Our Ridiculous Energy Policies

[DeadPoolX 9]

Two words.

####### power.

[aidan80 9]

Wind and solar.. lol

And how are these going to power our cars again.. People bring them up over and over again yet fail to answer how wind or solar will replace petroleum in our vehicles..

The area those two technologies are trying to replace is silly considering we already have an environmentally friendly alternative such as nuclear.

What? What? What?.. are we living on the same planet?.. Nuclear and environmentally friendly are as environmentally friendly as "clean coal"! You appear to forget about nuclear waste.. that gets buried in the ground or sunk to the bottom of the ocean! Of course Wind and Solar could power electric cars, it's been done over and over again and guess what happens to the concept?.. It gets bought out by big business and stuck on the shelf as being just 5 or 10 years away... My tits it is.. As long as there's billions and billions to be made from oil and other fossil fuels then there isn't going to be any clean energy powering environmentally friendly cars anytime soon. The "myth" that global warming is natural and not man made is yet another product spun by big business in order to keep the masses hooked on the guzzlers.

[GaryC 7]

Wind and solar.. lol

And how are these going to power our cars again.. People bring them up over and over again yet fail to answer how wind or solar will replace petroleum in our vehicles..

The area those two technologies are trying to replace is silly considering we already have an environmentally friendly alternative such as nuclear.

What? What? What?.. are we living on the same planet?.. Nuclear and environmentally friendly are as environmentally friendly as "clean coal"! You appear to forget about nuclear waste.. that gets buried in the ground or sunk to the bottom of the ocean! Of course Wind and Solar could power electric cars, it's been done over and over again and guess what happens to the concept?.. It gets bought out by big business and stuck on the shelf as being just 5 or 10 years away... My tits it is.. As long as there's billions and billions to be made from oil and other fossil fuels then there isn't going to be any clean energy powering environmentally friendly cars anytime soon. The "myth" that global warming is natural and not man made is yet another product spun by big business in order to keep the masses hooked on the guzzlers.

I beg to differ Aidan. Wind and Solar may supplement our needs but it will never replace oil. It requires to much real estate and no one seems to want a wind farm any where near them. As I recall they wanted to put a large wind farm off the coast of Nantucet and Teddy Kennedy shot it down because it would ruin his view.

Nuclear can be enviromentally friendly. When Yucca mountain comes on line we will have a permenate place to store the waste without harming the enviroment. The new coal power plants with the latest stack scrubbers put out very little pollution. With coal gassification the emissions would be even less. They are now working on a new coal to liquid conversion that could replace oil. Coal is something we have in spades. We should use it. Nuclear can be used without harming the enviroment. We should use it also.

[kaydee457 13]

Wind and solar.. lol

And how are these going to power our cars again.. People bring them up over and over again yet fail to answer how wind or solar will replace petroleum in our vehicles..

The area those two technologies are trying to replace is silly considering we already have an environmentally friendly alternative such as nuclear.

They are making great strides in battery capacity. Solar and wind can also be used to produce hydrogen. Nuclear? Peak nuclear will hit in another 50 years or so. We should put all of our eggs in one basket with nuclear and then be in the same predicament in the not so distant future by not developing solar and wind?

Yes, great strides but unfortunately none of these technolgies are viable and can compete with oil.

Batteries, Wind Turbines, Solar panels/cells, and all the other novelty "alternate" energy sources are either dirty to produce, which means the pollution and energy savings go up the factory smoke stack and transparent to the end user, or are only viable with government subsidies allowing R&D to continue......

Most greenies are either ignorant of this or simply ignore it.

How many times is this same ####### going to be posted here on VJ?

Is there anyone that belives that these are viable alternate sources to OIL that we, and the rest of the western industrialized world wouldn't be exploiting them?

It's an absurd notion........

What do you care anyway right? I mean, you'll be dead in what? 30 years? Doesn't really matter what happens after that does it?

If you don't calm down you'll be in the grave far sooner than I........

