John Kasich, good governer or not???

[Peregrine]

So we shouldn't support Solar panels\Geothemal\Wind Turbines?

I don't understand the reasoning. Please inform me.

[Cleveland_Collector]

The reluctance to research and develop alternate ways of generating power has much more to do with geopolitics and economics than it does physics.

Take, for instance, the amount of annual energy consumption of the world (4.74x10^20 J) vs. the annual amount of solar energy that strikes the face of the Earth (5.5x10^24 J). We consume approximately 0.0086% of the energy that the sun provides us. Adjusting for land mass, that number increases slightly to 0.034%. It is both physically possible and feasible to capture the majority of our energy using instantly available solar energy and its resultant affects (wind, water, thermal, biofuel, etc.). After all, petroleum energy (like the energy produced by every other raw organic combustible) is nothing more than stored solar energy from millions of years ago. If you knew anything about chemistry or physics, you would know this.

[hairmetal4ever]

Originally Posted by Cleveland_Collector

The reluctance to research and develop alternate ways of generating power has much more to do with geopolitics and economics than it does physics.

Take, for instance, the amount of annual energy consumption of the world (4.74x10^20 J) vs. the annual amount of solar energy that strikes the face of the Earth (5.5x10^24 J). We consume approximately 0.0086% of the energy that the sun provides us. Adjusting for land mass, that number increases slightly to 0.034%. It is both physically possible and feasible to capture the majority of our energy using instantly available solar energy and its resultant affects (wind, water, thermal, biofuel, etc.). After all, petroleum energy (like the energy produced by every other raw organic combustible) is nothing more than stored solar energy from millions of years ago. If you knew anything about chemistry or physics, you would know this.

Being from Cleveland, one of the cloudiest cities in America, you should understand the inherent challenges of solar power.

I do, however, wonder if some type of space-mounted solar collector beaming energy down as microwaves is feasible.

[taxedtodeath]

Originally Posted by hairmetal4ever

Being from Cleveland, one of the cloudiest cities in America, you should understand the inherent challenges of solar power.

I do, however, wonder if some type of space-mounted solar collector beaming energy down as microwaves is feasible.

Maybe, but not in time to save us.

Drill, dig up coal, frac the nat gas, build some nukes and maybe that will buy some time to develop alternate energy before the peak oil calamities hit.

[Cleveland_Collector]

Originally Posted by hairmetal4ever

Being from Cleveland, one of the cloudiest cities in America, you should understand the inherent challenges of solar power.

Following that logic, NYC's proximity to Niagara Falls (some 450 miles away) should mean that the prospect of NYC utilizing any power generated from the Niagara rapids is simply not feasible...even though over 80% of Niagara Power's generation capacity is consumed by NYC. You know, there is such a thing as power transmission.

As can be referenced by my previous post, there is more to solar energy than the utilization of solar cells. The sun's energy can be captured in a myriad of ways. And, being educated in such relevant sciences, I also understand that there are more feasible and better ways to solve this problem than "Drill, baby! Drill!" If we spent 10% of the money we give away to Big Oil on an annual basis researching alternate methods of utilizing the immense kinetic energy the sun provides, the problem would be solved within 2 decades. But, alas, some very powerful people believe it's better to dump trillions of tax dollars into resource wars in the middle east than it is to spend a few billion on actually solving the problem. Such is the resultant death grip of Big Oil in the geopolitical arena.

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by taxedtodeath

Maybe, but not in time to save us.

So we should do nothing now... I just don't understant that mentality.

This stuff gets cheaper by the day. 20 years ago a wind turbine in my backyard would have cost me $30,000. Today I can get one shipped to my house from Amazon.com starting at around $3,000.

Also, solar panels can and do work on cloudy days. Just not as efficiently.

[Cleveland_Collector]

Whether they work on cloudy days or not matters little. You optimize the generation capabilities where they work the most efficiently (in kW/capital $ ...you put solar panels in the desert and wind turbines on the coasts, etc.) and connect them to the grid. It's a short term plan that has merit and, even though the technology isn't exactly where we need it to be, that's no excuse to not use it. Every single technology goes through an evolutionary process. The more complex it is, the longer the process. If the forward thinkers of the past had used the logic some of these drill happy SOBs do, we'd still be shoveling horse crap off the streets and dying of the common cold.

If we could replace even 10% of our energy consumption with renewables, we would stave off critical fossil fuel depletion for decades. This would then give us much more time to invent new methods and perfect what we already know. The problem with getting this ball rolling is that so many knowledgeless people are easily duped by those profiting big time off of fossil fuels. It is therefore much easier to dictate policy and remain on the perilous path of the status quo.

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by Cleveland_Collector

Whether they work on cloudy days or not matters little.

But when the day comes, and it will, that I can put some solar panels on my roof and generate 15% of my power then I will. Even in cloudy Ohio. I wasn't suggesting a large scale solar farm in Broadview Hgts.

You optimize the generation capabilities where they work the most efficiently (in kW/capital $ ...you put solar panels in the desert and wind turbines on the coasts, etc.)

Or wind turbines in Lake Erie. Which is going to be done with hardly any state money... and, back on topic, Kasich isn't in favor of this. I DON'T GET IT!
He has not said he is against it yet, just that he's not a big fan.

[Cleveland_Collector]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

But when the day comes, and it will, that I can put some solar panels on my roof and generate 15% of my power then I will. Even in cloudy Ohio. I wasn't suggesting a large scale solar farm in Broadview Hgts.

That's not what I thought you meant at all. I have two experimental panels operating right now. Both are 2kW output (one is CdTe, the other is A-Si). They both have about the same output @ 6 kW-hr per day, though the A-Si is slightly higher. This is being done in the Cleveland area. The average household uses between 25 and 50 kW-hr per day. Right now, you could realistically run a low demand house on an 8kW system in our area. This would cost about $20k to install with all of the storage and inversion equipment. I'm not done yet, but my early calculations suggest that it would pay for itself in about 18 years at current market rates for both the supplies and the cost of power. As the cost of technology decreases and the cost of available energy increases, this gap will narrow considerably.

Or wind turbines in Lake Erie. Which is going to be done with hardly any state money... and, back on topic, Kasich isn't in favor of this. I DON'T GET IT!
He has not said he is against it yet, just that he's not a big fan.

He's not a big fan of it because it will hit his primary donors in the breadbasket. It's quite obvious that he has the technical expertise of a toddler with little to no understanding of the physical system. He just knows that his cronies hate it. Therefore, so does he.

Quite simply, we are long overdue in moving away from what amounts to burning s**t to create usable forms of energy. The ONLY place it is truly efficient is when it is used for heating. Everywhere else, you're lucky to recoup half of it. Also, we're running out of fuel options. Oil, NG, coal, etc. are all finite.