Disqus - Latest Comments for SunEnergy

Re: E-China: The bicycle kingdom is going electric

SunEnergy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:49:13 -0000

Why so? We've got several customers in San Diego using our American made Charger bikes. Unlike the Chinese hub motor type, ours run the motor through gears, so when you're in low gear the motor is also. This makes a huge difference for hills, which is why you may have thought e-bikes won't work there. Furthermore, running power through gears makes the motor far more efficient, drawing less current. This provides a longer run time per charge, and less current draw extends the life of the batteries.
(note: in China you see millions of e-bikes, but the minute you enter a hilly area there are none...only gas powered motorcycles, which tell you their hub motor systems don't work on other than flat or mild grades.)
www.electroportal.com is where to learn more about our designs (kits also...)

Re: Abengoa Solar designed 100MW solar parabolic trough electric generation plant - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:08:55 -0000

Correction above... Instead of "Though there is no CO-2 burning hydrogen, natural gas, propane, etc...", what I meant to say was "Though there is no CO-2 burning hydrogen on a stove, burning it in engines increases nitric oxide (resulting in smog)...similar to burning propane or natural gas in engines (which also increase CO-2 levels)."

Re: Abengoa Solar designed 100MW solar parabolic trough electric generation plant - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:55:47 -0000

Why then are power utilities encouraging photovoltaic panels be installed on roof tops, parking lots... to help during peak power hours?? The grid-tie inverters in homes and businesses send power out to the grid in AC form...but these inverters must have safeguards allowing them to sense whether AC is flowing in or not.. If there's a grid outage linemen could be electrocuted by power sent from the inverters if these don't automatically cut power in these conditions.

Re: Abengoa Solar designed 100MW solar parabolic trough electric generation plant - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:39:36 -0000

France, like the USA has been lucky. To their credit they've had a better handle on the waste products, encasing plutonium and other long lived isotopes in glass...instead of letting it sit around plants (sometimes leaking into the ground), as we've done waiting for someone to decide what to do with it.
But just because they've handled the waste better doesn't mean it's a safe technology given likelihood of human error in the design, construction, or operation of the plants, fuel enrichment, material transportation, and other processes.
Why have Germany, Sweden, Norway, Japan and other countries cut back on Nuclear? Maybe they also understand besides human error, humans can be ignorant (no fault of their own), greedy (short cuts causing substandard materials or sales to terrorist groups...), and more... Besides the high cost, there's high water consumption and all the other negatives. Hell, I'd take scrubbed coal fired emissions before nuclear...at least until we can get other cleaner energy on line.
Take a look at where we use energy...transportation, buildings, agriculture... Buildings will soon have low wind speed wind generating units hardly noticeable from the street, solar PV and thermal panels for water and space heating/air conditioning. Heavy industry factories will require more of course, though localized Megawatt size hydro, wind, geo-thermal (including other temperature differential means...), biomass converted to hydrogen, and a slew of other mature alternatives will prove practical and affordable. Maybe fusion will come about also if what they say about Helium 3 is for real.
Again...check the web site links mentioned above and you'll find conservative military personell questioning our ability to safeguard waste containment, protect against terrorist threat, etc... These guys aren't leftist radicals...and neither am I or so many others opposed to nuclear when it's clear there are alternatives.

Re: Forks of the Road Heritage Trail. This project would greatly enhance one of the primary gateways to our city by creating an African American/Ethnic Heritage Trail along a stretch of St. Catherine ...

SunEnergy — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:59:18 -0000

Hey Chuck!

I'm in full agreement with you regarding the irresponsibility of California State. The government's broke and don't think raising the sales tax (and other taxes) is going to make it worse. As for illegals making it that much more difficult...I couldn't agree more...and it's not just Mexicans. Asians, Middle Easterners, South Americans, Europeans, Africans...anyone who lands and doesn't leave when their visa expires should be deported. A friend in Dallas was telling me they rounded up a slew of Chinese illegals there...had to support them until their case went to trial...the judge ordered them deported but China wouldn't accept anyone with a one way ticket. So guess what? They're back in town! There's also those who get the red carpet treatment by large corporations who claim they can't find trained professionals in our country...or rather trained pros that'll work as cheap as they want to pay. They're here too...legally. How many engineers born in the US are out of work now? How many times do you call an 800 number and get someone that sounds E. Indian, Central American, Phillipinian, Chinese?? These are all jobs we lost along with our shoe and clothing workers, plus who knows what else.

