you always give us interesting articles with a twist - love this one. This young president seems to have a good deal of sense and sensibility, minus the woke thing and is moving his country right along into prosperity. He is one to watch. Now, that I have a grandson-in-law from El Salvador it gives it another reason to watch. I shall see how his education comes along.
I love this story, seeing a country utilize its natural resources effectively while avoiding the net zero garbage. It strikes me that the carbon dioxide footprint is incidental to the availability of energy locally. This is the way it should be everywhere!
Funny how every nation on Earth has enough uranium & thorium under their feet or in the ocean if they are a coastal nation, to supply all of their energy needs for thousands if not millions of years. But nobody talks about using those natural resources, using the "N" word is taboo.
There are some difficulties with using geothermal. Iceland, with its massive geothermal resources still relies on conventional hydro for 70% of its electricity generation. And uses geothermal mainly for low grade building heat and hot water. With large heating needs in that cold climate.
Hawaii is literally bathed in a high grade geothermal heat resource but still only gets 20% of its electricity from it. 62% from expensive Oil generation. While embracing the Green Agenda wholeheartedly. Banning the one source of energy it could really use, which is nuclear. Airheads. Or corrupt, pick one.
Definitely the cat's pajamas for a cold region's hot water and building heat.
So much so, that the per capita primary energy consumption of Iceland is the highest on Earth, 170 MWh/person/year vs the USA is 76 MWh/person/year.
A good alternative is a swimming pool reactor. Just rods of natural uranium in heavy water, through a heat exchanger to district heating. Not much to it, water gets to boiling temp, loses moderation, reaction rate declines and maintains temperature. Never work though where you have a corrupt, fanatical regulator like the NRC.
Could you elaborate on the 'difficulties' with using geothermal? I don't know much at all about it, but it seems like the needed heat energy would be close to the surface when near an active volcano. Sounds like it's economically quite feasible in those locations.
Very high capital costs, aggravated by having a very small customer base. Often expensive wells don't pan out, insufficient resource, the resource depletes prematurely or other problems develop due to ground movement or magma intrusions/volcanic eruptions.
Have caused earthquakes, so there are liability concerns.
Lots of difficulties with permitting typically needing federal, state & local approvals. Lot's of environmental & indigenous peoples opposition & lawsuits.
Often difficulty with transmission, taking into account the previous problem, and having to cross protected, environmentally sensitive areas or even potential lava flows.
And the green agenda politicians & enviro groups that promote renewables are very much in the pocket of the big money wind & solar industries, so they favor those scams. But geothermal is a high capital cost, baseload electricity supply, that like nuclear, is much less economical in a wind/solar grid. Whereas low capital cost OCGT & diesel mate very well with that.
It is good to take in all considerations, plus and minus.
*Ultimately, the geochemistry and geophysics of the proposed geothermal site dictate the efficacy and economics.* Some places sound good on paper while in reality they have unsurmountable problems.
So far El Salvador has been successful providing at least 25 % of their electricity needs, since 1975.
Per your update—it was on a trip to Iceland when I first learned about hydrogen. They had plans to fuel their fishing fleet with hydrogen made from geothermal. People confuse the hydrogen proposal as a means of “free”energy. It’s not that, it’s a means of storage for “renewables” (which at this point only means “not oil, coal, or gas”).
Yes they did jump on the hydrogen bandwagon circa 1999 and as usual it was dismal flop. Morons. They'd have been much wiser using BEV tech and green methanol if low CO2 was their objective. Politicians just have to embrace the current farcical energy scam pushed by the EUSSR green agenda Malthusians. Half of them are probably WEF YGL grads.
The only rational way to use hydrogen for that purpose is to convert it to methanol, using biomass to supply the carbonaceous feedstock. Or you can just use biomass --> methanol, a centuries old process, but has a lower carbon efficiency without the added hydrogen.
Methanol being the best way known to store hydrogen, and is an excellent fuel for generators, gas turbines, heating & cooking and as a gasoline or diesel (via DME) replacement. Methanol spills are benign and it burns with higher efficiency than natural gas, diesel, gasoline or hydrogen. While being as clean burning as natural gas.
Can be used, Direct Methanol Fuel Cells DMFCs are commonly used for backup power on boats, RVs or yachts, but are less efficient than PEMs.
With a Methanol PEM @ 35-40% efficient, that is still less than an optimized Methanol IC engine that runs @ over 50% efficiency. And I imagine a good deal less expensive. With 40% the weight of an equivalent diesel and 1.5X the torque/liter displacement. Also for larger applications a methanol fueled CCGT will run upwards of 60% efficiency.
Thanks - very interesting. Looks like El Salvadore won't be called a '3rd world country' any more. My wife Bev was there in the late 80s or early 90s for 10 days with a Christian mission group. She stayed with a local family - I think they spoke Spanish, in which Bev was fairly fluent. She remembers that their electricity would sometimes be off for a few hours in those days. How times are a-changing! I didn't know about all their volcanos, but it makes sense - they are part of the Pacific Rim of Fire.
Right, agreed 💯.
Bukele speaks fluent common sense.
But those evil volcanoes produce plenty of CO2 from roasting limestone 😆
A concentrated source of CO2 is excellent feedstock for a methanol plant.
you always give us interesting articles with a twist - love this one. This young president seems to have a good deal of sense and sensibility, minus the woke thing and is moving his country right along into prosperity. He is one to watch. Now, that I have a grandson-in-law from El Salvador it gives it another reason to watch. I shall see how his education comes along.
Thank you JF, appreciated!
Maybe a volcano and Mayan ruins combo tour is in your future?
you promise?
