Time is Running Short - Time for Real Solutions
Yesterday, Al Gore relayed a story about the composition of Earth and Venus. The point is that both planets have about the same amount of carbon - the big difference is that on Earth it's in the ground and on Venus it's in the air. Yet we are busy pulling it out of the ground right now and pushing it into the atmosphere. Imagine - even if we aren't pushing it into the air, don't you think it was better to keep it buried? Believe me, I walked through DC again today and there is enough (cold) air to power half the City. Sure there's enough hot air too, but luckily we've had less of that in the past month - since the transition.
I agree with T. Boone that we need to pick a solution and get off the ball implementing it. Thanks to global warming or peek oil or national security or (you name it), we have to get moving to fix this problem now - as in Today!
Monday's Clean Energy Summit presented many technical problems that all the techies can sink their teeth into. Here are a couple, but the Summit presented them as well.
1. The SmartGrid of course - but beyond the generic problem of moving energy, there needs to be a communication standard that runs ahead of the power, asking what the rest of the system needs and telling it what's available. If no one needs it, then energy must be diverted to compress air, push water into reservoirs or charge batteries for temporary storage. There's also the question of which delivery mechanism to use - AC/DC. I once knew the arguments about this, but frankly my focus is on power generation... I'll let my fellow engineers review the transmission standards...
2. Fixing the NIMBY problem without taking people's property for these transmission lines. We could to go underground instead - using multipurpose ducts. Of course due to earth quakes and general construction costs, it's extremely expensive... I don't have a technical answer for this one yet, but if you do, let us know. It might require a political answer instead - but that's not my department...
3. Political will and opposition to "another big government" construction project. The big dig in Boston was a cash black hole, but if you ever drive through it, the place is pretty cool. Washington buildings cost trillions over 200 years, but it is an amazing place. Amtrak is a losing venture, but it gets a ton of people from place to place everyday. The biggest example we have however, is the massive and super-subsidized highway system. There's no computing the price tag so far - and many will say we should have been planting trees instead. The goverment also used questionable means to run people off of property - that's no secret! I can't argue with anyone who raises these issues, but the highway system got me to DC efficiently. Face to face meetings have no equal. Besides, I took the Metro once here, so I saved the planet a little.
Once again it's going to be up to us to use our talents to solve the issues we face - whether those talents be technology, policy articulation, data analysis, organization... whatever. Let's come together and do it, because time is running out.
(Initial Comments Follow)
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Chris on February 26, 2009 at 12:44am
You REALLY believe anything that Al gore has to say. This guy is as irrelavant as the 8 track tape player. He is spreading a bogus message, 90% of what he espouses is BS. He LOST the presidency in 2000, IT WAS NOT STOLEN, and he just needs to lobby for cash. Yes we need to change our habits, but at what cost. Come on, THINK, in 1980 Sting was trying to save the rain forrests, according to him, at that time, they should be gone by now. Then there was el nino, and el nina, now the carbon footprint BS.
Yes, energy independence is crucial, but let us not go overboard with our zealousness to change at all costs
------------------
stan davis 1 day ago
Yes, it's expensive, but, I lived in Europe for 4 1/2 years and they bury their electric lines underground....at least in Northern Europe. Well-encased, the maintanance costs are minimal compared to the States'. Every year, weather tears down tousands of miles of lines that have to be fixed and replaced. That doesn't happen in Europe. Clynton, you are absolutely right. The time is NOW, not 10 years or 5 years. I'm glad to see the power gaining for the Picken's Army and then I watch the moronic political bickering. Alan Keyes leads the pack.....followed by a ton of inactive representatives and senators. The Representatives and Senators doing something are to be applauded, as are you for your extremely articulate and intense involvement. All of my best, Stan Davis
------------------
Clynton 1 day ago
Thanks Stan.
Chris, if you've read my other blogs (many decommissioned at this point), then you know that I follow no man zealously. In this instance I thought it was a great point - and trust me it did not originate with Al Gore. I've said before that regardless of how flawed a man is that presents an idea, if it's a good idea we need to consider it. Let it be BS. Let Al Gore make a bundle now that he "lost" the election. Maybe it was stolen - maybe not. That makes no difference to me. What's great is that Americans from all walks of life and all perspectives are supporting this effort for their own reasons. If you agree that we need to be off of foreign oil at any cost, then it shouldn't matter that Al wants us off of carbon fuels at any cost. There are many other good reasons for supporting the Pickens Plan, so let all the people sign up... Remember, our goal is to make a better place for our kids (most likely), but in doing that we also make a better place for scoundrels, jerks, criminals and morons. We are a diverse bunch, but we are Americans.