As for 'paddling' to Texas, if I had a month or two spare time I'd do it to show you people there are other ways of skinin' a cat. I'm not giving up my car for long distances, but for local 10 to 20 mile trips, an e-bike is just fine...saves me loads of cash and keeps the cut throat greedy doctors away.

As for the dems getting us into this fix...who ran the show the past 8 years? Did we get any oil out of the Iraq deal? How many billions and lives has it cost us so far? Course, you can believe Russ and the rest of the sore losers it was Clinton and Carter's fault we're in the mess. Reagan did absolutely nothing after our men and women in Lebanon were blown up...pulled out and let the terrorists take over the place. We could have stopped them back then before they got established also in Africa and Europe, but Ronny was too busy smiling and making folks believe his Hollywood vision of life. Clinton sat on the fence and did whatever it took to stay in this position, including support for the deregulation of banks. If he thought this was a good move for the country, he was an idiot. If he didn't think it was a good move, then what does that make him?

The issue of making it possible for low income folks to get loans was well intentioned, but fool hearty if the banks didn't back themselves up in the event customers couldn't make payments down the line. Was it the poor folks' fault or the greedy loan sharks who put us in this mess? Many of these folks have stuck with their upside down loans unless they're in a bankrupt state like Calif. or Mich. where the property is worth a third of what they paid for it. Hell, I'd jump ship too under the circumstances...go to another state like you say...whatever it takes to survive! I'm just hoping there'll be someone in Calif. that could take Huey Long's place... In case he's before your time, run a search and read Wikipedia.

Re: Moscone Convention Center Improvements and Expansion. Tourism is San Francisco's largest industry and the City, CVB are launching a 5 year capital plan to modernize and expand this facility - Stimu...

SunEnergy — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:54:45 -0000

Moron...Idiot?? Are you normally insulting and disrespectful?

Consider this... A few years ago before the Moscone West section was built, I was also opposed to the expansion...not because we didn't need more convention space, but because it was considerably more expensive than taking buildings already in place at Treasure Island. Even if we didn't take building already in place there is plenty of land at the island that could be used with the permanent tent structures like we used at the San Mateo fairgrounds for the larger conventions (National Semicon...the largest convention for us.).

Why not still use Treasure Island for an extra convention "campus", with shuttle buses and ferry boats? The views are spectacular. The cost of erecting these tents are magnitudes less than what this measure proposes...with the same effect (enlarging the exhibit space).

As for encouraging tourism in this city, it's not convention square footage alone that attracts groups. It's cost. We are one of the most expensive cities to do business in. Labor rates are well over a hundred bucks an hour for exhibit installers, electricians, plumbers, etc... Hell...janitors are making serious money also. Not to say I'm opposed working people live decently...because I've been a working slob myself for the past decades. But I tell you one thing...fewer people are working now than 30 years ago because of the narrow minds running the show.

I say put the money ear marked for this pork project into affordable industrial space at Hunters Point, Treasure Island, or even the Presidio (lighter industry)...and we'd get far more bang for the buck.

Do I deserve an apology?

Re: Rose Creek Bike Path - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:12:39 -0000

Hey Nick! If you read my previous post, I apologized to the firefighter, though (interestingly) he did not acknowledge or accept my apology. My initial reaction was in response to his lack of respect for bicycle riders' rights to safety.

