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Saturday, November 7, 2009
How to Encourage Green Energy
The question of the day is: How to encourage Green Energy?
The Congress is pushing Cap and Trade. Will this help?
That is a big probably not. It might reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from the USA and Europe where it is being proposed. The problem with Cap and Trade is it has many unintended consequences. Various special interest groups with be exempt, and give an uneven impact upon Industry. Big Heavy Industry will be hurt most by Cap and Trade. Why does this matter?
Because, when Big Industry is penalized by the Cap and Trade systems proposed, they move the industry to other countries where there is no penalty. Much of the Steel Industry and other metal production has already moved to China, where there is no penalty. The Chinese Government encourages Industry to locate there. The unintended consequence is that other countries become dependent on China for manufactured goods. Many High Paying Jobs with Good Benefits are lost to the Cap and Trade Country. This results in higher unemployment and lower paying jobs with less benefits.
A second unintended consequence is that other countries do not have pollution controls and other safety measures. There is a high probability that more Greenhouse gasses will be emitted and more pollution will be discharged into the environment. Is this what we really want to happen?
This is not the goal of Cap and Trade but the actual result is that it has a negative impact on the environment and produces results that hurt the environment more. Is this what we want as a country? Are there better alternatives? There must be a better way to reduce Greenhouse Gasses than Cap and Trade. Do we want to send good paying jobs overseas? Do we want to increase Pollution and Greenhouse Gasses emissions into the environment? I think not!
The Congress is pushing Cap and Trade. Will this help?
That is a big probably not. It might reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from the USA and Europe where it is being proposed. The problem with Cap and Trade is it has many unintended consequences. Various special interest groups with be exempt, and give an uneven impact upon Industry. Big Heavy Industry will be hurt most by Cap and Trade. Why does this matter?
Because, when Big Industry is penalized by the Cap and Trade systems proposed, they move the industry to other countries where there is no penalty. Much of the Steel Industry and other metal production has already moved to China, where there is no penalty. The Chinese Government encourages Industry to locate there. The unintended consequence is that other countries become dependent on China for manufactured goods. Many High Paying Jobs with Good Benefits are lost to the Cap and Trade Country. This results in higher unemployment and lower paying jobs with less benefits.
A second unintended consequence is that other countries do not have pollution controls and other safety measures. There is a high probability that more Greenhouse gasses will be emitted and more pollution will be discharged into the environment. Is this what we really want to happen?
This is not the goal of Cap and Trade but the actual result is that it has a negative impact on the environment and produces results that hurt the environment more. Is this what we want as a country? Are there better alternatives? There must be a better way to reduce Greenhouse Gasses than Cap and Trade. Do we want to send good paying jobs overseas? Do we want to increase Pollution and Greenhouse Gasses emissions into the environment? I think not!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Is There a Green Energy Myth?
Is there a green energy myth? In some ways yes there is. Compare various forms of green energy with conventional sources. If a coal or nuclear plant is rated at say 1000 Megawatts then the utility company can count on that 1000 Megawatts 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and 360 days minimum a year. This allows a utility company to offer this amount of power to customers day and night year round. There are occasional outages due to maintenance and other downtime. These are usually preplanned and done during non peak times. The customer is assured that this power will be available when needed.
This is where the myth of green energy is seen. A 1000 Megawatt solar or wind power plant may be able to produce this amount at times. If the wind blows above a certain speed or the sun shines during the day, the green energy sources can produce the stated power at times. However if the wind slows or stops in the case of wind turbines, or there are clouds or nighttime or snow etc., then they do not produce the power stated. Yes they make contributions to the electric grid, but the utility company cannot always count on this power. This is the Green Energy Myth. Green Energy cannot always be relied upon. There has to be a backup source of power to overcome and compensate for these energy shortfalls.That is why coal and nuclear plants are the main sources of electrical energy worldwide.
Do wind and solar have a place in electrical energy production? Yes, without a doubt. They take advantage of energy sources that are low cost to operate. They can help provide power during peak times. They do not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. They are becoming increasing useful. They have niche applications. In the future they will make a significant contribution to world electrical energy. As prices drop and the smart grids are developed that can utilize intermittent energy, they will take their place with other forms of energy.
This is where the myth of green energy is seen. A 1000 Megawatt solar or wind power plant may be able to produce this amount at times. If the wind blows above a certain speed or the sun shines during the day, the green energy sources can produce the stated power at times. However if the wind slows or stops in the case of wind turbines, or there are clouds or nighttime or snow etc., then they do not produce the power stated. Yes they make contributions to the electric grid, but the utility company cannot always count on this power. This is the Green Energy Myth. Green Energy cannot always be relied upon. There has to be a backup source of power to overcome and compensate for these energy shortfalls.That is why coal and nuclear plants are the main sources of electrical energy worldwide.
Do wind and solar have a place in electrical energy production? Yes, without a doubt. They take advantage of energy sources that are low cost to operate. They can help provide power during peak times. They do not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. They are becoming increasing useful. They have niche applications. In the future they will make a significant contribution to world electrical energy. As prices drop and the smart grids are developed that can utilize intermittent energy, they will take their place with other forms of energy.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A Good Idea for a New Green energy Product
Solar Botanic Renewable Energy Systems has a new and novel approach to green energy generation. They propose to build solar panels and wind turbines that look like trees and shrubs. They incorporate nanoleaves that utilize a wide range of photovoltaic thermovoltaic and piezovoltaic technology. This gives them a higher efficiency buy utilizing different sources of energy to produce electricity. They utilize a wider range of the light spectrum than conventional photovoltaic panels. The piezovoltaic technology utilizes wind energy. The thermovoltaic technology utilizes heat to generate electric power. This is a new and novel approach to green energy. Whether they come up with a viable, affordable product remains to be seen. This multi tiered approach to energy generation at least an attempt in the right direction. The future will show whether this approach works. Lets hope that other companies come up with unique and novel products to help the world solve its energy problems.
Check out http://www.solarbotanic.com/
Check out http://www.solarbotanic.com/
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Obama Energy Plan
The Obama- Biden Energy Plan is a start in the right direction. The Obama administration offers to create millions of new green jobs, but can he deliver?The following is from the Obama campaign site. Ambitious for sure, but can he deliver?
The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:How is he going to accomplish this? It will be expensive for sure.Is it aimed in the right direction? We will see. The plan is sketchy on details but we will give him the benefit of the doubt for now. More detailed analysis will follow.
The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:
Provide short-term relief to American families facing pain at the pump.
Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars -- cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon -- on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.
Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy
How is he going to accomplish this? It will be expensive for sure.Is it aimed in the right direction? We will see. The plan is sketchy on details but we will give him the benefit of the doubt for now. More detailed analysis will follow.
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