-africa#/ which is a gravity-powreed light.

There are efforts to promote GoBar gas (biogas) in place of burning wood for cooking and heating in India, Thailand, and Nepal.

The Greenbelt Movement http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/ started by Wangari Maathai works to increase forestation and water harvesting.

With all the worthy causes to help poor communities improve their quality of life by moving towards sustainable energy sources, wouldn’t all these causes be more efficient if they collaborated into supporting communities-as-a-system?

Healthcare, small local manufacturing, renewable energy, passive solar huts, electric transportation, water purification, and permaculture farming could all benefit from increased collaboration among groups such as Solar Cooker International and others.

It’s quite possible that supporting communities-as-a-system may eventually show industrial nations the many benefits of sustainable and efficient energy use in our communities.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 21:13:13 +0000

Alketi, thanks for adding
Alketi, thanks for adding that piece about per capita energy use in the US. CFLs are probably part of the reason, but I’m sure there are more contributing factors. Airtightness of buildings, for example, has increased because many building codes now require testing.

Regarding Disqus, that’s a good question. We’re about to launch a completely built website and I’m not sure what the new one uses for comments. I’ll ask today.

By: Alketi

Alketi — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 21:06:53 +0000

Not sure how they measuring
Not sure how they measuring the amount of firewood people are using to cook at remote locations (color me a little skeptical of those estimates), however, it's also important to note that per-capita energy use in the United States has been declining since 2000, which perhaps coincides, at least somewhat, to CFL adoption. Side note: Allison, have you ever considered switching to Disqus comments? It's a managed system that allows users one log in across the whole web. It's a lot cleaner and easier for posting.