Who believes that alternative energy actually works?

Question

i dont. look at this site:

http://www.magicdave.com/skeptic/solar.htm

Answer 1

I think that you are a close minded "do it the way we've always done it" fool.

Alternative is simply that, another way of doing things...

I intend to put up a home solar system, if for no other reason that to increase my homes resale value. I also intend to spin my meter backwards untill I sell the house.

For some, mostly the upper level bush cronies, Bio Diesel is an alternative fuel that has no value for the future.

I've always thought that they meant for THEIR future, but my future has a place for it (being run through my 1986 F350)

Are you aware that there is a system to turn algae into oil?

The trade off would be land turned into aeration ponds, but I am sure that you won't care if the ponds are put out in the high desert or in the Dakota's...

For you to put a blanket statement on alternative energies is to slap Tesla in the face!

Answer 2

All sources of energy have environmental impacts during manufacture and have waste management issues.  The problem with the argument in the link is that is gives a closed minded or narrow perspective of the solar energy industry and fails to mention that comparatively their is a much smaller impact.  Most solar cells will be best used for home use in solar hot water heaters and grid connected units which will take up no new land.  If you look at oil, gas and coal vast expanses of land are used in the mining of the product, there are transport costs to move the material by rail or road and the power stations themselves are massive and require millions of gigalitres of water.  The water becomes contaminated with pollutants and often causes thermal pollution in rivers and lakes.

If you look at any source of power generation the cost of production is destructive and solar does have similar problems in that in cases where power needs to be stored batteries are needed but that is where other power sources such as wind, hydrothermal, hydro from dams and some coal power generation can be used.  In Tasmania at day time we use hydropower from dams and sell the excess to mainland Australia and at night buy cheap power back from the mainland.  Let’s say that the mainland had plenty of wind and hydrothermal we could do the same with those energy sources thus negating the need to store electric energy in batteries.  Besides most solar setups nowadays such as solar hot water and home units have no batteries because the house is grid connected and hot water stays hot overnight.

Look at the alternate energy scenario with a holistic approach and have some optimism.

Answer 3

About 10 years ago, I buy plans of a motor-Generator delivers from 30 HP to 350 HP output is a design like the Steorn Machinnes, thanks to that device now my electricity bill is zero and I don´t pay electricity.



In resume, alternative energy works, but Solar energy is not the best option in all the cases.

Bye

Answer 4

This site is only about Solar PV, which energy costs about 3 times as much as coal, and is targeted for a very small market.  However Solar PV is a very tiny slice of the alternative energy pie.

Consider Ausra, a company that has a proven Solar Thermal (different from Solar PV) technology where 24/7 electricity generation is expected to be as cheap as coal (that's right - it also runs at night because of stored steam).  They're building 2 plants right now that are under contract.  Additionally, the shade provided by this technology should enhance rather than destroy the ecosystems wherein they would be installed.  10% of Nevada could provide the whole country with energy.

Also new "fast nuclear reactors" are expected to provide a price point competitive with coal, and they do not produce the dangerous byproducts that older nuclear technologies create.

Many wind farms are already producing electricity as cheap as coal.

All three of these other alternative technologies are expected to be as cheap as coal (the cheapest energy source in th world), and not only are they easier on the environment, but also wind and thermal are an inexhaustible supply.

Ausra's technology is so cheap that if the money spent on the Iraq war was spent on their technology, we'd have enough money to build all the plants necessary to power most of the country.  Then we'd have enough electricity to replace gas guzzlers with electric cars (gas still would be used for occasional long trips).  Then we could stop giving money to those who fund radical Islam terrorists.

Answer 5

"Necessity is the mother of invention." Thomas Edison's quote is probably the truest thing ever spoken.

This country is in big trouble and the only way to break the cycle is alternative fuel sources.  It is to expensive and environmental unfriendly to tap many of the oil reserves we have, like ANWR.

So, things like solar, wind, nuclear and hydrogen to name a few are important to our economic and physical security here at home.

I have seen some people with a little ingenuity do some amazing things to generate power.   Waste vegetable oil, hydrogen and hemp have been used to power cars.

Nuclear power plants may someday in the near future may be replaced by geothermal plants.  They work on the same principle of Nuclear, but use underground heat and water to take the place of the uranium and plutonium.

I see the future as exciting for alternative fuels.

Answer 6

We have plenty of options when it comes to traditional & alternative fuels.  From domestic (yes, domestic) oil & clean burning coal technolgies, to nuclear & geothermal/water driven power (where feasible), there's no reason for us not to have enough resources to power our nation.

The only thing standing in the way are the democrats & the enviro-n***s.  Remove them, problem solved!

Answer 7

Cadmium is NOT used in all types of solar panels.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltai...

Answer 8

There are more sources of alternative energy than solar power.  It's a pretty good discussion of the environmental costs of solar power at the link though.  Then, we get into the actual calculations of all the costs mentioned.  All energy sources will "work".  They all have environmental costs and then it's just a matter of evaluating those costs.  I think people are particularly attracted to solar energy because once you get the initial investment done, your power source runs on a renewable and relatively free source of power e.g. the sun.

Interesting article though.

Answer 9

Solar energy is great for growing weed under spotlights. I don't know what your talking about. Clean is clean and let's keep it that way.