I love this story, seeing a country utilize its natural resources effectively while avoiding the net zero garbage. It strikes me that the carbon dioxide footprint is incidental to the availability of energy locally. This is the way it should be everywhere!
Funny how every nation on Earth has enough uranium & thorium under their feet or in the ocean if they are a coastal nation, to supply all of their energy needs for thousands if not millions of years. But nobody talks about using those natural resources, using the "N" word is taboo.
I wonder if they’ll start producing hydrogen—a great way to store energy to power cars and boats.
Great potential 👍. Importantly, the geothermal resources there are relatively accessible. El Salvador could be one day a net exporter of electricity.
There are some difficulties with using geothermal. Iceland, with its massive geothermal resources still relies on conventional hydro for 70% of its electricity generation. And uses geothermal mainly for low grade building heat and hot water. With large heating needs in that cold climate.
Hawaii is literally bathed in a high grade geothermal heat resource but still only gets 20% of its electricity from it. 62% from expensive Oil generation. While embracing the Green Agenda wholeheartedly. Banning the one source of energy it could really use, which is nuclear. Airheads. Or corrupt, pick one.
Use what you can and what is economical. It all ends up as waste heat eventually.
El Salvador has been successful so far, I am rooting for them.
Iceland Electricity: data center paradise for heating and cooling
Total: 70% Hydro - 30% Geothermal
* Heating
90% Geothermal
10% hydro
Definitely the cat's pajamas for a cold region's hot water and building heat.
So much so, that the per capita primary energy consumption of Iceland is the highest on Earth, 170 MWh/person/year vs the USA is 76 MWh/person/year.
A good alternative is a swimming pool reactor. Just rods of natural uranium in heavy water, through a heat exchanger to district heating. Not much to it, water gets to boiling temp, loses moderation, reaction rate declines and maintains temperature. Never work though where you have a corrupt, fanatical regulator like the NRC.
Could you elaborate on the 'difficulties' with using geothermal? I don't know much at all about it, but it seems like the needed heat energy would be close to the surface when near an active volcano. Sounds like it's economically quite feasible in those locations.
Very high capital costs, aggravated by having a very small customer base. Often expensive wells don't pan out, insufficient resource, the resource depletes prematurely or other problems develop due to ground movement or magma intrusions/volcanic eruptions.
Have caused earthquakes, so there are liability concerns.
Lots of difficulties with permitting typically needing federal, state & local approvals. Lot's of environmental & indigenous peoples opposition & lawsuits.
Often difficulty with transmission, taking into account the previous problem, and having to cross protected, environmentally sensitive areas or even potential lava flows.
And the green agenda politicians & enviro groups that promote renewables are very much in the pocket of the big money wind & solar industries, so they favor those scams. But geothermal is a high capital cost, baseload electricity supply, that like nuclear, is much less economical in a wind/solar grid. Whereas low capital cost OCGT & diesel mate very well with that.
It is good to take in all considerations, plus and minus.
*Ultimately, the geochemistry and geophysics of the proposed geothermal site dictate the efficacy and economics.* Some places sound good on paper while in reality they have unsurmountable problems.
So far El Salvador has been successful providing at least 25 % of their electricity needs, since 1975.
Per your update—it was on a trip to Iceland when I first learned about hydrogen. They had plans to fuel their fishing fleet with hydrogen made from geothermal. People confuse the hydrogen proposal as a means of “free”energy. It’s not that, it’s a means of storage for “renewables” (which at this point only means “not oil, coal, or gas”).
Yes they did jump on the hydrogen bandwagon circa 1999 and as usual it was dismal flop. Morons. They'd have been much wiser using BEV tech and green methanol if low CO2 was their objective. Politicians just have to embrace the current farcical energy scam pushed by the EUSSR green agenda Malthusians. Half of them are probably WEF YGL grads.
The only rational way to use hydrogen for that purpose is to convert it to methanol, using biomass to supply the carbonaceous feedstock. Or you can just use biomass --> methanol, a centuries old process, but has a lower carbon efficiency without the added hydrogen.
Methanol being the best way known to store hydrogen, and is an excellent fuel for generators, gas turbines, heating & cooking and as a gasoline or diesel (via DME) replacement. Methanol spills are benign and it burns with higher efficiency than natural gas, diesel, gasoline or hydrogen. While being as clean burning as natural gas.
What about PEMs?
Can be used, Direct Methanol Fuel Cells DMFCs are commonly used for backup power on boats, RVs or yachts, but are less efficient than PEMs.
With a Methanol PEM @ 35-40% efficient, that is still less than an optimized Methanol IC engine that runs @ over 50% efficiency. And I imagine a good deal less expensive. With 40% the weight of an equivalent diesel and 1.5X the torque/liter displacement. Also for larger applications a methanol fueled CCGT will run upwards of 60% efficiency.
Thanks - very interesting. Looks like El Salvadore won't be called a '3rd world country' any more. My wife Bev was there in the late 80s or early 90s for 10 days with a Christian mission group. She stayed with a local family - I think they spoke Spanish, in which Bev was fairly fluent. She remembers that their electricity would sometimes be off for a few hours in those days. How times are a-changing! I didn't know about all their volcanos, but it makes sense - they are part of the Pacific Rim of Fire.
I love to see a newly successful country.
Thanks for stopping by Thomas, it is great to see this beautiful country become safe and successful.
Hopefully they can continue to develop hydro and geothermal in a safe and economic way.
Thanks for that story Al, times are a changing for El Salvador in a great way. I am looking forward to taking a trip there myself!