------------------
stan davis 1 day ago
Clynton, Stan again...after looking through the wonderful photos, I'm reminded that, in Holland, windmills have the capabilities to generate electricity AND mill grain. Perhaps, some of the flurry of activity we now see in North Dakota, Oklahoma and other places might be exploring that possibility. I am not an engineer, just a
journeyman musician and writer, but change is coming quickly. I can't believe the irrelevant and unfair comments directed at MY President when he has to fix the intentional and uninteded consequences of the Bush years. A little nugget, not related to energy, but quite important, is that they just discovered, 36-days after he left office, that Bush, in one of his last "directives," delegated all nursing home employees in facilities housing Medicare and Medicaid patients (about all of them) as: government employees. This means: should malpractice or other irregularities be discovered at a facility, BY LAW, the employees cannot testify in court cases. Like President Obama said, it's going to take time to farret out all the, how should I delicately put this,
evil activities of Bush and his puppet master Cheney. I met Cheney one time--played music at his birthday party in Casper Wyoming. I did not get a good feeling from this man....and that was in 1990. And, as I always say, Bush traded Sammy Sosa. That is a perfect example of his incompitence. Of course, I'm sure he blamed some assistant. There are so many things to be fixed. I loved your comment about IRAQ withdrawal and the
7 years of work that could be done on the infrastructure. Speaker Pelosi said, on the floor of the House (in front of about 80 dozing reps), a very simple equation. 1. 1 year of withdrawal from Iraq=complete healthcare for 4 million American children (ages infants-six-years), 2 Two years of withdrawal= full insurance for all children (ages infant to six) for one year. 3. FIVE years of Iraq withdrawal-healthcare for every man woman and child who needs it in the U.S. for a decade. What's the choice....this is pure insanity. My friend in Holland, Loek, said that Smart cars are everywhere, especially in the southern part of the EU. Mother Nature has given us all of the energy we ever need and, it's all renewable. We don't have to wait hundreds of millions of years for some future inhabitants of this planet to tap into our worm meal. Grow it, harvest it, recycle it and be thankful that this planet has everything we need to survive without disturbing, much less destroying our eco-system. Chris has it totally wrong. His narrow-minded vision and negative attitude is the thing that is truly unrealistic. But,
as they say, "To ITCH HIS OWN." Just sit back and watch Hannity, Ann Coulter, Bill Bennit (the archetect of the "dumbing of America"), Bill Orally and the other Faux News clowns. Even Murdoch is having a few second thoughts. I'll bet he has tons of open lands, perfect for wind farms. stan
------------------
Clynton 1 day ago
Hey Stan, I don't follow you with the"IRAQ withdrawal and the 7 years of work..." comment. I don't recall saying any such thing. Understand that I respect everyone's right to their opinion and their right to present it, but if this blog becomes a haven for in-fighting I will scrap the post privileges in a heart-beat.
I agree with T. Boone that we need to pick a solution and get off the ball implementing it. Thanks to global warming or peek oil or national security or (you name it), we have to get moving to fix this problem now - as in Today!
Monday's Clean Energy Summit presented many technical problems that all the techies can sink their teeth into. Here are a couple, but the Summit presented them as well.
1. The SmartGrid of course - but beyond the generic problem of moving energy, there needs to be a communication standard that runs ahead of the power, asking what the rest of the system needs and telling it what's available. If no one needs it, then energy must be diverted to compress air, push water into reservoirs or charge batteries for temporary storage. There's also the question of which delivery mechanism to use - AC/DC. I once knew the arguments about this, but frankly my focus is on power generation... I'll let my fellow engineers review the transmission standards...
2. Fixing the NIMBY problem without taking people's property for these transmission lines. We could to go underground instead - using multipurpose ducts. Of course due to earth quakes and general construction costs, it's extremely expensive... I don't have a technical answer for this one yet, but if you do, let us know. It might require a political answer instead - but that's not my department...
3. Political will and opposition to "another big government" construction project. The big dig in Boston was a cash black hole, but if you ever drive through it, the place is pretty cool. Washington buildings cost trillions over 200 years, but it is an amazing place. Amtrak is a losing venture, but it gets a ton of people from place to place everyday. The biggest example we have however, is the massive and super-subsidized highway system. There's no computing the price tag so far - and many will say we should have been planting trees instead. The goverment also used questionable means to run people off of property - that's no secret! I can't argue with anyone who raises these issues, but the highway system got me to DC efficiently. Face to face meetings have no equal. Besides, I took the Metro once here, so I saved the planet a little.
Once again it's going to be up to us to use our talents to solve the issues we face - whether those talents be technology, policy articulation, data analysis, organization... whatever. Let's come together and do it, because time is running out.
(Initial Comments Follow)
------------------
Chris on February 26, 2009 at 12:44am
You REALLY believe anything that Al gore has to say. This guy is as irrelavant as the 8 track tape player. He is spreading a bogus message, 90% of what he espouses is BS. He LOST the presidency in 2000, IT WAS NOT STOLEN, and he just needs to lobby for cash. Yes we need to change our habits, but at what cost. Come on, THINK, in 1980 Sting was trying to save the rain forrests, according to him, at that time, they should be gone by now. Then there was el nino, and el nina, now the carbon footprint BS.
