[LMB] "Civilization isn't just electricity."

[anmar mirza]

On 2/7/08, Lois McMaster Bujold <lbujold at myinfmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> *** The point, I think, isn't that oil, cheap or otherwise, isn't
> running out -- sooner or later it must, after all, if not necessarily to
> the projected schedules -- but that we shouldn't be using oil at all, at
> least not for anything that other renewable, non-polluting sources of
> energy may be used for.


Ayep.



> Which certainly includes powering cars, which
> may after all be made electric.  Wind would seem to be doomed to be
> supplementary, solar only works in the daytime but then so is peak use.
> Neither are as developed as they could or should be.  I don't know
> offhand which has the better/more efficient physics, tho' I suspect
> solar.  Efficiency is always good.


Wind, on an appropriate site, is actually one of the best and least
environmentally damaging alternatives we have.  PV (solar) does indeed
work only in daylight, but it also lends itself well to dual-use (shade for
parking areas which would then lower the albedo of those parking areas
and provide electricity to recharge electric vehicles and make them
cooler leaps to mind, plus distributed generation, ie rent your rooftop).
 Biomass is good as a baseline and peaking load
(gas fired power stations) and can be converted to liquid fuels for
ease of transport and use in vehicles.



>
> The thing I wonder is, why isn't more being done to bring more
> hydroelectric on line in the U.S.?  Talk about a proven system, and
> green as all get-out.  Geography?  Politics?  Does anyone know why this
> isn't being more promoted?


Hydroelectric in the US is about as developed as it is going to
get.  It turns out that most hydroelectric systems on a large scale
have terrible long term capability.  Once you silt up a major river
system it is horribly expensive to rehabilitate it.  We've also
done most of the major rivers where putting in a major hydro
system wouldn't impact a large urban center.  It also takes lots of land
and water issues in the US are fraught.  The environmental costs,
while lower than from fossil fuels, are also higher than wind and
solar.

OTEC (Ocean Thermal Exchange) is a possible alternative for coastal areas.

Infrastructure changes are currently the biggest costs.  You can't
overnight replace billions of dollars worth of infrastructure, but
unfortunately
the economics of our current energy consumption dictate that we will
continue to use nonrenewables long past when we should.  That's
why some of us choose to adopt early now, even though it makes no
economic sense.  Putting my money where my mouth is, as it were.





-- 
Anmar Mirza EMT, N9ISY, Central Region NCRC Coordinator, Owner Lost Creek
Packs, blog.myspace.com/anmarmirza)