[nickcarraway]

ping

[Inyokern]

Compare the metal particles to having hundreds of horses scattered loose on the streets of Berkeley. They would run over and crush all the hippies. But if we corralled the horses together in one pen, the hippies could move around them freely. Even the one who were stoned out of their minds.

[so_real]

Interesting ... but I'm more anxious to hear of further progress in indium gallium nitride (InGaN) or zinc manganese tellurium (ZnMnTe) research. I am ever hopeful the next revolution in solar will be made in the area of full spectrum photovoltaics.

[SunkenCiv]

"Nearly 90 percent of solar, or photovoltaic, cells in the world are made from a refined, highly purified form of silicon, the same material used to make integrated circuits. The growth of the semiconductor and solar cell industries has put increasing pressure on relatively limited supplies of this high-quality silicon, consequently driving up the price of the material."

The mystery is, the Luddites want "free" "safe" "clean" "renewable" solar power, because they certainly don't like technology in the first place. I guess electricity will still be needed to run the Telescreens.

[SunkenCiv]

The new Popular Science:

first of all, FReep this poll!

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/

What do you think?
Should we deploy weapons in space to protect U.S. satellites from attack?

so far, over 53 per cent yes, i.e., Bush beat Kerry. :')

[SunkenCiv]

The new issue of Pop Sci (not yet online) has an article about 45,000 pound wind power collectors which float (not sure how, as I've not read the whole article) in the jet stream, trailing power lines to the Earth, and generating lots of electricity all the time.

The best (iow, not the cheapest) photovoltaics convert as much as 30 per cent of the solar rays to electricity, and those rays arrive on average half of the day. During nighttime, photovoltaics aren't worth much. Also, efficiencies fall with age.

If they were a panacea, the electric companies would have adopted their use long ago.

Dreams of the New Power Grid
A fuel cell for every home: that's the idea.
But there are a few obstacles in the way.
By Charles Wardell

[SunkenCiv]

ah, here it is, thank you Google:

Windmills in the Sky
Popular Science | September 2005 (go figure) | Michael Behar
Posted on 08/17/2005 9:38:58 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1465179/posts