Pickens Alaska at the top of the world.

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Comment by Tanya on August 4, 2008 at 1:11pm

Hi Mark,

Tanya, from Homer here. Thanks for the message about this connection for Alaska! I must say, I am a bit surprised that we are so few here!

I think we are really missing the mark by not pursuing tidal power here in the inlet. We and our neighbors have been talking about wind and solar power for our homes recently. I think the main hurdle for most average income people is the huge cost of implementing these things. I think a lot of people would really like to have the alternative energy possibilities but when they find out how much more it is going to cost they just can't go there. For many of them it's the difference between having a home and not. We were lucky, since we did a large part of the work on our home, we were able to keep costs down, so we could build it to 5-star plus specs, and it has 10 inch super insulated walls and ceiling. Still, we would have liked to do so much more but never would have been able to make the mortgage payments. We need to find a way to make these energy improvements affordable for the average American family. It is the masses that are going to have the greatest effect and if the masses cannot afford the fix, it won't matter how good their intentions are.

Comment by Beverly Wisdom on July 26, 2008 at 1:55am

Geotherman is great! If anyone has gone to Chena Hot Springs, the owner is a genius. He's completely off the grid using his geothermal water to generate electricity for his entire complex as well as heat his rooms. A typical steam application was a problem; the water came out at too low a temperature for a steam boiler so he uses refrigerant to heat to vapor point and drive the turbines - refrigerant has a lower boiling temperature than water. Cutting edge! They give tours of their system or you can look on the Net for their project. AND! If you choose the up close and personal tour by going to Chena, be sure and take advantage of the different soaks for different folks. It's a nice quiet place to relax!

http://www.yourownpower.com/

There's problems with using the heated water itself, which Chena has circumvented.
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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-03/ou-gts031307.php

"The researchers integrated findings from several studies examining the process of silica scaling. Power plants are built at geothermal reservoirs, where wells release steam, heat or hot water to spin turbine generators and produce electricity. Silica, which is released from dissolving rock, is a common element found in water. After extraction from the reservoirs, hot water cools down and silica precipitates, forming hard, glassy deposits that clog pipelines and injection drill holes at geothermal plants. Removing the silica buildup is costly and difficult due to the high volumes of water involved."
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The other problem is when a pipe is drilled into hot rocks, you're sending down cold water to be heated up and that starts to crack the rocks. You can also get unintended gasses coming up from deep down.

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The most easily do-able technology that's coming on line for houses is a geo-exchange heating and cooling system. Before they sink the footers on new construction, they bury pipes under the footprint and below frost line so that the warmth of the ground can act as a passive heating or cooling exchanger to your main system.

Source:
http://www.georgiapower.com/residential/geoexchange.asp

We just need to make our contractors smart about what the latest technology is, be informed consumers about what works in our area, and then act as partners with the contractors to make houses as efficient as possible. We all know that by being the prototype house, you're paving the way for better, cheaper next generation models that we all will benefit from eventually. Someone has to beta test them to work out the kinks.

On a side note about the drilling in ANWR ... my son worked at a pad on the North Slope that was in the process of coming on line and accessible only by helicopter, and caribou would come romping through the site. A lot of the production facilities are on pilings connected by manramps 5 foot or more above the tundra, so is the wildlife bothered by it all? Nope. They'd rather scratch their millions of skeeter bites on the only thing taller than 3".

Bev Wisdom

Comment by James Tracy on July 25, 2008 at 3:45am

Howdy
So what would you like to discuss, and thank you mark for the invite.

Comment by Janis Oney on July 23, 2008 at 7:59pm

Hello Mark, I too am very interested in Alaska and their part in the ANWR thing .. I have seen pictures of it and for the most part I for the life of me cannot understand all the fuss about drilling in that small area. The Native that I saw talking on TV said they were not opposed to it and that the unemployment was 50% and that is super high.. In view of this fact alone would cause me to say "DRILL DRILL"

Comment by Bill Mollring on July 22, 2008 at 5:23pm

Thank you for starting this site. I am very interested in seeing how alternative energy ideas develop across the country. Please include me on your updates and notices. I wish you much success. We are listed on the Pickens Plan as Mariah Power.
You are invited to join our group for updates on the Windspire and
other alternative energy items and ideas.
http://www.push.pickensplan.com/group/mariahpower
To see our other alternative energy sources please go to:
http://www.emsystems.net
Aloha, Bill

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