Formosa’s Recent Comments

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  Taxing the infrastructure

  I agree with Komanoff. But let's take this a step further - we need to recognize the tremendous impact of the city infrastructure in our tax strategy.

  It's quite common for those who live in cities to state they do not own SUVs and therefore are part of the solution, but let's look at the true emissions of building, supporting and maintaining the infrastructure to allow that capability.

  In other words, don't come after my SUV until you own up to the costs and impacts of your concrete jungle.On Why carbon taxes trump cap-and-trade posted 2 years, 8 months ago 18 Responses

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  Wind and REC's

  This is fasinating to me. Given that industrial wind has not reduced carbon emissions after 40,000 turbines and many years of operation in Europe and California (there's absolutely no data to support this reduction thinking: data, not theory) --- how is it all of you figure that "purchasing" renewable (read: wind) power certs is "replacing" "bad" power?

  Secondly, since wind does not blow all the time how do you figure you have purchased wind power when you flip the switch for your blender and there is no wind? Third, do you really believe that the power you receive at your home is being supplied from RE (read: Wind) being that the grid supplies demand from many sources according to the grid operator?

  Isn't it true that since all those coal plants continue to burn day and night you really aren't accomplishing any reduction of global warming?

  This is nice symbolism, but unless you go off the grid and create your own power (which I have done), I simply don't see how these certs accomplish much or even pass the common sense test.On Can we really buy the change we want to see in the world? posted 2 years, 9 months ago 14 Responses

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  Carbon Offsets

  Please explain the following "Second, renewable energy does displace fossil fuel power, whether the amount of energy the world uses is a fixed constant, or is rising or falling.  It's a matter of the laws of physics."

  The laws of physics improperly referenced!

  This would only be true if there was a 1:1 ratio between the power source and the electric output. To use the automobile analogy - your car is burning fuel at 20mph or 50mph. The coal plant is creating steam (by burning coal) regardless of 50% or 100% output from the turbines. Base load isn't ramping up or down when windmills decide to come on line - now you are messing with the laws of Thermodynamics.

  Indeed there is NO documented evidence after 20 years of large scale grid based industrial wind that it reduces fossil fuel use. Not a single coal plant decommission.

  Komanoff continues to write of fiction and wishful thinking. How bizarre it is to read him musing about riding his bicycle to a electric hogging rock concert.On Can we really buy the change we want to see in the world? posted 2 years, 9 months ago 14 Responses