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Pastimes : The California Energy Crisis - Information & Forum

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To: Hawkmoon who wrote (499)	6/14/2001 1:49:50 AM
From: Zeuspaul	Read Replies (2) of 1715

Everyone seems to say that wind energy is cheap, but I don't see it. Can you provide some documentation that is credible, with regard to the cost/benefit of wind? After all, if it were so "cheap" why don't we have them all over the place already?? Because fossil fuels have been cheaper and in abundance and there has been no need to develop alternate energy sources. Energy independence is a low priority. We choose instead to become more dependent on foreign sources of energy for which there is a huge hidden cost. Wind energy produces 10 percent of the electric power needs in Denmark. Their plan is to produce 50 percent. Texas has a fast growing wind energy program. infinitepower.org Wind energy will never produce a large percentage of the juice in the US for many of the reasons you site. However a prudent energy plan is a diverse energy plan. When considered as part of a larger overall picture wind energy should not be ignored and it is competitive and advisable in some situations. For one, to produce even 10 percent of the power California needs using the wind mills.... Why does an energy source have to produce 10 percent of the power needs to be considered a viable energy source? What's wrong with producing 5 percent or less of the energy needs? When the juice comes out the other end of the wire you don't know where it came from. they would need over 130,000 of these things, all located on individual stands, with power lines hooked up to each, And what an ugly sight that is! I have two acres and it is surrounded on three sides with power poles and power lines. This all to service my own home and about six other homes. It is a true eyesore. A lot of ugly hardware which in addition severely restricts the use of a significant amount of the land. I would swap the six power poles and their transformers for a windmill and some solar cells in a heartbeat. And Solar is just ridiculous until we see conversion rates in excess of 30-50% for solar cells. And then they can only work 1/2 the day (until the sun goes down). The materials required (steel, aluminum, and massive acreage) make the cost of solar prohibitive on a large scale. But I'm all for incorporating passive solar into every new building. The conversion efficiency makes little difference. I have enough space on my roof to power my own needs. What difference does it make if I use 75 percent of my roof or 20 percent of the roof? It is the cost per watt that is the primary controlling factor. Some power plants work far less than half a day...peaker plants come to mind. The fact that peaker plants don't work a full day does not render them useless. ALL of the time the solar cell is working it is replacing another source of energy. By using a solar cell in lieu of a fossil fuel one can extend the life of fossil fuels significantly. And Nuclear, stripping away the endless bureaucracy that creates massive cost overruns, would be.... Wishful thinking. In addition IMO the US should lead by example. Nuclear in the wrong hands is not a good thing. One has to consider the costs of failure. We should develop energy sources that can be implemented in other nations. Solar has the most promise. Rather than try to figure out why things can't work it is better to place one's energy in figuring out how to make the right things happen. Zeuspaul

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