Comments frflyer has made

  • 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 9 months, 2 weeks ago 38 Responses

  • 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 9 months, 2 weeks ago 38 Responses

  • 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, 3 weeks ago 44 Responses

  • 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 10 months, 1 week ago 24 Responses

  • 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 10 months, 2 weeks ago 8 Responses

  • Phase out coal - Free up rail freight capacity


    I have been thinking about how much rail freight capacity would be freed up by phasing out coal.
    Coal uses 24% of rail freight cars and something like 44% of tonnage capacity.

     The solar proposal for the southwest that was published last year in Scientific American included HVDC tranmission lines in the plan. The authors spoke of using existing rights of way, including highways, to run new lines, and avoid the problems of getting new rights of way.  I haven't heard anyone else mention this idea.

     Another difference between that plan and others is that they talked of subsidies to encourage investment in solar power plants, but thought that the new HVDC transmission lines would be built without subsidies, saying that the utilities would invest the money and get a return on it. Any thoughts?On Upgrade freight rail: Save 12 percent of oil, 4 percent of emissions, and jumpstart renewable grid posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago 16 Responses

  • Sludge spill in 2000

    Pompey Road
    You must be referring to the 300 million gallon coal sludge spill in 2000 by a subsidiary of Massey Energy.  The one the EPA called the worst environmental disaster in the history of the southeast U.S. It contaminated drinking water for 27,000 people, spreading 75 miles to the Ohio River.  
     The coal industry practically single handedly won West Virgina for George Bush that year with massive campaign donations, in an upset victory.

    After the 300 billion gallon spill:
    There was an investigation by MSHA that was squelched after Bush's election. The investigators were ready to proceed with 8 serious violations, with possible criminal charges. The lead investigator was reassigned, and demoted then fired.
    He was replaced with another, who on the first day said he would close the investigation within a week. He later got a seat on the board of directors of Massey Energy.

    Massey Energy got off with a $55,000 fine.

    The Massey CEO, Blankenship,  described his critics as "communists," "atheists," and "greeniacs
    and "our enemies like Osama bin Laden"

    He's presumably bought off judges to side with Massey on fines for violations. Like a $77million decision that was reversed in 2008

    Massey Energy violated the Clean Water Act 4500 times between 2000 and 2007On Did the coal industry create its own PR nightmare? posted 11 months ago 4 Responses

  • ideology blinds

     Is this argument going on like this in other countries, or are all the uninformed ideologically driven, and ideologcally blinded skeptics here in the U.S. It's like arguing with a two year old.

    "the new religion of the far left"  
     wow

    You might want to check out the list of industrialists, former generals, businessmen, political leaders of all stripes, clergy and others who agree with the IPCC, here
    http://www.logicalscience.com/consensus/

     Has it occurred to you that you might be FAR RIGHT? Eisenhower would be a socialist because he spoke up for the interests of workers, and unAmerican for warning about the military industrial complex from your perspective.On 'Global warming is a hoax'--I wish James Inhofe were just a hoax ... posted 1 year ago 12 Responses

  • coal transportation

    You mentioined 31,000 jobs involved in transportation of coal.  Those wouldn't necessarily be jobs lost, IMHO.
     Since rail freight is so much more efficient than trucks for long hauls, we should be using rail more than we are. The phasing out of coal will free up rail capacity, which can be used for other types of freight.  I forget the number, but coal uses a large percentage of our rail freight capacity.On What's the best way to phase out the huge fleet of aging coal plants? posted 1 year ago 6 Responses

  • The O Team -energy and climate change

     It would seem that investing in renewable energy now, regardless of the economic situation will bring real change on the economy, the environment and the energy crisis.  Obama has said that this would be his number one priority.  That was before the economic collapse, but he should maintain that as his top priority.

     It's nice to work across the aisle and find consensus, but he should be firm in his resolve when it comes to the future of energy.  After reading The Lean Guide to Nuclear Energy, I don't know how anyone can be serious about investing heavily in that.  It would only siphon off money that should be invested in renewables.

     I am appalled at how uninformed and misinformed the public is on this important issue of energy.
    The less they know the more the tend to listen to calls of Drill Baby Drill, and assurances that nuclear power is a clean, safe, cheap and sustainable solution to the energy problem.
    I have started a new blog, an attempt to dispell some of the disinformation about energy and climate change.
    http"://energysolutionswecanbelievein.blogspot.com

    I'm not an energy expert or scientist and my site is not for techies but for the general public.  I hope it helps.  On Obama's team considers how to tackle energy and climate policy posted 1 year ago 2 Responses

  • clean coal verses solar and wind

    Sounds like solar and wind are much further along than clean coal, so what are we waiting for? In 15 years solar will have far surpassed coal in cost benefits.
    I have a new blog on energy solutions and climate change at.
    http://energysolutionswecanbelievein.blogspot.com/

    Steven Earl Salmony
    Your post is right on, if off topic maybe.
    A Pew Foundation study found that between 1983 and 2004, the bottom 80% of Americans only got 11% of the growth in wealth.
    The top 1% got 33%
    The next 4% got over 25%
    The top 20% got 89%On A few billions more posted 1 year ago 3 Responses

  • Green Jobs

    from Green Wombat
    "The United States could lose more than 116,000 green collar jobs and forgo $19 billion in green tech investment in 2009 if Congress fails to extend two tax credits crucial to the renewable energy industry, according to a new study."
    "In recent months, PG&E has signed deals for more than a gigawatt of electricity -- enough to light more than 750,000 homes -- with solar power plant developers. Such power purchase agreements can take more than a year to hammer out and the permitting and construction of a solar power station can take another three to five years."

