Disqus - Latest Comments for Cormac

Re: CreativeCamp clashing with Rugby

Cormac — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:52:16 -0000

What time are the talks set to finish at?

Re: Q&A: How Do You Like Your Solar Panels?

Cormac — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 06:53:52 -0000

This is the single most useful page I've ever found on Solar.

It is great to get real information about actual usage, and to read that people are delighted with their systems, warts and all.

Thanks a million,

Cormac.

Re: How Much Land to Power The Whole World with Solar?

Cormac — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 08:03:50 -0000

Guys,

I don't know why you're so worried about loss of power through transmission. If such a project were undertaken, which would require international cooperation on a breathtaking scale, such loss would not be of concern.

The implementing team would simply calculate the loss through transmission, and install more solar panels to make up the loss. In this way, the correct amount of energy would arrive at point of use.

Using a few hundred more square kilometres is no big deal when we're thinking globally. It is infinitely preferrable to have ground covered by solar panels than huge smoke spouting fossil fuel burning plants, or even worse - nuclear plants.

Here in Ireland we've got Britain's nuclear plants just across the water. I for one am mildly concerned that some nutcase might decide to take one out in a blaze of radioactive religious insanity. Apart from that, recent weeks have seen the price of uranium soaring on the international market, which puts an end to the lie that nuclear is a viable alternative to oil.

We should consider energy production as the farming of the modern world. In Europe, we massively overproduce agricultural products, and we subsidise farmers to do so. Surely if we can replace one wasteful product (agricultural produce) with a useful and clean product (renewable energy production), then this would be a major step forward. It would benefit farmers, as they'd now be able to produce a product of true value. It would benefit life on earth, as there are very litte operative-life side effects to solar or wind power production. OK, the countryside wouldn't look the same, but I'd rather look at masts and solar panels than a normal fuel burning power plant.

Scale is the key. I would love to be in a position to compare the cost of commissioning a new oil-burning power station with the cost of commissioning a solar farm of equivalent output. Has anyone any idea of what a 2000 acre combined solar and wind farm could produce in terms of electrical output, and how this would compare to an oil burning plant? I know that an oil burner can run 24-7, and solar is limited to the daylight hours.

Re: How Much Land to Power The Whole World with Solar?

Cormac — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 06:05:53 -0000

Robert Durtschi:

Ten Thousand Square Metres? Isn't that Ten Square Kilometres?

Dirck The Noorman:

How much copper do you think is laid out in the cities throughout the world?

How much space do you think our cities, towns, and villages make up globally?

Come on guys, think logically. The scale of such a project is enormous. Yes, we'd probably have vast open cast mines to supply the project, but you know what? Mines can be re-filled, the land re-planted/reforested and the fauna re-introduced (if properly managed - although for variety to survive it would have to be carefully done in stages). That said, I'd prefer to sacrifice in this way rather than destroy the environment by oil and nukes.

Finally, we should not adopt a defeatist attitude, and assume that we must all abandon modern technology. Take the longer view. Our technology is still very young - the vast majority has only existed for just over 100 years. We are infants at the game. There is no reason to suppose that we cannot invent technologies that are clean and power efficient, and have parallel technologies that actively remove pollutants from our atmosphere and earth. If we have demonstrated anything, it is our capacity for ingenious inventiveness. It is through this capacity that we will save our civilisation, not through abandoning technology.

If you believe otherwise, switch off your machine now, switch off your electricity at the meter, take off your shoes and clothes, kill an animal so that you can clothe yourself in its fur, and live at the bottom of your garden.