NotLurking said:
Coal was highly used back in the old days in steam engines not crude oil - that came AFTER. If push comes to shove, coal could be use again in a similar manner to manufacture PV, wind generator or any other task that would eventually get us on the right track - green energy.
NotLurking
I've travelled in a coal powered train many years ago.. not again, please no! A man that I was married to once worked in a coal fired power station (electrical engineer) before he became wise and changed to nuclear power (and changed to another wife..
) I lived next to a coal power power station. The coal stuff indeed is dirty... But I do agree that as an interim and a bridging solution, the idea should not be discarded, although, we'll be moving backwards. (Something about the 2nd law of thermodynamics come to mind.)
Keith R said:
The National Energy Commission (CNE) [did anyone on this board even realize the DR has one?! LOL] pledged to have (1) 500 MW wind energy installed by 2015; (2) 10% ethanol blend in petrol sold by 2010; (3) greater production and use of biodeisel. CNE also claimed that 5% of the revenue collected from the hydrocarbon tax since 2001 has been devoted to developing such energy sources. I find that frankly hard to believe!
I saw some press on this but it kinda went in one ear and out the other. Somehow, the whole thing felt and looked like sound-bite type fluff pieces of attempted 'journalistic excellence' to make somebody look good. And if we look at the time tables, it is much too little and certainly too late. Does anyone know or has anyone seen evidence of these initiatives? I certainly have not.
You know, this thread illustrates what I tried to convey in an earlier post. Having followed the 'oil crises' for a number of years even before it was accepted conversation in pc circles, the issue that stands out, is the deep divisions in people's beliefs, actions and words. The oil crisis needs to be de-politicized and considered a world threat. We have the knowledge to do the right thing, but I think we lack the will to do the right thing. Here on
www.oilcrisis.com are a number of different publications, from Osama Bin Laden
(oh my.. public enemy number one, how can you even mention this Chris?) to articles published in Mother Jones to David J. O'Reilly Chairman and CEO, ChevronTexaco Corporation.
Fact number one is that the stuff is running out. Fact number two is that we have no viable alternatives that we can change to easily, cheaply and without social upheaval. Fact number three is that we will not reach consensus opinion on the timing, the good vs the bad energy generation and a host of other sticking points. So, we have to go with what we have. I believe solar power is a large part of the answer to the problem, but the cost is still prohibitive and the infrastructure is not there in most of the world. If there can be consensus opinion on adopting solar and wind power as the world's method of power generation, and resources can be devoted by governments (including the DR CNE
) to making these methods viable and cost-effective we could at least start moving. Cost-effectivity is however a big deal here. Thinking about the DR, very few households can afford installation of solar power.
Anyway, check out what the kids are doing..
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1001hydrocar01.html
