IN THE Philippines, coal is commonly used to power the generators that provide our electricity.
The same is true for any other fossil fuel, be it coal (made up mostly of carbon), crude oil (from which gasoline is derived), or natural gas (made up mostly of methane).
Caveat 1: If coal is much cheaper than diesel or gasoline, ultimately using coal (after it has been transformed into electricity) to power an electric vehicle may be cheaper than using diesel or gasoline.
This could be true in the Philippines at present, especially that we have minable coal deposits (as of now in Semirara Island in Antique province).
This might stop being true if we run out of coal deposits, and have to import more expensive coal from coal-rich countries such China or Australia.
Caveat 2: If the source of energy is a renewable one, such as geothermal or hydroelectric.
The heat energy from a geothermal plant cannot be directly fed into a car in order to run its wheels. It is first converted into electricity.
Therefore, we have:
Heat energy released by geothermal or hydroelectric source → mechanical energy of heated moving gas → mechanical energy of the turbine of an electric generator → electricity (electrical energy) → chemical energy of a battery → electricity (electrical energy) → mechanical energy that powers the wheels of an electric vehicle.
How does this compare with internal combustion engine of our regular automobiles?
Diesel and gasoline come from crude oil. The oil has to be dug up, refined into diesel and gasoline, and sent to an electric generator. All these processes use more energy.
On the other hand, the geothermal plant just sits there, transforming heat from the Earth’s internal heat into electricity. Not only is energy is wasted as explained above, that energy is essentially free. It’s there for the taking.
For interested readers, geothermal energy is heat that to about 80% ultimately comes from radioactive decay of the Earth’s primordial long-lived radionuclides, Uranium 235, Uranium 238, Thorium 232, and Potassium 40. The rest, about 20%, comes from the planet’s ongoing contraction, from past planetary accretion, because of gravity (gravitational potential energy). Both processes are produced free of charge all the time by our planet.
The same is true for hydroelectric energy. It ultimately comes from the sun. The sun’s electro-magnetic rays (some of which we perceive as visible light) or photons evaporate water from the Earth’s oceans (and some from land), transforming it into water vapor.
When water vapor precipitates in the atmosphere they form clouds, which are made of tiny liquid water particles.
Eventually these come down back to the Earth’s surface as rain (also snow in the temperate zones of the planet).
The good catch is that some of the rain falls in high places, such as mountains and hills. As gravity pulls this water back into the oceans, forming streams and rivers, these streams and rivers can be dammed to produce reservoirs of water.
Allowing this water to flow slowly and controllably through turbines produces electricity. Like geothermal energy, it’s free and there for the taking.
Thus, for countries like the Philippines where geothermal and some hydroelectric energy is available, they definitely should maintain and develop their geothermal and hydroelectric energy sources. Iceland has already done so maximally. The country is powered entirely by geothermal and hydroelectric energy. (To be continued)/PN