Yes, energy independence is crucial, but let us not go overboard with our zealousness to change at all costs
------------------
stan davis 1 day ago
Yes, it's expensive, but, I lived in Europe for 4 1/2 years and they bury their electric lines underground....at least in Northern Europe. Well-encased, the maintanance costs are minimal compared to the States'. Every year, weather tears down tousands of miles of lines that have to be fixed and replaced. That doesn't happen in Europe. Clynton, you are absolutely right. The time is NOW, not 10 years or 5 years. I'm glad to see the power gaining for the Picken's Army and then I watch the moronic political bickering. Alan Keyes leads the pack.....followed by a ton of inactive representatives and senators. The Representatives and Senators doing something are to be applauded, as are you for your extremely articulate and intense involvement. All of my best, Stan Davis
------------------
Clynton 1 day ago
Thanks Stan.
Chris, if you've read my other blogs (many decommissioned at this point), then you know that I follow no man zealously. In this instance I thought it was a great point - and trust me it did not originate with Al Gore. I've said before that regardless of how flawed a man is that presents an idea, if it's a good idea we need to consider it. Let it be BS. Let Al Gore make a bundle now that he "lost" the election. Maybe it was stolen - maybe not. That makes no difference to me. What's great is that Americans from all walks of life and all perspectives are supporting this effort for their own reasons. If you agree that we need to be off of foreign oil at any cost, then it shouldn't matter that Al wants us off of carbon fuels at any cost. There are many other good reasons for supporting the Pickens Plan, so let all the people sign up... Remember, our goal is to make a better place for our kids (most likely), but in doing that we also make a better place for scoundrels, jerks, criminals and morons. We are a diverse bunch, but we are Americans.
------------------
stan davis 1 day ago
Clynton, Stan again...after looking through the wonderful photos, I'm reminded that, in Holland, windmills have the capabilities to generate electricity AND mill grain. Perhaps, some of the flurry of activity we now see in North Dakota, Oklahoma and other places might be exploring that possibility. I am not an engineer, just a
journeyman musician and writer, but change is coming quickly. I can't believe the irrelevant and unfair comments directed at MY President when he has to fix the intentional and uninteded consequences of the Bush years. A little nugget, not related to energy, but quite important, is that they just discovered, 36-days after he left office, that Bush, in one of his last "directives," delegated all nursing home employees in facilities housing Medicare and Medicaid patients (about all of them) as: government employees. This means: should malpractice or other irregularities be discovered at a facility, BY LAW, the employees cannot testify in court cases. Like President Obama said, it's going to take time to farret out all the, how should I delicately put this,
evil activities of Bush and his puppet master Cheney. I met Cheney one time--played music at his birthday party in Casper Wyoming. I did not get a good feeling from this man....and that was in 1990. And, as I always say, Bush traded Sammy Sosa. That is a perfect example of his incompitence. Of course, I'm sure he blamed some assistant. There are so many things to be fixed. I loved your comment about IRAQ withdrawal and the
7 years of work that could be done on the infrastructure. Speaker Pelosi said, on the floor of the House (in front of about 80 dozing reps), a very simple equation. 1. 1 year of withdrawal from Iraq=complete healthcare for 4 million American children (ages infants-six-years), 2 Two years of withdrawal= full insurance for all children (ages infant to six) for one year. 3. FIVE years of Iraq withdrawal-healthcare for every man woman and child who needs it in the U.S. for a decade. What's the choice....this is pure insanity. My friend in Holland, Loek, said that Smart cars are everywhere, especially in the southern part of the EU. Mother Nature has given us all of the energy we ever need and, it's all renewable. We don't have to wait hundreds of millions of years for some future inhabitants of this planet to tap into our worm meal. Grow it, harvest it, recycle it and be thankful that this planet has everything we need to survive without disturbing, much less destroying our eco-system. Chris has it totally wrong. His narrow-minded vision and negative attitude is the thing that is truly unrealistic. But,
as they say, "To ITCH HIS OWN." Just sit back and watch Hannity, Ann Coulter, Bill Bennit (the archetect of the "dumbing of America"), Bill Orally and the other Faux News clowns. Even Murdoch is having a few second thoughts. I'll bet he has tons of open lands, perfect for wind farms. stan
------------------
Clynton 1 day ago
Hey Stan, I don't follow you with the"IRAQ withdrawal and the 7 years of work..." comment. I don't recall saying any such thing. Understand that I respect everyone's right to their opinion and their right to present it, but if this blog becomes a haven for in-fighting I will scrap the post privileges in a heart-beat.
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