Comments on: A View of U.S. Electricity, by NPR http://www.tomspot.com/protension/2009/05/30/a-view-of-us-electricity-by-npr The online journal of Tom Elgin Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:07:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Tom http://www.tomspot.com/protension/2009/05/30/a-view-of-us-electricity-by-npr/comment-page-1#comment-22850 Tom Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:07:16 +0000 http://www.tomspot.com/protension/?p=319#comment-22850 <p>Dang that might the most interesting comment ever on my blog. Mostly yes -- it's all solar-driven except geothermal and, theoretically, fusion. Converting solar energy into wind is lossy (physically), but the conversion is free and abundant (economically). So while solar is always physically more efficient than wind, that doesn't always to translate to economic efficiency, which is how people decide what type of plant to build (well, that and politics/regulation).</p> <p>There's enough of both sunshine and sunshine-turned-to-wind energy out there for us to capture a lot without having much impact on the environment (we won't stop the wind or cool down the earth's surface). But there are also issues of local availability (some places aren't sunny) that impact the economics. Transmitting power is pretty efficient but new power lines cost a whole lot up-front (and it's ridiculously hard to obtain new rights-of-way in developed countries).</p> <p>Let me know right before you finish that machine, I'll buy you some pizza or something in exchange for co-authorship.</p> Dang that might the most interesting comment ever on my blog. Mostly yes — it’s all solar-driven except geothermal and, theoretically, fusion. Converting solar energy into wind is lossy (physically), but the conversion is free and abundant (economically). So while solar is always physically more efficient than wind, that doesn’t always to translate to economic efficiency, which is how people decide what type of plant to build (well, that and politics/regulation).

There’s enough of both sunshine and sunshine-turned-to-wind energy out there for us to capture a lot without having much impact on the environment (we won’t stop the wind or cool down the earth’s surface). But there are also issues of local availability (some places aren’t sunny) that impact the economics. Transmitting power is pretty efficient but new power lines cost a whole lot up-front (and it’s ridiculously hard to obtain new rights-of-way in developed countries).

Let me know right before you finish that machine, I’ll buy you some pizza or something in exchange for co-authorship.

]]> By: Bracken King http://www.tomspot.com/protension/2009/05/30/a-view-of-us-electricity-by-npr/comment-page-1#comment-22849 Bracken King Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:42:29 +0000 http://www.tomspot.com/protension/?p=319#comment-22849 <p>I'm late to the party here, it would appear, but I'll ask what is likely a very dumb question: Isn't just about every "renewable" energy source essentially solar driven? If not, what am I not thinking of; if so, what is the advantage of filtering the raw solar energy through more processing (and presumably lossy) steps? Regardless, this will all be moot whenever I finish my reverse-entropy machine.</p> I’m late to the party here, it would appear, but I’ll ask what is likely a very dumb question: Isn’t just about every “renewable” energy source essentially solar driven? If not, what am I not thinking of; if so, what is the advantage of filtering the raw solar energy through more processing (and presumably lossy) steps? Regardless, this will all be moot whenever I finish my reverse-entropy machine.

]]> By: Tom http://www.tomspot.com/protension/2009/05/30/a-view-of-us-electricity-by-npr/comment-page-1#comment-22847 Tom Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:23:19 +0000 http://www.tomspot.com/protension/?p=319#comment-22847 <p>TK: my first reaction to your comment was, "Sure! What do you want to know?" Then I realized that you had already told me: "everything you want people like me to know."</p> <p>Consider the above post my first attempt, and I'll post more if I come up with something that seems like it'd be interesting to more people than me (i.e. my 3 readers). I think "overhyped trends in clean energy" could be one...</p> TK: my first reaction to your comment was, “Sure! What do you want to know?” Then I realized that you had already told me: “everything you want people like me to know.”

Consider the above post my first attempt, and I’ll post more if I come up with something that seems like it’d be interesting to more people than me (i.e. my 3 readers). I think “overhyped trends in clean energy” could be one…

]]> By: Tyler King http://www.tomspot.com/protension/2009/05/30/a-view-of-us-electricity-by-npr/comment-page-1#comment-22846 Tyler King Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:31:43 +0000 http://www.tomspot.com/protension/?p=319#comment-22846 <p>So I'm pretty clueless regarding this whole energy thing. Since you're becoming the expert, I expect a post summarizing everything you want people like me to know.</p> So I’m pretty clueless regarding this whole energy thing. Since you’re becoming the expert, I expect a post summarizing everything you want people like me to know.

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