    "The solar thermal industry is in its infancy but utilities like PG&E (PCG), Southern California Edison (EIX) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SRE) have signed several contracts for solar power plants and negotiations for gigawatts more of solar electricity are ongoing."

    "The first solar power plants in California won't go online until around 2010 but the construction and operation of those projects are expected to create thousands of jobs. Like the PV industry, solar thermal companies are dependent on the investment tax credit to attract the big money it takes to finance the construction of billion-dollar power plants. The loss of the investment tax credit would hit California particularly hard."

    "Navigant projects an even bigger crash for the wind industry should the production tax credit expire, with installations falling from 6,500 megawatts to 500 megawatts in 2009 with the loss of 76,800 jobs. The wind industry has been continuously buffeted in recent years as Congress has allowed the production tax credit to expire repeatedly only to resuscitate it. In the past, the expiration of the tax credit has resulted in a 73% to 93% drop in the wind market, according to Navigant."
    Posted by Todd Woody

    "Representatives from Silicon Valley tech giants, Wall Street investment banks and utilities signed a letter sent to the congressional leadership late Wednesday urging the long-term extension of the 30 percent investment tax credit as well as the production tax credit for the electricity produced by solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable energy systems. Among the signers urging action by March 1 are executives from Google (GOOG), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Applied Materials (AMAT), Credit Suisse (CS), Wells Fargo (WFC), venture capitalists Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and utility San Diego Gas & Electric, a subsidiary of energy giant Sempra (SRE)."
     by Todd Woody
    http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/

     You aren't alone.  The subsidies and tax credits for fossil fuels far exceed alt energy's.  

    http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ten_most_distortionary_ene ...
    http://www.setamericafree.org/saf_hiddencostofoil010507.p ...
    http://www.monitor.net/monitor/10-9-95/oilsubsidy.html
    http://www.progress.org/2003/energy22.htmOn One last word from the National Green Jobs Conference posted 1 year, 8 months ago 2 Responses

  • Ausra's and solar potential

    "In recent months, PG&E has signed deals for more than a gigawatt of electricity -- enough to light more than 750,000 homes -- with solar power plant developers."

     "The solar thermal industry is in its infancy but utilities like PG&E (PCG), Southern California Edison (EIX) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SRE) have signed several contracts for solar power plants and negotiations for gigawatts more of solar electricity are ongoing."

    Green Wombat  http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/

     Green Wombat has a bunch of articles of solar thermal plants approved and proposed for California.

     "Solar thermal power plants such as Ausra's generate electricity by driving steam turbines with sunshine. Ausra's solar concentrators boil water with focused sunlight, and produce electricity at prices directly competitive with gas- and coal-fired electric power."

     "Solar is one the most land-efficient sources of clean power we have, using a fraction of the area needed by hydro or wind projects of comparable output. All of America's needs for electric power - the entire US grid, night and day - can be generated with Ausra's current technology using a square parcel of land 92 miles on a side. For comparison, this is less than 1% of America's deserts, less land than currently in use in the U.S. for coal mines."

    http://www.ausra.com

     Other solar thermal companies:

    http://www.infiniacorp.com/main.php

    http://www.skyfuel.com/

    http://www.solucar.es/sites/solar/en/index.jsp

    http://www.esolar.com/

    http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/

    http://www.us.schott.com/solar/english/index.html
    German company that builds solar trough receiver tubes.  They are building a manufacturing plant in New Mexico.

    Ausra is building a factory in Nevada.

    Infinea uses stirling engines with a solar reflector dish in units of 3-4 megawatts each.  They can be installed locally, near the end user as individual units, not limited to large solar farms.   Stirling Energy Systems( they have a new name I believe) also uses stirling engines.

     I like the fact that solar thermal is low tech.  There are no exotic materials or high tech parts to manufacture, other than the generators themselves.  

    Solar - no fuel ever. No fuel to extract, transport, store, burn or dispose of waste.
    100% safe and clean  

    "A report from Argonne National Lab concluded that aircraft crashes could subject nuclear plants to numerous multiple failures that could lead to "total meltdown" even without direct damage to the containment structure."
     Are these possible terrorist targets? God forbid.

    http://www.cleanwisconsin.org/campaigns/NuclearPower/unsu ...

     I agree with others that a mix of green technologies in the grid will work.  But that doesn't rule out making a large part of it something like this solar proposal.  The $400 billion in public money is tiny compared with subsidies to fossil fuels.  Not to mention all the other hidden costs of oil.  

    http://www.setamericafree.org/saf_hiddencostofoil010507.p ...

    http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ten_most_distortionary_ene ...

    http://www.monitor.net/monitor/10-9-95/oilsubsidy.html

    http://www.progress.org/2003/energy22.htm

    "I'd put my money on the sun & solar energy.  What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that."  Thomas Edison, 1931

     On A roadmap to getting 70 percent of U.S. electricity from solar by 2050 posted 1 year, 8 months ago 42 Responses