My other comments were because I came from an area that had volunteer firefighters, and if I'd have stayed, I would have also volunteered. I moved to a city where I lost many hours of work to some greedy firefighters who got extra part-time work through a union I belonged to, yet were making close to 100K at their main firefighter job (2, 24hr. back to back shifts where they sleep and the station)...yet their income still wasn't enough and they wanted more... My beef is the amount of money they (and others...like many doctors) think they deserve. If you or anyone else has a difference of opinion, that's your right...but when anyone gets too greedy, I have a right to an opinion.

As for those with seizures and vision problems...I agree, mass transit is the best solution, though when someone has no transit solution other than a bike and are capable of riding on bike paths (with limited vision, or the odds they won't have a seizure) they should be able to without fear a 5K lb. SUV will run them over. Bike lanes are more risky for them...yes...but in their position, what would you do if there is no adequate public transportation and no dedicated bike paths or lanes? It could be argued it's endangering the life of a 5,000 lb. SUV driver if their vehicle swerves to avoid the cyclist, causing injuries to themselves or someone else...which is another argument for DEDICATED bike lanes, where nothing but bikes and slow vehicles are allowed.

Unless streets are widened (sometimes near impossible), this would mean gridlock for the high and medium speed lanes, unless more people use bikes, e-bikes, etc...on the slow lanes... Many folks just don't get it. Our cars are just too big...require way too much of our earned income, plus environmental damage (paved orchards for roads, parking lots...air and water pollution caused by the life cycle of a car, etc...). It's not the 20th century anymore and we don't need a 4 to 5K lb. vehicle to move a 150 to 250 lb. person up to 10 to 20 miles here and there... If a better, more secure path is going to encourage less automobiles, I'm all for it...so long as the funds are properly spent. The amount requested seems excessive, so should be better explained before accepted.

Re: solar installation - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:33:34 -0000

Sharon, I suggest you do a search using SOLAR THERMAL key words. It's a technology as old as mankind, using the sun's rays to heat water or other substances, humans (or animals) have then used for comfort or utility. If the sun warms a rock, a snake is likely to work it's way under it at night since the rock retains the heat and keeps the cold blooded animal at a comfort zone. In many countries where natural gas or electricity is expensive or non-existent, panels enclosing pipes with water running through are quite adequate for warming water for washing clothes or baths as the sun heats up during the day. Solar thermal is far more efficient than photovoltaic panels that convert the sun into electricity. PV is likely to be 15 to 20% efficient, whereas direct heat can be 80% or more. Thermal panels can be quite inexpensive, though depending on the design and plumbing required, can get expensive too...though you'll get more bang for the buck for the given surface area.

Solar thermal panels are also gaining in popularity for simply collecting warm air without the added cost or complexity of the need for plumbing for liquids...IF warm air is what's needed. Dual purpose water and air heating is likely to be the most popular option as good designs drive down the cost further. The solar collector could also not look like a panel at all...perhaps a large tank on a roof...or metal object. Set a cast iron frying pan in the sun for a few minutes and you're likely to burn yourself picking it up without hand protection. Take a magnifying glass and focus the sun's rays at some dead grass and you'll have a fire in seconds. Another interesting search might be "solar oven"...which is also solar thermal.

Solar heat can also be used to cool things too! A propane gas refrigerator uses fuel that heats up gas that's then condensed to cause a cooling effect...or large absorption chillers used in large stores use heat from gas or electricity to produce cold air. Properly designed and made collectors for this purpose could be insulated flat panels with pipes (looking similar to PV solar panels), evacuated tube collectors (long glass tubes encasing pipes in a vacuum), or concave "troughs" with mirror surfaces to focus sun rays to raise temperatures...and there will likely be many more designs to appear. The evacuated tube collectors are now considered the most appropriate in colder climates, though better insulated flat panels work also.

We hope to have stuff on display at a new "green center" in Sebastopol before long...at the old Ford dealership.
Hope your internet search answers more questions you're bound to have!

Re: Abengoa Solar designed 100MW solar parabolic trough electric generation plant - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:06:29 -0000

So how has the new technology made nukes safer? Worse...how can you compare a nuclear plant accident with a plane accident? You actually don't see the difference???

