Also, it should be understood that wind and solar are alternatives, not replacements for traditional power plants. Solar and wind must be backed up by traditional generation, even if it is held in reserve. When the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine, people still want electricity.
So, wind and solar can be used to defer the use of traditional resources, but eventually those traditional resources will be needed. As Paul says, currently wind and solar make up a very, very small percentage of current generation and it's likely to be that way for a long time. There just isn't enough space to build all of the wind turbines and solar panels that would be necessary. I'm curious to hear a recent cost scenario for solar on a typical home. Just a year or two ago installing enough panels to generate a significant amount of power had a 20 to 30 year payback. Very few people are willing (or able) to make that kind of investment. I'm not against wind or solar, I just don't see the significant growth of their use happening soon. gs George Sinos -------------------- gsi...@gmail.com www.georgesphotos.net plus.georgesinos.com On Tue, Aug 14, 2012 at 9:42 AM, Paul Stenquist <pnstenqu...@comcast.net> wrote: > > On Aug 13, 2012, at 3:50 PM, <kwal...@peoplepc.com> <kwal...@peoplepc.com> > wrote: > >> Duh.... Me too >> >> Kenneth Waller >> http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/kennethwaller >> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: <knarftheria...@gmail.com> >> Subject: Re: Peso: The White Towers >> >> >>> Ah, well, my comment in the previous post about those things being "scary" >>> was because I thought it was a nuclear plant. >>> >>> Not that coal is ideal but if one believes the current propaganda it can >>> actually be quite clean these days. I think I'd prefer fossil fuel to >>> nuclear. >>> > > Coal is by far the dirtiest fuel that can be burned to produce energy, even > with high-tech scrubbing devices. They can't scrub away the greenhouse gases. > Natural gas is much better, for example, but the ill-founded fracking > paranoia has limited development of that resource. As public hysteria leads > to the shuttering of more nuclear plants, the power-producing infrastructure > will get dirtier. Much dirtier. Some super-clean super-safe hydro plants are > being shut down as well in order to save fish. The current population of > active and planned windmills and solar installations has minimal effect on > the overall picture. Clean power is a LONG way off. > > Paul >>> Cheers, >>> frank >>> >>> "What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof." -- >>> Christopher Hitchens >>> >>> --- Original Message --- >>> >>> From: Steven Desjardins <drd1...@gmail.com> >>> Sent: August 11, 2012 8/11/12 >>> To: "Pentax-Discuss Mail List" <pdml@pdml.net> >>> Subject: Re: Peso: The White Towers >>> >>> Nope. Fall River, Mass. That's a coal-fired power plant. The hot >>> water they were releasing into the river was harming the fish, so they >>> built cooling towers like aNuclear plant. It's essentially a >>> self-contained system. As funny as it is, those towers make the plant >>> a bit more green. >>> >>> On Sat, Aug 11, 2012 at 3:48 PM, Walter Hamler <hamlerwal...@gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>>> Is that Three Mile Is, PA ? >>>> >>>> Walt >>>> >>>> On Sat, Aug 11, 2012 at 3:43 PM, Steven Desjardins <drd1...@gmail.com> >>>> wrote: >>>>> I went to my hometown last week to visit my family. I hadn't been >>>>> home in about 4 years, and I while walking through the park I got a >>>>> good view of some new construction: >>>>> >>>>> http://drd1135.smugmug.com/Photography/pdml/i-bmxVGWm/0/XL/towers-XL.jpg >>>>> >>>>> I'm about 3 miles away. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> Steve Desjardins >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>>>> PDML@pdml.net >>>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>>>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>>>> follow the directions. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>>> PDML@pdml.net >>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>>> follow the directions. >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Steve Desjardins >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> PDML@pdml.net >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
