We the Six Billion: The Ammonia Economy

Saturday morning I attended a powerpoint presentation at the Strand Theatre. The presenter was Matthew Simmons, of local and international fame, who had been invited by the Island Institute to take part in its Sustainable Island Living Conference.

Simmons, a part-time Rockport resident, is a local benefactor (he is, coincidentally, responsible for the beautiful restoration of the Strand Theatre, among other things) whose Houston-based company deals in energy investing. He is a leading proponent of the “peak oil” concept and the author of several books on the subject. He recently founded the Ocean Energy Institute, which describes itself as a “think-tank and venture capital fund addressing the challenges of U.S. offshore renewable energy.”

His presentation, entitled “The Gulf of Maine: What Lies Beyond the Fossil Fuel Horizon,” was billed as “describing the role that off-shore wind can play in reducing Maine’s unsustainable dependence on fossil fuel based energy resources.”

At the Strand he pulled no punches in describing the challenge he believes we are facing. According to Simmons, heating oil will probably not even be available in five or ten years. Not only is oil running out, but fresh water is running out too, with even more dire consequences. Then he proposed a solution: floating offshore windmills that will produce both fresh water and liquid ammonia.

I found it fantastical. I do not doubt that increasing demand for oil, combined with its limited supply, is bound to make it more expensive over time, and that Maine’s dependence, especially on heating oil, is a disaster in the making. What I find incredible is the idea that we are going to solve the problem by fueling our cars and heating our homes with ammonia, and that this ammonia – let alone a significant supply of fresh water – is going to be produced by windmills in the Gulf of Maine.

The Free Press