One plane crash kills a few dozen. Several plane crashes kill many dozen. One nuke disaster is capable of killing magnitudes (100K?, 1M, 10M...all depending on the population density). What's more, the long lived radiation poisons the many, many square miles so as to affect life forms of all types...hundreds of years at high level radiation...thousands of years at lower levels that are still known to be damaging. I doubt you'll find a biologist that will disagree with me. As a child in 1951, I was one of the lucky who had their throat glands shrunk with X-rays because it was the latest and most effective treatment. Years later I was one of the fortunate few that didn't have thyroid cancer, though had to go for years to get checked out. So much for high tech...

But you're right...each disaster is caused by human error...either operator, mechanic, design engineer, manufacturer, air controller, or???...though no error as in the case of 911, due to a handful of terrorists we trained at our own flying schools. You don't think they could damage a few canisters of hot stuff en route here or there? I'd wager a bet the containment domes on the new (high tech) plants are as vulnerable in one way or another. Maybe if they make them out of Kevlar instead of 20 ft. thick concrete? Remember, Timothy McVea wasn't a Middle-easterner and he managed to take out a sizable building in Oklahoma with farming chemicals.

Your thinking is about as smart as our Homeland Security bunch at the airports (all the while leaving our sea ports, train stations, and water supplies largely unattended). During several trips to China, every time I went to board a flight they checked the liquid in my water bottle. Did they do that here in the States at the time? Hell no! It wasn't until someone actually doused the place (or tried to) they decided to ban all forms of liquid. Don't you like that all or none mentality! Then...like they don't even bother offering clean water dispensers on the other side of the machines so you can refill your bottle! No...we've had to suffer because some leaders are such inconsiderate (unimaginative?) jerks. The irony is any chemist will tell you solids and powders can be mixed with liquid once you're past the X-ray machine !

Not even bringing up the (Sheeesh) COST of these nukes...I'll finish with the following blurb taken from www.governmentexecutive.com... I'll leave links to another couple of articles too...about nuclear material mishandling...with top brass military as upset as "los liberales academicos".

"U.S. Energy Department Memo Questions Los Alamos Lab's Control of Plutonium" .

In a Feb. 23 memo to the director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, officials in the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration said inaccurate inventory records at the lab's plutonium research, development and processing facility raised doubts about the lab's ability to "deter and detect theft and diversion of special nuclear material."

Other 2 articles are just as scary...
http://www.governmentexecut...
http://www.governmentexecut...

Re: White Rock Neighborhood Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project. Improvements include ADA accessible ramps, sidewalk repairs, traffic calming measures, and bicycle lanes where possible. Total Proje...

SunEnergy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:24:40 -0000

Re: White Rock Neighborhood Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project. Improvements include ADA accessible ramps, sidewalk repairs, traffic calming measures, and bicycle lanes where possible. Total Proje...

SunEnergy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:24:20 -0000

never

Re: Capital City Freeway Improvements/Congestion Mitigation - Midtown-Howe Avenue - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:17:53 -0000

No.

Re: American River Multi-use Bridge (Richards to Truxel) - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:15:07 -0000

The homeless are already using bikes. It's people who are stuck in traffic jams at 10 mph, burning fuel that'll be $5 / gal again before long, who I need to buy tickets for. Maybe I can convince our Governator to give me some of the highway stimulus pork for the occasion...that way he'll not need to spend as much on the extra lanes to no where.

Re: Rose Creek Bike Path - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:39:32 -0000

Then whoever put together the budget (and it's likely not accurate, as others on this stimuluswatch list are not), should do the bare minimum to keep this path intact...and draw up more plans for dedicated slow lanes for other than automobiles.

Once people have a chance to use functional electric bicycles (tricycles or quads for those with balance problems), you wonder why you even have a car. A car can be rented on the weekends for the longer trips. I'm not advocating getting rid of the car entirely, because it's not realistic. Over time, once we reevaluate our priorities and can redesign communities where we have a main street once again (rather than shopping centers built for motorists), walking and bicycling (and buses) will work again as they did early in the 20th century.

