Energy Resources: Alternative/Sustainable/Green
Solar and Wind are the two most likely to be scaled up in the near future, partly because they've been in use for millenia, and partly because technological advances hold some promise for the huge scaling-up needed in the face of peak petroleum. Biofuels hold promise, too, but face a set of economic, ethical, and technological obstacles.
Hydrogen is not a fuel or energy source. The "hydrogen economy?" For mushrooms only, like WMD.
Pros and Cons of Current Energy Sources: Prof. Michael Mills' qualitative estimates
Sustainable Energy—Without the Hot Air: Impressive book by David MacKay (2009) that he graciously makes freely available online in clearly laid-out chapters. Ruffled some feathers among those with a favored green-energy plan, but he seems to treat all comers fairly.
Renewable Fuels pages of the U.S. EPA
Greenhouse-gas impacts of renewable and alternative fuels (U.S. EPA, April 2007)
National Renewable Energy Lab:
U.S. wind energy resource atlas
National Renewable Energy Lab: Solar Resource Data
National Renewable Energy Lab: Biomass maps and data
National Renewable Energy Lab: Geothermal energy maps
GENI (Global Energy Network Institute) maps for solar energy resources
GENI maps for wind energy resources
The cost, price, and value of wind energy: Post and discussion at The Oil Drum, May 2009.
High-altitude windpower? Part I: Post and discussion at The Oil Drum, July 2009.
High-altitude windpower? Part II: Post and discussion at The Oil Drum, July 2009.
Brief "Advice to President Obama:" Wind!! Post and discussion at The Oil Drum, Jan 2009.
History of Industrial Windpower: medieval era to now (Low-Tech Magazine, Oct 2009).
Small Windmills Tested (they fail): Bigger is better, in this case (Low-Tech Mag, April 2009).
Wind farm construction: photo-essay: Post (mostly pictures) at The Oil Drum, July 2010)
Concentrating solar power (CSP) and Solar thermal energy (SRE) (both at Wikipedia).
Long article on photovoltaics (PV) at Wikipedia.
NREL maps of the U.S. for both (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP).
Plugging Into the Sun: Recent (Sept 09) National Geographic update on solar developments.
Decent introduction to biofuels at Wikipedia.
Biodiesel, green diesel, and renewable diesel
Green algae as biofuel: Book review & commentary: Post and discussion at TOD, May 2009.
Cost viability of algae as biofuel: Post and discussion at The Oil Drum, May 2009.
An ethanol bright spot: Post and discussion at The Oil Drum, Jan 2009.
Renewable fuel pretenders (hydrogen, algae, cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel): TOD, Sept 2009.
Renewable fuel contenders (sugarcane ethanol, palm oil, flash pyrolysis, gasification): TOD, Sept 2009)
Renewable "niche fuels" — biofuels: Post and discussion at The Oil Drum, Sept 2009.
Saul Griffith's LongNow address: Feb 2009 talk calculates personal energy consumption and optimistically discusses alternative energy resources; some discussion of developing a lower-consumption society.
Edwin Black, Internal Combustion (2006): Well-documented analysis of the rise of oil use in the U.S. and the simultaneous undermining and failure of alternative energy resources; chiefly covers 1880-1940. I include this book here to exhort advocates of alt/renew/green energy to never underestimate corporate and political desires for wealth and power.
Home Power: Information and supplies for the "green/renewable" consumer.
Geothermal heat pumps: a short video and a fact sheet about extracting energy from Earth's constant temperature to heat and cool buildings.
Fifth (of 5) introductory discussions of the design and use of passive solar for residential heating (and cooling). The first four posts are linked in the first line. (TOD Jan–Sept 2009)