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Re: Environmental physics course




On Tue, 9 Dec 1997 13:33:04 -0800 (PST) Mark Shapiro
<mshapiro@sputter2.fullerton.edu> writes:
"Dear Kyle,
I will be using *Energy: Principles, Problems, and Alternatives, 4th
edition* by Joseph Priest, Addison Wesley (1991) as the text for my
course "Energy and the Environment" (Physics 301) here at Cal State
Fullerton."

Dear Mark,

I am the executive director of The American Policy Institute, Inc.
here in Houston, which amounts to me working in my bedroom and getting
help from whomever I can. Dave Bowman has been extremely helpful in
computing the availability function balance for an earth-centered sphere
whose radius exceeds the equatorial radius of the earth by 100 miles but
which does not include the core of the earth.

I am interested in true energy balances around alternative primary
'energy' technologies accounting for all indirect expenditures. The
Institute has projects underway in a number of additional areas mostly
outside of physics. I am a phD chemical engineer; so, quite naturally,
I am qualified for anything. As Malcolm Slesser, the scottish energy
expert says [read in a Scottish accent], "Chemical engineering is the
finest education a man can receive." I met him at a conference that
included exponents of various methods for evaluating energy requirements
and technologies for satisfying them. Among those present was Howard
Odum, the originator of emergy theory, which I have the temerity to
imagine I have improved upon.

One of the main missions of the Institute is to convince the scientific
community that we do not know if *any* alternative to fossil fuel is
feasible. Also, I have tried to explain the methods advocated by myself
for approaching this deficiency. (I don't care if I get to do the
research, aided by younger men, of course, or not. I just want to make
sure that someone does it, which requires convincing many more people
that it must be done.)

Since you are teaching the relation of 'energy', speaking loosely in
the common parlance, I would very much like to see your course outline.
Of course, I will look at Priest's book, especially to convince myself
that it is reasonably correct. Does he elucidate Odum's emergy theory?
If not, it is not a good sign. Does he estimate the year in which we
will run out of petroleum under various scenarios? Does he discuss
indirect (energy) costs of solar, nuclear, etc.? If he lists the costs
of alternative energies in cents per kilowatt, it is a very bad sign.
Does he?

Presumably, you are teaching valuable lessons. I am supposed to be
nosy about such things though. I hope you don't mind. The Energy and
Environmental Systems Institute at Rice University teaches nonsense and
too many lies. If you are as good as I expect that you are, you will
not mind a curious onlooker, I hope. Please assist me in this important
endeavor. I shall willingly publicize any favorable qualities your
program exhibits. Our board of directors has some super-stars on it,
including a member of the academy of engineering, so we are not
absolutely powerless to help deserving scholars in this crucial endeavor.

Regards / Tom