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Technology Stocks : The *NEW* Frank Coluccio Technology Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (20804)	4/11/2007 10:13:59 PM
From: axial	Respond to of 46821

"Are we seeing wars waged over wind generation along the lines of aesthetics vs. environmental polluting?" Frank, I think we're going to see "wars" waged over every conceivable aspect of the energy question. Wind farms are ugly, and "unnatural". Nuclear? Don't even think about it. Coal? Ugh. Dams? We're flooding history! Now, we'll never be able to see those priceless artifacts that we've ignored for centuries. There are city planners opposed to solar generation, questioning the large number of reflective planar surfaces on south-facing slopes. Fish lovers deplore dams, and various forms of tidal power. Bird and bat lovers are marching around with placards in front of wind-power farms, decrying the sacrifice of these creatures to power generation while making ominous predictions about rising insect populations. Here, whole neighbourhoods have waged desperate battle with Hydro's desire to run transmission lines through their turf, elevating their opposition to the status of Holy War, and NIMBY to the status of religion. That battle paralleled another with our American neighbours in the State of Washington, who wished to generate power using natural gas. "Shame! Pollution! Greenhouse gases!" they cried. They fought and won, only to find that local greenhouse owners have been keeping their winter gardens comfy by burning coal and industrial waste. Not to mention natural gas. Whoops. And those pipelines, disturbing migratory patterns. Let's put an end to that. Quit cutting down trees! Yes, let's. In far greater numbers than we cut, they're burning up in forest fires, largely because we've disturbed the natural pattern of fire and regeneration for so many years. Forest fires! Talk about pollution! Who can we blame for that? Whatever anyone wants to do, find a victim: human, animal or inanimate. Then, protest. If you're too tired or lazy to protest yourself, hire a professional. A real professional, who'll ensure there's a local news team, ready to film that clip, and that story, that gets on to the Internet, blown out of all proportion, guaranteed to embarrass well-meaning people whose crime was to propose an imperfect solution to an intractable problem. It's gonna be fun, Frank. Jim

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (20804)	1/3/2008 5:40:36 PM
From: axial	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 46821

A Solar Grand Plan Key Concepts A massive switch from coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants to solar power plants could supply 69 percent of the U.S.’s electricity and 35 percent of its total energy by 2050. A vast area of photovoltaic cells would have to be erected in the Southwest. Excess daytime energy would be stored as compressed air in underground caverns to be tapped during nighttime hours. Large solar concentrator power plants would be built as well. A new direct-current power transmission backbone would deliver solar electricity across the country. But $420 billion in subsidies from 2011 to 2050 would be required to fund the infrastructure and make it cost-competitive. sciam.com Jim