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If we dumped as much money into developing fusion reactors that we waste on all of the silly solar and wind alternatives (which don't provide anywhere near the power that mankind consumes and never will) we would probably already have an inexhaustible, virtually free, form of energy production already.
That someone in Kansas subsidized through their labor (slavery, taxes)
Exactly. As a New Yorker I am similarly not happy that I subsidized empty Interstates in Kansas and Wyoming that never would have been built without Federal, i.e. our dollars. Keep in mind we built our own highway network first. I do not like paying for the boondoggles of others, including wind and solar power.
Quote:
Originally Posted by augiedogie
You had to read a whole article in the NY Times to tell you that there's no solar energy at night and not much on a cloudy day, and no wind power when the wind doesn't blow? The whole idea that you could run a nation on renewables is only someone who lives in a box in a city and gets their whole world view from a box would believe.
A solar powered jet liner? A solar powered train or truck? Ever seen an electric arc furnace or a rotary kiln? They will not run on wind power.
I think you nailed it and I repped the post. I was not allowed to excerpt more from the article or I would have. The people who believe that solar and/or wind are panaceas or even advantageous are the same subset who believe in Santa Claus. As the "Yes Virginia" letter said,in part (link):
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yes Virginia Letter
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.
In other words the sentiment behind wanting to turn an inexhaustible supply of sun or wind into power is noble; the nuts and bolts not so much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by irspow
If we dumped as much money into developing fusion reactors that we waste on all of the silly solar and wind alternatives (which don't provide anywhere near the power that mankind consumes and never will) we would probably already have an inexhaustible, virtually free, form of energy production already.
Not expensive or circuitous enough for the "where have all the flowers gone" crowd.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whogo
Do you wish us to be enslaved to the government?
Do you work for a wind or solar power company?
I live in Texas and have natural gas piped into my home and am wired for electricity. It works for me.
What amazes me is all the old industrial mill pond dams across the Northeast (and peidmont South east) are just sitting there, I can't Imagine it is too difficult to retro fit them for electrical power. Most of them already have man made channels for when the water was used to power mills.
All of the Above is the only way to get off carbon-based fuels.
Lead acid is cheap and 100% recyclable. But only 50% efficient. So you need to put 50% more power in than you want to pull back out.
Li po. 90% efficient but they burn like... and they cost lots.
I'm looking at a solar shower too. using 55gl drums cheap used once from Coke.
Using the electricity to run hydrolysis and create hydrogen that then can be put through a fuel cell would be an indefinite and more efficient method, but you need a certain critical mass of power to justify all the extra infrastructure, so it isn't feasible on a small scale.
Of course, you are absolutely right and for an off grid cabin, they would certainly be adequate. To replace large base load stations, I don't believe we have got there yet.
They haven't. I'm not one to argue that we are even close but that we should continue development.
What amazes me is all the old industrial mill pond dams across the Northeast (and peidmont South east) are just sitting there, I can't Imagine it is too difficult to retro fit them for electrical power. Most of them already have man made channels for when the water was used to power mills.
All of the Above is the only way to get off carbon-based fuels.
I've seen them. They're quaint, charming and way too small to be of use.
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