Try to control your hysteria and relaaaaxx......Or take a MIDOL, whatever works for you!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Meanwhile...

Germany shines a beam on the future of energy

Nation gambles on amped-up push for renewable power

...

For the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the Muhlhausen solar farm represents a gamble that Germany, the world's third biggest economy, can replace its principal energy sources -- coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear power -- with clean, safe and renewable alternatives.

...

The campaign accelerated a year ago when Germany enacted a law forcing electric utility companies -- and, ultimately, all electricity users -- to pay higher rates to businesses or individuals who generate solar or wind energy and feed it back into the grid. With this guarantee of revenue, solar panels have become commonplace on new German houses and huge new windmills are a typical sight in rural areas, especially in the more windy north.

"This is part of our commitment as a government, to make Germany the world leader in alternative energy and in taking action against global warming, " said Juergen Trittin, Germany's environment minister. "We are willing to do what is necessary."

The country is now the No. 1 world producer of wind energy, with more than 16,000 windmills generating 39 percent of the world total, and it is fast closing in on Japan for the lead in solar power. Wind and solar energy together provide more than 10 percent of the nation's electricity, a rate that is expected to double by 2020.

It has become a profitable business, too, with about 60,000 people employed in the design and manufacture of wind and solar energy equipment.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...MNGRAAEL4B1.DTL

[GaryC 7]

Meanwhile...

Germany shines a beam on the future of energy

Nation gambles on amped-up push for renewable power

...

For the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the Muhlhausen solar farm represents a gamble that Germany, the world's third biggest economy, can replace its principal energy sources -- coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear power -- with clean, safe and renewable alternatives.

...

The campaign accelerated a year ago when Germany enacted a law forcing electric utility companies -- and, ultimately, all electricity users -- to pay higher rates to businesses or individuals who generate solar or wind energy and feed it back into the grid. With this guarantee of revenue, solar panels have become commonplace on new German houses and huge new windmills are a typical sight in rural areas, especially in the more windy north.

"This is part of our commitment as a government, to make Germany the world leader in alternative energy and in taking action against global warming, " said Juergen Trittin, Germany's environment minister. "We are willing to do what is necessary."

The country is now the No. 1 world producer of wind energy, with more than 16,000 windmills generating 39 percent of the world total, and it is fast closing in on Japan for the lead in solar power. Wind and solar energy together provide more than 10 percent of the nation's electricity, a rate that is expected to double by 2020.

It has become a profitable business, too, with about 60,000 people employed in the design and manufacture of wind and solar energy equipment.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...MNGRAAEL4B1.DTL

There is a huge difference between Germany, Japan and the US. We are a lot bigger. It's true that solar and wind can help but it will never give us all our energy. I would be willing to shingle my roof with solar cells if the cost came down. With thin film cells it may yet happen. But it will not be the only solution. We need much more energy than can be made this way.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

and this...

Global Investment in Renewable Energy Sets Record of $30 Billion

Renewables are the Fastest Growing Energy Technologies in the World

The report finds that government support for renewable energy is growing rapidly. At least 48 countries now have some type of renewable energy promotion policy, including 14 developing countries. Most targets are for shares of electricity production, typically 5 percent-30 percent, by 2010-2012. Mandates for blending biofuels into vehicle fuels have been enacted in at least 20 states and provinces worldwide, and in three key countries—Brazil, China and India.

Government leadership provides the key to market success, according to the report. The 2004 market leaders in renewable energy were Brazil in biofuels, China in solar hot water, Germany in solar electricity, and Spain in wind power.

http://environment.about.com/od/renewablee...nergyrecord.htm

....

While the rest of the Developed World moves forward, we're left in their dust...

[GaryC 7]

If you don't calm down you'll be in the grave far sooner than I........

Try to control your hysteria and relaaaaxx......Or take a MIDOL, whatever works for you!

Dude, show some respect please. Try and keep this on an adult level.

