As part of their annual nationwide Environment Poll, Gallup asked respondents whether the United States should put more emphasis as it does now on producing domestic energy from each of the following sources:
| All Americans | Republicans | Independents | Democrats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar power | 76 | 68 | 74 | 87 |
| Wind | 71 | 59 | 68 | 83 |
| Natural gas | 65 | 78 | 62 | 59 |
| Oil | 46 | 71 | 43 | 29 |
| Nuclear power | 37 | 49 | 35 | 30 |
| Coal | 31 | 51 | 26 | 21 |
Plantagenet on Sat, 4th Apr 2015 5:29 pm
What exactly does “put more emphasis” on solar and wind mean?
Does it mean people support a carbon tax on fossil fuels?
Makati1 on Sat, 4th Apr 2015 7:21 pm
Hmmm…. as I mentioned before:
The ~$1,000,000,000,000.00 the UFSA spends on their military/security complex ANNUALLY would put a $10,000.00 solar system on ALL of the nation’s ~100,000,000 homes in ONE year.
So, how “serious” are they?
Apneaman on Sat, 4th Apr 2015 8:17 pm
There is a price for everything.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The dystopian lake filled by the world’s tech lust
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150402-the-worst-place-on-earth
Apneaman on Sat, 4th Apr 2015 9:02 pm
MORE MORE MORE
The Essential Exponential
http://wildancestors.blogspot.ca/2015/04/the-essential-exponential.html
Kenz300 on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 12:51 am
The Renewable Electricity Grid: The Future Is Now
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2015/03/the-renewable-electricity-grid-the-future-is-now
——————————
U.S. Solar Energy Industry Achieves Record-Shattering Year
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2015/03/u-s-solar-energy-industry-achieves-record-shattering-year
Kenz300 on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 12:52 am
The cost to clean up and store the nuclear waste at Chernobyl and Fukishima is enormous. Those disasters continue today with no end in sight. The technology to clean up the sites does not exist.
Chernobyl’s new shell – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJSpDAwEtjA&spfreload=10
adamx on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 3:28 am
The price of solar is the disruption of existing industry. Basically, a fast ramp up (which would be a very good idea) would greatly harm coal and gas operations. In fact, the great danger of solar is that it is best distributed and risks killing utilities outright or leaving them as grid operators. That hurts the companies which in many places are quite powerful.
The more I see the more I think that this is the true obstacle for solar. Obviously there are other issues, like ramping up production and storage, but increasingly I think these are not as impossible to surmount as most doomers seem to think.
That said, even if we went 100% renewable for electicity, I suspect environmental issues would still lead to a crisis.
Bandits on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 5:02 am
Of course “they want more”. “More” is what got us to where we are now. Alt’s will extend the burn of FF’s for as long as possible, never has an alt been responsible for reducing CO2 emissions, it’s the exact opposite. Also by doing that (extending the burn) a rising seven and a half billion humans continue to ply their devastation, to a fast expiring planet. More, more, more, glut, glut, glut………….
sunweb on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 7:03 am
Solar and wind energy collecting devices have been falsely hyped as renewable, green and sustainable. There would be none of these devices without the underwriting and continued support of fossil fuel energy and the global industrial infrastructure. Before you go off on a rant about me supporting fossil fuels or nuclear, I don’t. My problem is the myopic and profitable view of solar and wind capturing devices. They are simply business as usual as they are extensions of the existing systems. And the percent voting for these devices would also myopically support some variant of business as usual disregarding the continued impact on the physical environment and the lifeforms on earth including ourselves.
Davy on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 7:30 am
Adam said “The price of solar is the disruption of existing industry. Basically, a fast ramp up (which would be a very good idea) would greatly harm coal and gas operations. In fact, the great danger of solar is that it is best distributed and risks killing utilities outright or leaving them as grid operators. That hurts the companies which in many places are quite powerful.”
