[Rhodes22-list] Going green

[Brad Haslett]

Slim,

The problem with solar (and wind) is the same old "there's no such thing as
a free lunch" issue.  The manufacture of the panels themselves, and
especially the batteries to store energy, pose their own environmental
issues.  Right now, nothing can compete with coal price wise. Nuclear can
but we've made it so difficult to build one that none have been in thirty
years. Natural gas "peaking" plants were added to the nation's power supply
as a bone to the enviro-nazis late in the Clinton administration, but these
aren't competitive either.  The next time you have to wait for a train for
more than five minutes, look at the cars.  Chances are it is a 'unit train'
of roughly 140 cars of Western coal headed for Eastern power plants.  The
ultimate solution is so obvious it is painful to even hear it being
debated.  N-U-C-L-E-A-R-!  Were it not for using it for a bomb for its first
application we wouldn't be having this discussion.  Once you have cheap
electricity available, all kinds of energy conversion options open up;
electric cars, coal-to-liquid, tar sands, hydrogen, etc.  The problem with
nuclear energy is mostly one of perception.  From an environmental point of
view, nothing can compete.

BTW, we've run our business on the Gulf Coast for almost two years now with
a hybrid system of grid power and off grid power incorporating generators,
batteries, and solar panels.  Off grid is a major PITA but doable. Our water
system is a cistern off the shop roof that we feed to a plastic gravity
header tank exposed to the sun.  This time of year the water is so hot you
can barely stand to take a shower.  In your part of the world, geothermal is
the way to go if you have the land or a deep well.  Most people won't spend
the money on the front end because the payback is so long (about seven
years).  The only thing that makes people change their ways in the aggregate
is pain (market prices).

Brad


On 6/20/07, Steven Alm <stevenalm at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> How about solar panels?  Convert your hot water heater, stove, furnace and
> electric car all to electricity and power them all with solar
> panels.  What
> would it take?
>
> Slim
>
> On 6/20/07, R22RumRunner at aol.com <R22RumRunner at aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > Rik,
> >
> > It became a no brainer for me when I figured out how many 100 watt
> > incandescent's we had and how much it was adding to our air conditioning
> > load.  Time
> > will tell, but so far I'm pleased. I even replaced the 40 watt bulbs in
> > our
> > outdoor lights. I find my self walking around the house looking for
> bulbs
> > that
> > haven't been changed out yet. I have spot lights on the top of the
> garage
> > which
> > I haven't changed out yet, but then I haven't seen them at the hardware
> > store.
> >
> > Rummy
> >
> >
> >
> > ************************************** See what's free at
> > http://www.aol.com.
> > __________________________________________________
> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >
> __________________________________________________
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