[GaryC 7]

Delivering Coal Solutions

Clean coal: the sustainable choice now and tomorrow!

Clean Coal

This process recently made Inc. Magazine’s “Green 50” list and was one of 10 clean energy start-ups chosen for California's Clean Energy Fund investment portfolio.

New technology converts the world's most abundant energy source into "clean coal" for a cost at or below the world's highest quality raw coals.

Our goal is to provide a clean, cost-effective, alternative fuel that addresses today’s power demands and increasing environmental challenges. This proprietary technology uses electromagnetic energy to reduce the moisture, ash, sulfur and mercury in coal and to make it burn more efficiently and cleanly. Coal processed with this technology is a stable, high-quality end product that allows our customers to optimize efficiency and increase yields.

Our supplier creates highly efficient, environmentally friendly, clean coal from low-value coals using a proprietary process. Their technology reduces moisture, ash and pollutants while boosting energy density. This clean, efficient process can help reduce acid rain, particulate matter and greenhouse gases.

Initial capacity of 120,000 tons/yr will be expanded in the future, and there are also plans to build additional facilities, to meet the growing demand for clean coal.

Solutions for the Environment - Available Today!

This breakthrough technology helps provide cleaner coal in two ways: it allows plant operators to use a naturally cleaner type of coal that hasn't been a good option in the past—such as Powder River Basin coal—and the process itself can reduce pollutants in all types of coal.

Our technology reduces moisture, ash, all three forms of sulfur, chlorine, and mercury. The process lowers levels of harmful chemicals before the coal is burned, rather than trying to clean up harmful emissions afterward.

For two pollutants in particular—sulfur dioxide and particulate matter—research shows the this process can cut emissions at the burn site by as much as 50%.

Higher Energy Content, Lower Emissions of Pollutants

This patent-pending technology can reduce moisture, ash, and all three forms of sulfur, chlorine, and mercury. The feedstock’s BTU content, or energy density, increases by as much as 50% as moisture content is reduced.

The process itself is environmentally compliant. All byproducts are captured, filtered and separated, meeting the same Environmental Protection Agency standards as agricultural water for disposal into holding ponds.

http://stjosephky.com/Environmentaly%20Friendly%20Fuels.htm

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Gary, is a coal a renewable energy?

[GaryC 7]

Gary, is a coal a renewable energy?

We have so much of it we could run our country for centuries. I think by that time we could come up with something more long term.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Gary, is a coal a renewable energy?

We have so much of it we could run our country for centuries. I think by that time we could come up with something more long term.

It's neither clean nor renewable.

[GaryC 7]

Gary, is a coal a renewable energy?

We have so much of it we could run our country for centuries. I think by that time we could come up with something more long term.

It's neither clean nor renewable.

Did you read what I posted?

"This process recently made Inc. Magazine’s “Green 50” list and was one of 10 clean energy start-ups chosen for California's Clean Energy Fund investment portfolio."

Coal can be clean. The technology is here now. Who cares if it's renewable if we have so much of it? It's something we can use now and for a very long time to come.

[kaydee457 13]

If you don't calm down you'll be in the grave far sooner than I........

Try to control your hysteria and relaaaaxx......Or take a MIDOL, whatever works for you!

Dude, show some respect please. Try and keep this on an adult level.

Umm, I didn't reply to you.....I thought I replied to Hibiscus

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Wind and solar.. lol

And how are these going to power our cars again.. People bring them up over and over again yet fail to answer how wind or solar will replace petroleum in our vehicles..

The area those two technologies are trying to replace is silly considering we already have an environmentally friendly alternative such as nuclear.

They are making great strides in battery capacity. Solar and wind can also be used to produce hydrogen. Nuclear? Peak nuclear will hit in another 50 years or so. We should put all of our eggs in one basket with nuclear and then be in the same predicament in the not so distant future by not developing solar and wind?

Do them all. Wind, solar, hydro, wave, nuclear..... keep an open mind.