Figure a boom to the local economy if people spend less money on foreign oil, foreign car parts...enabling them to spend more at local restaurants, on home repairs, local theater, etc... These jobs would be the result of less disposable income going to keep up our cars (that goes also for insurance, upkeep, and depreciation...).

Re: G Street Undercrossing: The City experiences significant traffic delays of approximately 2 hours the BNSF Railroad. A G Street under-crossing is badly needed in order to correct a serious public s...

SunEnergy — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:20:04 -0000

I'll include a response to another project someone has criticized my support for...as I believe it relates to your wish (and mine) for spending to bring long term benefits to town...such that our kids aren't saddled with long term debt from unneeded spending spree. But before...I wish to remind everyone, this project will indeed bring some jobs to town...a town that's been hit hard by a sagging construction industry and bad economy as a whole. I believe the Stimulus program is an attempt to jump start it...and I definitely believe projects that will encourage other than the almighty automobile will ultimately be a reward for our children.

---------------------

In response to...http://www.stimuluswatch.org/proje...

So you think expanding roads might be more critical than introducing alternative transportation methods in towns like Merced? The ramps themselves may not be critical to anyone other than the physically handicapped, and the dedicated bicycle lanes would also not be critical so long as motorists respect rights of cyclists. Unfortunately, many won't ride e-bikes until there are dedicated lanes, or at minimum, a network of bike lanes automobile motorists learn to respect.

Given the cost of fuel and probable increases in fuel prices...money that would ordinarily leave the town to purchase foreign oil would be spent here. This would create jobs...which are indeed critical, don't you think? If someone has money left over at the end of the month (not having to buy some Japanese high priced alternator, or Brazilian tire for their car), don't you think this would mean more money for the local restaurant?...or for home improvements?

You're right...if the money does not encourage a better future for our children (expecting them to pay back the loans with interest...) I am also not in favor. I believe this is the case for road expansions that merely keep us more dependent on the automobile and the high cost of owning one. Most folks in this town spend more money on their cars than their kids!

Re: ADA Ramps & Sidewalks The City has an annual project to identify and prioritize needs for ADA-compliant ramps and adjacent sidewalks. The additional funding allows acceleration of improvements...

SunEnergy — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:09:35 -0000

Re: ADA Ramps & Sidewalks The City has an annual project to identify and prioritize needs for ADA-compliant ramps and adjacent sidewalks. The additional funding allows acceleration of improvements...

SunEnergy — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:08:45 -0000

Re: San Francisco Solar Project: Rationale: San Francisco has successfully installed 2 MW of solar photovoltaic systems on the rooftops of municipal facilities - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:49:33 -0000

See JoeDeMaistre's response... I believe he was reacting to your post, and I couldn't put it better.

I would like to add...even if the investment is shown to be sound (though long term), wouldn't it be better to extend unemployment benefits for a few months until we had a well thought out plan for a better short term return?...or better long term return with a tax base to support it?

The City owns lots of land and buildings that could be used to help lower costs of doing business and in return ramp up employment opportunities...long term permanent jobs. Southern states are wooing California businesses to relocate into their govt. subsidized industrial buildings, yet CA still can't figure out how to balance their budget...or even come up with timely budget.

Re: Rose Creek Bike Path - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:26:11 -0000

My apologies to you too, TX... didn't mean to be so confrontational...only wished to point out the needs of cyclists who are all to often ignored and put in dangerous situations.

Re: Rose Creek Bike Path - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:22:59 -0000

My action was in reaction to someone not RESPECTING the safety or needs of a cyclists. Anyone in our culture that is unfortunate not to have a drivers' license or the means to afford an automobile is totally screwed in many areas. Most people haven't thought about the many who have unexpected seizures, or vision problems, or other physical impairment preventing them from operating a high speed vehicle. The weak in our society are often forgotten.

But you DID mention small businesses should be included in this stimulus program...which I am in full agreement.

