The free energy delusion

I am often asked about this or that "new" idea that promises some kind of "free energy" and whether I had looked into it because it could "change the debate" about energy.

The answer is usually that I havent looked into it because I already know that these "new" ideas will not change the energy debate. Arrogance! Closed mindedness! How can we possible know such things wont work unless we find out about them? After all, we cannot really be sure they wont work, can we?

A recent example that has been much publicized is the Irish company Steorn who placed an advert in the Economist earlier this year claiming to have produced such a device called the Orbo which uses magnets to produce energy. (Magnets are a standard "free energy" idea; another would be various different kinds of electrolysis to extract hydrogen from water etc..)

There is a good BBC report (thanks to Tom!) with commentary by Professor Sir Eric Ash who explains very well how we can know these things wont work, or, leastwise, cannot do what they claim. It is all to do with the Laws of Thermodynamics which we know to work at all times and in all places. According to Ash, the confusion is caused because these scientific Laws are commonly believed to be on a par with the rather random dogmas of Religion:

"The law of conservation of energy...states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant, although it may change forms, into heat or kinetic energy for example. In short, law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

Denying its validity would undermine not just little bits of science - the whole edifice would be no more. All of the technology on which we built the modern world would lie in ruins.

There is no flexibility in the acceptance of the law as true - at all times, and in all circumstances.

It is the failure to appreciate the difference between this scientific law and a law of religion or of society which is why we know - without having to examine details of a particular device - that Orbo cannot work. "

But how can it be in this day and age that otherwise well-educated and sophisticated people- members of the most educated generation perhaps of all time- growing up in a world surrounded by the gadgets and conveniences of a science-based modern society be so misinformed about the difference between scientific understanding and religious beliefs? Why this strong conviction- often encountered in the environmental movement, and, Im sorry to say, amongst Permaculture people who really should know better, that science can't really "be sure" of anything?

This is an important issue, because it helps us understand why, for example, so many people are even now easily swayed by propaganda of the climate change denial industry etc.. and are so ready to doubt any scientific pronouncement.

Some of these ideas are explored by the incomparable Richard Dawkins in "The God Delusion" (thanks again Tom!) which is one of my Books of the Century and should be read by everyone who has an interest in understanding the world.

But I think that as regards belief in free energy, there are a few points worth making about why it is so appealing, and these are all to do with the way the abundance of cheap energy has effected belief systems.

In effect, oil has been like free energy. I dont think any of us can fully grasp just how much of a leap it has been for humanity to move from a society that relies on the daily solar income to living off the capital of ancient stored sunlight. Having oil has been simply magic. You push the button, things work. We fly around the world and buy any kind of exotic fruit whenever we want.

My generation has had more opportunities than any previous one. We live like kings and queens and can dream of going to the stars. We have grown up in a world of new devices and gadgets every year, each one more fantastic than the last, but as consumers, we are rally quite divorced from the less savory aspects of obtaining and using this energy in the first place. The environmental destruction and pollution left behind in places like Nigeria and the Amazon after the oil companies have got what they want. The displaced people, the toxic waste. The extraordinary injustice and inequality caused by this global industry of greed which benefits only a minority of humanity.

Beliefs in "free energy" are common amongst the beneficiaries of the oil industry- ie middle-class consumers in the West- and I believe this is because fossil energy and the technology it has made possible has created for us a mythical fairy-tale world in which all our dreams and fantasies can be answered. Peak Energy seems to have brought with it Peak Fantasy.It has kept us in a state like little children believing that anything is possible if only we just believe. Father Christmas will always come on time, or the Fairy Godmother, wave his or her magic wand and give us all the goodies and free energy we could wish for.

Unfortunately- or perhaps fortunately- the world just doesnt work like this. We are indeed in this physical realm inescapably tied to the rules of the game which are the Laws of Thermodynamics. It is painful to grow up but that is what we are called upon to do if we want to find appropriate responses to the end of the Oil Age.

More than that, the basic assumption that "Free Energy" would be a good thing needs to be severely questioned, for two reasons at least:

Firstly, as I have written before, the use of energy is inherently destructive. So we need to be very careful how much we have and what use we make of it. Ideally, the amount of energy available would be limited to the level of moral responsibility we can demonstrate. A child should not be entrusted with the keys to the car, access to the chainsaw or the lawnmower, until it has reached an appropriate level of maturity to handle these powerful machines.

Secondly, the myth of Free Energy is inherently dis -empowering; it is not much use unless you can actually manifest it. Simply believing in it while you remain dependent on fossil energy for everything is just no good. What I mean by this is, some obscure invention somewhere by some maverick hero of the New Age who once managed to do this or that with magnets or whatever but was then assassinated by the CIA or just "disappeared" is really no use to anyone.

We need energy solutions which are accessible to ordinary people, that can be readily replicated on an individual, regional or community level; that can be repaired and maintained with minimum fossil-inputs, preferably using local resources that are carefully managed by the community. Energy sources should be multiple, diverse and above all democratic, not the preserve of distant geniuses or centralised state authorities. To build a resilient sustainable society requires far more personal and community involvement in and responsibility for the resources we use, and much more local decision making in how they are actually used.

Still not convinced about the Laws of Thermodynamics or natural limits to available energy? Next time the "Low Fuel" light comes on, dont just head for the nearest petrol-station. Just wish upon a star.