Adam, what part of broke do you not understand? Are we going to do another AltE QE to stimulate that industry? I presume you do understand the energy trap we are in. We do not have the wherewithal to do a ramp up and pay for everything else. Solar’s percentage of grid penetration now is dismal. Subsidies and favorable promotions the nom. If AltE was so powerful a force it would have a major impact now and it does not.
You just are not going to mothball significant portions of the FF generation because it is that FF generation that allows a very small and marginal AltE build out. Similar to conventional oil with shale oil production. The task is too enormous and the time frame too short that my friends is a “too too many”. AltE will make some more in roads but small at best. We will see the MSM reports all glitzy with hopium to satify the greenies when a useless large scale AltE complex is built. Big numbers and vision will be projected with BAU exceptionalism zeal.
I have said this numerous times I love AltE. It fits my personality. I like seasonal and variable living with the sun not trying to distance myself from her. AltE’s fit that when we take all of them to the extreme. Most AltE I am describing are just a rehash of the old ways. My definition of AltE includes all aspects of natural energy collection and production.
Where my personality does not fit with AltEs is the delusional view of the greenies of an AltE BAU that will be shiny, new, and optimistic. That reminds me of the Jetson’s when I was growing up. This is fantasy and dangerous. It gives the general sheeples the wrong impression there is BAU hopium. There is no hopium of an AltE world there is only the utilization of a many and varied AltE applications to energy production in a descending world. Most of these many and varied AltE’s should be simple and local.
The other big issues I have with AltE is when it is made complex and large scale. AltE on the complex large scale applications have a glass ceiling of penetration. We just are not structured as a society to live with an AltE world like would be required to be above 30%. AltE weenies will show isolated examples but almost all these examples are AltE living in close proximity to FF generation. AltE’s are proving dysfunctional in a sound stable FF grid complex.
AltE’s can’t make further inroads and further inroads mean FF generation disruption. AltE is stuck in a classic catch 22 situation in a predicament of limits of growth and diminishing returns IOW an energy and money trap. Nothing, people or machine, are going to escape this thermodynamic law of Nature.
Mike989 on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 11:25 am
Solar and Wind generate far more energy to be self sufficient, No we don’t need carbon to run or build solar.
Solar already 5 cent per kWh across the 10 US Southern States.
Solar to be cheaper then ALL Other Energy across all US states in 5 years.
Carbon is ALREADY Dead.
Solar is a GEOMETRIC ( Hockey Stick ) Curve, Only FOOLS Bet against Hockey Stock curves.
My right wing friends, you’re welcome to commit Economic Suicide, and continue to back Carbon. You’ve done enough to destroy America, it’s your Karma to self-destroy.
Apneaman on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 12:07 pm
“Solar and Wind generate far more energy to be self sufficient, No we don’t need carbon to run or build solar.”
Mike, can you explain how this can be done for mining and transport? I have looked into it quite thoroughly and the mining, like all mining, is powered by diesel and the transport is gasoline, diesel and bunker fuel. Most of the manufacturing is still powered by coal or natural gas fired power boilers.
sunweb on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 12:56 pm
This only one component of solar energy collecting devices. This is not the serious research into EROI done by Hall and Prieto in sunny Spain nor Palmer’s work in Australia. Wishing does not make it so.
Glass is a wonderful product. Float glass for windows (along with screens) improves homes and other buildings enormously. Think about what your home would be without glass. So this is not an essay against glass. It isn’t even an essay against using glass for solar energy collecting devices whether they are for heating hot air, hot water or making electricity.
It is important to understand the components of the energy collecting devices so we don’t designate them with false labels such as green, renewable or sustainable. It is an essay challenging business as usual. The earth and those born today can’t take any more business as usual.
http://sunweber.blogspot.com/2015/03/making-glass_8.html
Davy on Sun, 5th Apr 2015 1:08 pm
Mikie, your greenie message is delusional. Prove this:
“Solar and Wind generate far more energy to be self sufficient, No we don’t need carbon to run or build solar.”
Mikie, you are as bad as the right wing brownies you criticize! Delusions are what they are green or brown.