I also have spent my life trying to help others, though rarely does anyone go out of their way to make known their appreciation.

In your response, I must admit...I couldn't have put it any better: "When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better."

Might this be an opportunity we will both remember as opening our hands to receive something better...in this case someone else's point of view.

My sincere apologies for the confrontational action.

Re: SFgo Traffic Signal Controllers and Transit Priority Replace up to 800 signal controllers that are obsolete and at the end of their useful life to enable transit signal priority implementation. Th...

SunEnergy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:09:15 -0000

I definitely understand the point of replacing equipment if it's a safety hazard... But is this a safety hazard? Does it have to be done all at once and NOW?

Furthermore, until the City and other public agencies learn to get their act together and be efficient with monies, I don't think our kids and grand kids should be saddled with these 54 million bucks (likely 100 million including interest over 20 years), just for a few temporary jobs.

That's 108,000 bucks per temporary job created (including the controller equipment). Say it takes a crew of 3, 2 weeks per signal controller...that's less than a month's work for 500 people. Say each employee gets $4K out of the deal, that leaves 52 million left !!!!!

Of course, the way it usually works...instead of a crew of 3, it's going to be 9 so we can include the dead beats. I know... I've been a union card carrying slob for 30 years...and it happens in non-union shops too. Even if it's 9 per crew, that still leaves 48 million, for 800 signal controllers. That's 60 grand per controller! What the f___? Are you selling these controllers to the city? What's your interest in this, really?

If you're REALLY interested in even just temporary jobs why not spend the 48 million on PV panels and mounts...the equivalent of 3 solar-electric house installations (per signal controller...), which would in turn generate juice we would require PG & E to purchased for the next 20 years... The City could require PG&E deduct bills accordingly, and the money we save in bills could sustain jobs at our favorite restaurants, for house upkeep, or??? ...but we're talking temporary jobs only, right?

If you're interested in longer term higher paying PERMANENT jobs, consider we use the money instead to set up a temporary building at H.Point, T. Island, Presidio, SFO, Crystal Springs (or one of the hundreds of SF owned properties) to rebuild parts for the street cars...which could lead to a permanent building at the site making new parts for electric cars. If we can get the 2 million per street car asked for, this will mean we'll have something going then..certainly enough for a sustainable EV company. I'd rather not go to Santa Rosa anyway... Am ticked off at losing the space near SFO to some military contractor who can afford the obscene 1.60 / ft. rent increase.

Then again, we can shit the money down the tube in a month putting in new stop light controllers!

Re: Abengoa Solar designed 100MW solar parabolic trough electric generation plant - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:09:24 -0000

In your backyard maybe...and only if your backyard is on another continent...and if it's likely to hurt noone other than you, and others that are so arrogant to believe the plants will never fail or the radioactive material will ever be released.
Guarantee me none of the following:
1. Design flaw, unknown earthquake fault, natural disaster, terrorist action...or???
2. Human greed (for example making substandard parts for the plant, or to contain the byproducts, or to ship the byproduct containers...or theft of the heavy fission materials that hostile countries are willing to pay for handsomely.) There's a term in the industry...MUF (material unaccounted for). It's alarming how much plutonium 239 and other highly radioactive isotopes go unaccounted for every year.
3. Human error (we all have our good and bad days...for whatever reason...argument with our better half...the nagging digestive pain...that momentary lapse of mental focus...and so on...and so on...)

So long as we've got so many other options, why risk it. No insurance companies will, and that's why the Price Anderson Act was passed during Eisenhower's days...so we the "sucker public" blindly accepted a technology that only we the people will insure ourselves against! The many plants on line remain to be a VERY EXPENSIVE clean up. Take Maine Yankee plant decommission. It bankrupted the public utility. The projected cost of new nuclear plants is always going to be lower than the total cost. You can't measure the cost of lives and land lost from a major accident...

If for no other reason...there's the vast water resources required to cool the damn things...

I encourage you to read up on nuclear fission before you blindly advocate.

