Our planet is being destroyed, does anybody care?

So you troll in this thread and insult me in another, and the intelligence is where? Pea brain.

I am a philosopher as well as an activist.

As the former I ask: Why do we continue to render uninhabitable much of our planet? What forms of ignorance and neglect are entailed?

As an activist, I support the efforts of The Genii - The Global Energy Network Initiative. Their monthly newsletter is available at this site:
http://www.geni.org/
It is a project inspired by Buckminster Fuller's vision of the land masses (on the planet on which we all reside) interconnected with shared power grids. This reinforces our interdependence upon one another and thus makes war between regions less likely.

I spread the word that it is a fact that a very small portion of the Earth's deserts could supply all the power that Western Civilization needs via solar energy installations. This has to be supplemented with good sound transmission lines and cables to transport the virtually-free energy to places which are population centers. Hence I support the recent agreement between the nations in the North-African Alliance and those in Europe to share power grids. I welcome such cooperation. This is good news!

At the same time I believe in decentralized power sources, and am working for the rehabbing of business buildings to conserve energy; as well as for the placement of green, clean power-supply mini-windmills on each roof, and solar-energy panels in each backyard. I put pressure on local governments and utilities to supply money for this cause, to allocate resources to this end. :You could do the same.

deepthot wrote:


I am a philosopher as well as an activist.

Spendius made a fool of himself on a thread discussing evolution.

Isn’t that great?!

I spread the word that it is a fact that a very small portion of the Earth's deserts could supply all the power that Western Civilization needs via solar energy installations. This has to be supplemented with good sound transmission lines and cables to transport the virtually-free energy to places which are population centers. Hence I support the recent agreement between the nations in the North-African Alliance and those in Europe to share power grids. I welcome such cooperation. This is good news!

At the same time I believe in decentralized power sources, and am working for the rehabbing of business buildings to conserve energy; as well as for the placement of green, clean power-supply mini-windmills on each roof, and solar-energy panels in each backyard. I put pressure on local governments and utilities to supply money for this cause, to allocate resources to this end. :You could do the same.

plainoldme wrote:

Isn’t that great?!

Not at all. I prefer carrying my groceries home in plastic bags. Try getting caught in a thunderstorm while walking home with groceries in paper bags. Trust me, it isn't pretty.

Why do environmental activists "put pressure on local governments and utilities to supply money for these causes?

All this sounds very good, but a reasonable person has to ask, if it is such a good idea why aren't power producers unvesting large amounts in the production of solar power inn desert regions?

Why aren't homeowners installing solar panels and wind turbines on the roofs of their houses? Why aren't the owners of large commercial buildings doing the same? Even with large subsidies (cost transferred to other consumers) the response has been tepid at best. Wind turbines on rooftops would generally require significant structural strengthening of roofs as well.

Why do environmental activists "put pressure on local governments and utilities to supply money for these causes?

The answers involve several factors, the most limiting of which is the far greater cost of solar and wind power, even in the most favorable locations, compared to coal gas or nuclear power. Here I include both capital cost and operating cost. Protagonists are given to cite data for the comparative capital cost of coal or nuclear power per KW capacity to wind and solar and note that though wind & solar are still more expensive, the difference is only 20% - 40%. however when one considers the power actually produced over time, the fact that the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine all the time must be included. The capacity factor (% of theoretical capacity actually generated over a several month period) is at best only 30% for the most modern large wind turbines and not more than 40% even in the Mohave desert. (For the past 10 years our nuclear plants have averaged a capacity factor of about 90% even including periodic shutdowns for refuelling.) THus the capital and operating costs of wind and solar power per KW-Hr of energy actually generated is more than double that of conventional sources, and that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Moreover because of the daily variability in power produced, wind and soalr don't eliminate the requirement for reserve coal and nuclear powerplants operating in standby.

The net effect would be an enormous increase in the cost of energy - one large enough to wreck our economy.

Another ironic factor is that zealous environmenatlists have stoutly opposed the required expansion of our electrical grid and even the construction of wind farms and solar power stations because of their effect on habitat and the environment.