alternative energy future

Revi · **Posted:** Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:53 am

We are going to have to do something. In our household we managed to cut our fossil fuel use by half. It really helps out a lot. Here's a web album on it. Click on the pics for an explanation:

http://www.msad54.org/sahs/appliedarts/ ... /index.htm

Our personal situation is much better with less energy now. I can see how it would help out almost anyone. Unfortunately almost nobody is following us. They are buying a bigger truck or snowmobile. They either have a lot more money than us or they are borrowing more. Alternative energy has saved us financially.

With the price of everything going up I am glad we did things when we could afford it. We have no extra now.

vampyregirl · **Joined:** Wed Dec 19, 2007 1:00 am **Posts:** 382

By alternative i mean wind, solar, biofuels, hydrogen etc.

aahala2 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:00 am **Posts:** 113

dooberheim wrote:

Confiscating $100 billion in oil profits might buy 5 or 6 10 GW wind farms (which only produce, on the average, 15 GW total). That's 1.5 % of the generating capacity of the US. This would make shortages of liquid fuels very likely in the near future.

Could you show us how you came up with those figures?

The reason I ask, is that usually, if one wants to estimate costs,
one tries to find a reasonable comparible. There are no 10GW
wind farms anywhere on this planet. Not even a 1-GW farm.

The value of a 12-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills can be estimated simply by moving the decimal point several places from the price of a trailer home in Mayberry. But the estimate is
entirely worthless.

Blacksmith · **Posted:** Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:17 am

Good point about the "small", for myself it would be small, for others with the McMansions, the SUV's Motor homes, and large commutes to work and Wallmart it would be larger and prehaps an impossible adjustment.

I can only stress the fact that people must recycle, reuse and repair and buy articles that will last.

On Ebay I see used, well made, repairable articles made in America selling for less than cheap plastic from China.

Blacksmith · **Posted:** Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:18 am

Double post.

JustaGirl · **Posted:** Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:29 pm

Revi, great post. Can I ask what brand your wood stove is? I definitely want to purchase one of those in the future, as soon as I can convince my husband that peak oil is real

dooberheim · **Posted:** Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:15 am

aahala2 wrote:

dooberheim wrote:

Confiscating $100 billion in oil profits might buy 5 or 6 10 GW wind farms (which only produce, on the average, 15 GW total). That's 1.5 % of the generating capacity of the US. This would make shortages of liquid fuels very likely in the near future.

Could you show us how you came up with those figures?

The reason I ask, is that usually, if one wants to estimate costs,
one tries to find a reasonable comparible. There are no 10GW
wind farms anywhere on this planet. Not even a 1-GW farm.

The value of a 12-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills can be estimated simply by moving the decimal point several places from the price of a trailer home in Mayberry. But the estimate is
entirely worthless.

The estimate came from an article about the wind farm that T. Boone Pickens is investing in in Texas - it was mentioned it would cost about $10 billion.

Wind farms in good areas have capacity factors about 25-40%. The country jhas an electrical generating capacity of about a terawatt.

I didn't take the time to link the info - let me know if you want me to.

DK

alternative energy future

Who is online