Re: Abengoa Solar designed 100MW solar parabolic trough electric generation plant - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:35:34 -0000

Re: Abengoa Solar designed 100MW solar parabolic trough electric generation plant - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:33:37 -0000

Re: Abengoa Solar designed 100MW solar parabolic trough electric generation plant - StimulusWatch.org

SunEnergy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:33:15 -0000

To add to Jesse's comment, our gas and coal fired plants can't be turned off at night so must funnel the power to some Canadian mine (or used car lot) at super low rates.

It makes sense to add solar power for peak power needs during the day, when there happens to be sun also.

HOWEVER, I'm not convinced it's wise to focus entirely on centralized power generating plants like this, which will have to transmit the electricity across many miles of transmission lines. Transmission losses (from any power plant) account for about 40% losses. Transmission lines are expensive to install...AND YOU END UP WITH A UTILITY CHARGING YOU FOR SOMETHING YOU COULD GET FOR FREE ON YOUR OWN ROOF TOP!

I vote no on this project unless it's scaled down and other solar projects are included. We must instead put solar thermal panels on our roof tops, for hot water, warm air in winter, and the heat source for absorption chillers. We could also funnel the heat from these to our food refrigerators, the same way propane refrigerators work. The number of jobs this will create is even is even greater I believe...allowing us to continue the American Dream of independence. This guarantees the building dweller won't have to BUY WHAT SHOULD BE FREE...after we've invested our stimulus tax cut money to buy our own equipment! (like the powers than be will allow this!!!).

In any case, we should start to wean ourselves of the need for electricity for all our energy needs. Sure, electricity now seems practical for electronic equipment, motors, and night lighting (though day lighting should be augmented by better natural lighting...well placed windows, sky-lights, solar-tracking skylights...). PV panels may be better suited for home roof-tops alongside thermal panels on our roofs, not requiring steam turbines...and it's likely there will be breakthroughs with solar thermal making steam driven systems obsolete.

I might get behind this project if the monies were for loans to private companies that would agree to produce affordable electricity for charging batteries used in automobiles...but this means smaller less centralized plants. I.E., scale this plant down so each filling station has these panels to charge batteries we swap out when driving beyond our 50 mile radius from home. Like we pay to fill our gas tanks, pay to swap our batteries...though we should ALWAYS retain the right to charge our own batteries from free solar power on our roofs!!! We must make sure no solar company can monopolize us the way Bill Gates managed to screw us.

I might also get behind this project if it were for manufacturing hydrogen for use in vehicles and other fuel needs we have. I.E., power for hydrolysis near oceans to pull the H from the salt water...or inland (where we must conserve our dwindling fresh water sources), using the electricity to pull the H from hydrocarbon fuels. But if H is to be burned on a stove, that's one thing because it's clean as can be. Burning it in an internal combustion engine though, requires us to make sure not to cook the Nitrogen, to avoid NOX (nitric oxides), which turn to brown smog when exposed to sunlight. The same problem exists with natural gas, propane, and other so-called clean gases if they're burned as a fuel in internal combustion engines...unlike a flame which is COMPLETE combustion of H with no NOX or CO2 byproduct. Though there is no CO-2 burning hydrogen, natural gas, propane, etc...in engines, NOX remains a problem that must be recognized and dealt with!

In the end we may find it's less efficient to use solar thermal steam powered plants like this for charging batteries for electric cars. Instead of batteries, using solid oxide or molten carbonate fuel cells fed by hydrocarbon fuels, H can be reformed from the gases so that electricity is formed for use in vehicles or other power consuming appliances... This, WITHOUT creating CO-2 emissions, while capturing unburned carbon. Check Fuel Cell Energy and Global Thermoelectric...2 companies that are a bargain now that so many have run for cover and unaware this technology is likely to make them millionaires if they had held on!

Though we shouldn't hold back solar projects forever trying to get everything perfect, we've got to look at the whole picture and put more than one egg in more than one basket.

I vote no... Give us small businessmen low interest loans to make solar thermal collectors for our roofs!!