frflyer’s Recent Comments

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  Battery wars

  Speaking of energy storage and batteries, one reason I mentioned it being an issue needing solutions, is because I've been reading a series of articles on different battery technologies at a site called Seeking Alpha.  It's a stock marktet site.  The articles are by John Peterson who was involved previously with Axion Power International, a company developing advanced lead/carbon battteries. He argues for advanced lead batteries for EVs PHEVs, at least as a transition, because they are much cheaper, and are made in America with manufacturing plants in place already.

  Here an archive of the articles
  http://seekingalpha.com/author/john-petersen/articlesOn Superb NYT story captures both coal's peril and the barriers to its elimination posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago 38 Responses

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  Get started with the tools we have

  Billhook said:

  "Thus the funding of additional non-fossil energy sources' RD&D seems a paramount priority"

  "Options such as Geothermal, Coppice Biomass and Offshore Wave, with full or near 24/7 availability, seem to be neatly overshadowed by the options favoured by corporations, such as the notably intermittent Solar PV & Onshore Wind."

  I think we have proven solutions for the near term that can contribute on a large scale, starting now.  Much more Wind and Solar Thermal as well as Solar PV.  The first two are more cost effective at this point.  Solar thermal with heat storage can be what replaces the coal plants.

  Nothing wrong with what you're suggesting, I just think we should make these two proven power sources ( CSP and Wind ) priorities for commercialization now.  
  Both can be built quickly, creating lots of jobs.
  And in ten years coal won't be able to compete with either one of them in price.  Not coal with CCS at least.

   Yes, R&D funding, but the public needs to realize that we have current technology that can do a lot of the heavy lifting.  The best way is to show them.  It will drain a lot of power out of the delayer argument that renewables can't do the job.  The public tends to think we are helpless until some new technology is invented.  Energy storage for cars and the grid is a week link right now, and is one area that does need some breakthrough.  But CSP with heat storage doesn't have that problem. And it's very cheap energy storage.

  Wind energy's growth last year was the equivalent of building about 3 - 1 GW nuclear plants, or  4.8 - 600 MW coal plants .
  Actually a little more because I didn't figure in capacity factors for coal and nuclear, but did for wind.On Superb NYT story captures both coal's peril and the barriers to its elimination posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago 38 Responses

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  Desert vs Warming

  Stopgreenpath

  I'm all for much more distributed energy, but the reality is that coal needs to be phased out as soon as possible. The solar thermal plants in the desert are the only renewable, that we can build with current technology, that can do that.

  Yes there will be some impact on the desert, but nothing compared with what global warming will do to the same ecosystem, not to mention all the others.  

  And far from needing any magic science of the future, it's low tech and has it's own cheap energy storage.

   On Energy density is not an immutable requirement posted 9 months ago 44 Responses

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  Problems in Mexico

  
  It seems to me that the immigration problem is largly a problem of disparity of wealth in Mexico.  A few rich families have huge fortunes while the majority are very poor.  The U.S. should seek to end this problem in Mexico. What policies that would entail, or how the U.S. would go about encouraging such reform in Mexico, I will leave to others with more expertise in these things.On Carl Pope stepping down from helm of the Sierra Club posted 9 months, 2 weeks ago 24 Responses

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  Lou go back to stock market coverage

  For those without the stomach to listen to the soundbite, here's Lou Dobbs wisdom on climate change.

  "I don't know that it matters to me whether there is global warming or we are moving toward another ice age.  It seems really to me that we should be reasonable stewards of the planet. The debate over whether it's global warming or whether it is moving toward perhaps another ice age or it's simply business as usual, is almost moot here, in my mind. I know that will infuriate the advocates of global warming, as well as the folks that believe we are headed toward another ice age."  

  I liked it better when he was just a stock market commentator.

  And I liked it better when Rudy Guliano was just an SEC investigator.On Lou Dobbs works to make CNN viewers less informed posted 9 months, 4 weeks ago 8 Responses