By a few, do you mean nearly quadupling our nuclear power generation? It would take an additonal 260% increase in our current nuclear power program.
Posted on 12/02/2007 10:44:21 PM PST by SunkenCiv
"We should not just try to import less oil," the former CIA director under former President Clinton told a Miami audience Sunday. "We should destroy oil as a strategic commodity" that allows oil exporting nations to hold monopoly power... Woolsey's wide-ranging speech went from describing how Americans' dollars at the gas pumps made their way to fundamentalist Islamic institutions to illustrating advances in solar energy technology that make it more efficient and affordable... Among his suggestions was California's decision to decouple energy company profits from sales two decades ago, keeping the state's electricity consumption flat while the rest of the states have experienced a 60 percent increase. He also cited Wal-Mart for reducing electricity consumption by 20 percent to 25 percent at its stores, a giant savings considering that 70 percent of the world's electricity is used by buildings other than homes... Woolsey also made a pitch for new battery-powered, flex-fuel cars that could be recharged during off-peak periods of electricity costs... On the malignant side, oil and coal consumption are contributing to global warming, which could accelerate at any point. The U.S. electricity grid and world oil supplies also face threats from terrorists and not just glitches that can now cause massive power outages in the interconnected grid.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
In you situation (remote) I understand their use.
But the idea that they can supply our power needs
(78% of our energy consumption is commercial)
is ridiculous.
Nuclear can do that with ease.
We do have alternatives but we keep looking to the free lunch instead of using what we have.
Mine are out rain and snow, from 80-100 F in the summer to -45f in the winter. They take a beating from the elements 365 days a year.
That’s why they don’t last very long. Nothing does.
Hey, I hear you NZ. Sounds like yours work harder for a living than mine. Mine are in a salt water environment though, but most always sunny (Los Angeles). But my needs are minimal and at sea I am happy for anything they can do for me.
Beats the hell out of running the diesel. I am going to add a Air-X 400W Windgen shortly. That should make things better in them low sun times, like at night.
Regards
That's my opinion. They just aren't good enough for the kind of power they expect to get out of them, namely to power large urban developments and high concentrations of people. I could just imagine the kind of maintenance a large installation would require.
It's a lot of work just to keep my windmills flying to produce the paltry 1800 watts they churn out. My solar panels are basically useless in the winter, the sun is only out for 8 hours this time of year, and it's overcast a lot. They fill in during the summer when the winds aren't very strong, but even then there is seldom a clear sky. I have to start up the generator more often in the summer that the winter to charge my battery banks oddly enough. Most of the time in the winter, they keep my batteries charged and I'm dumping excess power through a couple small space heaters and a some lights.
I hear those air x’s aren’t very good. I’d hang around some windmill sites for a bit before I’d commit to a “factory” mill if I were you. Otherpower.com is a good one if you want to really get into things and build your own.
Regards
what's "central air conditioning"? :o)
I can run a small ac for a few hours on batteries. Or my electric furnace for about 2 hours. (IF the house is already warm)
Otherwise, those "luxuries" get used only on special occasions and when I have a full tank of diesel for the genny.
I never really paid much attention to marine applications, but there are some good ones people talk about. Damn if I can remember the names though. Obviously, you want to avoid any with cast aluminum alloy cases. Because they have to be sealed, the wire thickness used for the windings should be thicker (less heat build up) which means less power, so units that put out half decent power will be a little bulkier.
Woolsey is full of sh!t. Ten bucks says he’s now working for some kind of think tank that is supported by industries involved in the development of alternative forms of energy.
I am not opposed to drilling of ANWR but it is by no means the answer.
Now, suppose under your plan we could extract 3.6 million barrels of oil a day from ANWR.
That would mean that ANWR could only produce oil for 15 years.
Now, what would you propose we do after we pump that 3.6 million barrels per day from ANWR for 15 years and ANWR is depleted?
fission, solar, and fusion (IEC, specifically).
Wrong. Nanosolar is already starting production of non-silicon solar panels targeted at $1/watt installed cost and comparable efficiency to crystalline silicon cells. The reason for the low price is that they have overcome the difficulties to using what is essentially newspaper printing technology to produce a layered solar cell.
There is no Easter Bunny, no Santa Claus and no Abiotic oil.
So?
The largest oil reserves in the World may very well be hiding in Montana and North Dakota.
By a few, do you mean nearly quadupling our nuclear power generation? It would take an additonal 260% increase in our current nuclear power program.
Abiotic oil theory has only been successful in fleecing investors, not producing oil.
If you are really interested in the topic, may I suggest for your reading:
No Free Lunch, Part 1:
A Critique of Thomas Gold’s Claims for Abiotic Oil
by Jean Laherrere
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/102104_no_free_pt1.shtml
No Free Lunch, Part 2:
If abiotic oil exists, where is it?
by Dale Allen Pfeiffer
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/011205_no_free_pt2.shtml
Every crude oil field has biotic markers and is sourced from sedimentary rock.
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