Gary Gifford’s Recent Comments

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  It won't have a 40 mile range

  Just like the 55/61 mpg the Prius was supposed to get...Try 44 in the real world.  Has anyone considered heating and air conditioning?  There's no waste heat off an electric motor. Cold mornings and windshield defrosting will require heating coils that will eat up a lot of electricity.

  Cheers, Gary Gifford

  On Is a 40-mile all-electric range too much? posted 1 year, 1 month ago 20 Responses

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  Practical Application

  This may not be the solution to our energy needs,  but its part of the solution and certainly more than just wishful thinking.  Here's an article about research into trying create an automobile alternator using heat from the exhaust.  Getting rid of the drag of a mechanical alternator would certainly save fuel.  Put it in a hybrid and this could be a source of free electricity.  Every little bit is a wedge...

  http://www.physorg.com/news131711988.html
  

  Cheers, Gary Gifford

  On The one clean-tech breakthrough that could lead to a core climate solution: Thermoelectricity posted 1 year, 1 month ago 10 Responses

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  As I stated in my original post....

  An excerpt (and main point) of my previous post that Sunflower was responding to:

  "Fossil fuel subsidies, especially those that effect large parts of state and congressional district economies, such as coal subsidies in largely coal producing regions, will need to be replaced with something that will convincingly make up for the subsidies.  Subsidies for solor, wind, geothermal or even subsidies totally unrelated to energy that are of equal economic value to the previous fossil subsidies of a region will be what is required to get the consensus needed to further the shift away from fossil fuels."

  I agree with all the things you say we need.  Sensible directed incremental solutions are the only things that the electorate will accept, especially when it effects them personally.  We should be promoting solutions that are feasible, not one's based on emotion.

  Cheers, Gary Gifford

  On A solar grand plan posted 1 year, 8 months ago 29 Responses

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  Get real

  Sunflower

  I don't know where you live and it doesn't matter, but if voters face the prospect, or the PERCEIVED prospect of unemployment ( due to Coal Industry sponsored propaganda) or a significant disruption of their local economy, they will not support any politician who supports policies that do not support their cause, and, as a result, those politicians will not support policies that will cause their constituents to perceive that they will be unemployed or have their local economies disrupted.

  It's just simple politics.

  Cheers, Gary Gifford

  On A solar grand plan posted 1 year, 8 months ago 29 Responses

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  Replace, don't end, subsidies

  It wont be politically feasible to simply eliminate fossil fuel subsidies.  Fossil fuel subsidies, especially those that effect large parts of state and congressional district economies, such as coal subsidies in largely coal producing regions, will need to be replaced with something that will convincingly make up for the subsidies.  Subsidies for solor, wind, geothermal or even subsidies totally unrelated to energy that are of equal economic value to the previous fossil subsidies of a region will be what is required to get the consensus needed to further the shift away from fossil fuels.

  What this could look like is a huge pork market.  What it should be presented as is a comprehensive renewable energy bill designed to soften economic losses of the most effected regions.

  Cheers, Gary Gifford

  On A solar grand plan posted 1 year, 8 months ago 29 Responses