Solar and other alternative power

[oldngray]

It’s official, the Energy Department’s green energy loan program is actually expected to lose money despite media reports that such loans would net the government a profit.

The Government Accountability Office says the DOE’s oft-touted $28 billion loan program will cost taxpayers $2.21 billion over the lifetime of the loans. Not only that, the costs to taxpayers for green loans has risen about $500 million as “the result of loan guarantee defaults” from companies like Solyndra and Abound Solar.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/28/gao-does-green-energy-loans-wont-make-profit/

 

[wkmac]

Experiments with atmospheric electrical capture.

 

[oldngray]

Experiments with atmospheric electrical capture.

Wasn't that Tesla's idea? The problem was it didn't work.

 

[The Other Side]

Wasn't that Tesla's idea? The problem was it didn't work.

Ya, cause you are smarter than Tesla. Give us a break.

TOS.

 

[wkmac]

It was. Watch the video and see if this was overcome.

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

"Due to the unprecedented drought, many of California’s farmers won’t be allocated any water this year, thanks to the way that the state’s water rights work. But what actually happens to the farms that don’t get water? Some of the farmers are ditching produce altogether for a more profitable alternative to crops—they’re installing solar farms."
California Farmers Without Water Are Installing Solar Panels Instead

 

[rickyb]

i like jesse but there are better journalists out there.

 

[rod]

sounds like Tesla is going to market a "new" battery in the near future that could take a lot of people off the power grid altogether

 

[wkmac]

sounds like Tesla is going to market a "new" battery in the near future that could take a lot of people off the power grid altogether

Saw that as well. Be interesting to watch.

Speaking of Tesla, we are testing 2 all electric package cars at our building. We've had one in service for several weeks and the other was at the Corp. office today being looked over by the big brass. Some drivers are going down tonight to pick it up and I expect it to go into service in the next couple of days.

 

[olroadbeech]

"free energy" is a misnomer. no such thing as "free". R and D , equipment, maintenance and upgrades, etc etc.

that's why we haven't converted to solar. a solar water heater would cost us over 2000 dollars. that's not counting , installation , maintenance cost per year etc. that's another 2 grand.

with our gas bill holding close to steady at 40 bucks a month for the last decade it would take over 8 years to break even and in just the first couple years the whole system would be obsolete.

same goes for solar power on the home, electric cars , etc.

remember when Texas Instruments came out with the electronic calculator.? every kid in school had to have one at a 100 bucks a pop. a few years later you could buy one for a dollar.

Im hearing of a black box that they are working on that can supply power for a house for pennies. a technological breakthrough is right around the corner.

im getting back on my bicycle for now.

 

[Nimnim]

I always wondered why gyms never wired up their bikes and treadmills to a system to generate power for themselves.

 

[moreluck]

I always wondered why gyms never wired up their bikes and treadmills to a system to generate power for themselves.

That would make too much sense. For years, Ed Begley has run his toaster on 'bike power'.
Good to see you back, nimnim. Long time, no post.

 

[Nimnim]

That would make too much sense. For years, Ed Begley has run his toaster on 'bike power'.
Good to see you back, nimnim. Long time, no post.

Thanks, I've been watching many of the threads, but either I don't have anything to say or someone said what I would've said so I didn't. There's a likelihood you won't see a post from me for the next month for the same reason.

 

[wkmac]

This is pretty cool. Seems to me it also helps to solve the growing problem of nuke waste at the same time.

Purdue Students Develop Device That Harnesses Energy from Nuclear Waste

 

[oldngray]

New study: Electric cars may be worse for the environment than gas-powered
Electric cars are worse for the environment per mile than comparable gasoline-powered cars, according to a new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. This contradicts the common assumption that electric cars are cleaner.

In monetary terms, electric cars are about half-a-cent worse per mile for the environment than gas-powered cars, on average. This means that if a government wants to tax a car based on how much it pollutes, electric cars should be taxed half of one cent more per mile driven than gasoline cars.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...-environment-than-gas-powered/article/2566847

 

[olroadbeech]

New study: Electric cars may be worse for the environment than gas-powered
Electric cars are worse for the environment per mile than comparable gasoline-powered cars, according to a new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. This contradicts the common assumption that electric cars are cleaner.

In monetary terms, electric cars are about half-a-cent worse per mile for the environment than gas-powered cars, on average. This means that if a government wants to tax a car based on how much it pollutes, electric cars should be taxed half of one cent more per mile driven than gasoline cars.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...-environment-than-gas-powered/article/2566847

I have been having this argument for years with people. which is more green? a 40,000 dollar prius that gets 45 mpg with the cost of raw materials and the and the carbon imprint and the cost to replace batteries down the road or....

my 1984 vehicle which cost me 650 dollars 13 years ago and gets 35-40 mpg, runs clean according to the smog report that I get every 2 years and spare parts are cheap at the local pick n pull?

consumer reports has an article every year about the cost of owning a new car for the first 5 years. I think the average is 25,000 to 40,000 for those years.

my cost for the last 13 years has been 4 cents a mile for maintenance and about another 20 cents a mile gasoline , insurance etc. that's less than half the cost compared to new. so which is greener?

 

[BrownArmy]

I have been having this argument for years with people. which is more green? a 40,000 dollar prius that gets 45 mpg with the cost of raw materials and the and the carbon imprint and the cost to replace batteries down the road or....

my 1984 vehicle which cost me 650 dollars 13 years ago and gets 35-40 mpg, runs clean according to the smog report that I get every 2 years and spare parts are cheap at the local pick n pull?

consumer reports has an article every year about the cost of owning a new car for the first 5 years. I think the average is 25,000 to 40,000 for those years.

my cost for the last 13 years has been 4 cents a mile for maintenance and about another 20 cents a mile gasoline , insurance etc. that's less than half the cost compared to new. so which is greener?

Love this post...

I drive a 1984 Toyota with 360K miles on the clock.

I do all the work myself and the car runs like a dream (it sucks to run ethanol, however I am driving a thirty-one year old vehicle - just have to change the seals more often).

Priuses have to get the electricity from somewhere: if our electricity supply is based for the most part on greenhouse-gas accelerating sources, how are we doing net-net?

 

[olroadbeech]

people like us who drive old cars forever and who are frugal are unpatriotic. we aint good consumers keeping the economy humming.

maybe if everyone did what we did the stock market would crash and the world economy would come to a standstill for about 10 years, things would go back to a simpler time and the earth would have a chance to start healing itself.

im worried for my grandchildren .

I love those shows about what the earth would be like without people.

 

[wkmac]

Samsung and MIT appear to have made a breakthrough in battery technology (solid electrolyte) that enables a battery to last vastly longer than the typical liquid electrolyte battery. Maintenance, safety and more capacity, this could be a bit of a game changer should it work out.

Samsung, MIT say their solid-state batteries could last a lifetime

 

[Babagounj]

A few years ago the U.K. ( which gets 15% of its national power from wind turbines ) had a terrible winter . Just when the power was really needed the damn wind turbines froze .
Every city near me has one or more of those giant turbines , and if there is too much wind they shut them down .