Eric Rosenbloom, writer and science editor: In the U.S., 61.5% of the energy used is “lost,” i.e., only 38.5% of the energy consumed is actually extracted.20 In transmission alone, 7.34% of the electricity generated is lost. There is obviously much that can be improved in what we already have and will continue to live with for quite some time. Many alternative sources of energy, as well as dramatic improvements in the use of current sources, are in development. But wind turbines exist, so they are presented by their manufacturers and managers as the solution. Every effort is made to maintain the illusion that they are in fact a solution when a few simple questions reveal they are not.
