How many solar generating facilities for $60 Billion a year?

[Eeyore]

More than PV.

There are agreements to run less than the total wind turbines in Altamont
Pass, to try to reduce the bird kills.

And how many fish are killed by hydro-electric generation ?

If we allow such ridiculous notions to dominate our decisions about energy production we'll
end up doing nothing. Oh - actually maybe we'll build more nukes ! Nukes don't kill fishies
or birdies.

Graham

 

[[email protected]]

And how many fish are killed by hydro-electric generation ?

Enough to cause extra efforts to assist that population as well.

If we allow such ridiculous notions to dominate our decisions about
energy production we'll end up doing nothing. Oh - actually maybe we'll

Would you prefer not to put fish ladders around dams?
Save a little money, to hell with the fish?

build more nukes ! Nukes don't kill fishies or birdies.

There is concern about the thermal rise of cooling water outflow from
nuclear plants.

For sensible people, there are offsets, considerations, and progress, all
in the same project.

 

[[email protected]]

Let's take a look at the hypothesis that 100 mi2 of PV is enough to
"power the nation":

My system is 36 Kyocera 125 watt panels.
1425 * 652 mm * 36 = 33.5 sm
My 2007, 7276 kWh * 7731300, 56200 GWh per year in 100 sq miles.
100 mi2 of my PV would provide about 20% of California's needs.

A little short of "powering the nation", but perhaps beyond the limit of
what the grid could utilize in California.

California consumption in 2006 was 294,865 GWh. This does not count the
majority of solar energy produced in California, since that would be either
net metered and not appear, or off grid, and not reported.

 

[Eeyore]

Enough to cause extra efforts to assist that population as well.


Would you prefer not to put fish ladders around dams?
Save a little money, to hell with the fish?

You will find them around certain British dams. The trouble is that the greens
recently seem not to accept even these as a suitable method of fixing the
problem, and want to ban dams entirely.

There is concern about the thermal rise of cooling water outflow from
nuclear plants.

To the ocean ? In Britain it's easy to site all the nukes on the coast.

Graham

 

[[email protected]]

You will find them around certain British dams. The trouble is that the
greens recently seem not to accept even these as a suitable method of
fixing the problem, and want to ban dams entirely.

That would be a fringe, then. There are folks who would like to dismantle
the dam at the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which serves San Francisco with
drinking water. http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/hetchhetchy/timeline.asp

To the ocean ? In Britain it's easy to site all the nukes on the coast.

It's a long way to the ocean in some parts of the US ;-)
http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/map-power-reactors.html

I only recall two near the ocean in California. One of those is closed,
sitting there, doing nothing productive.
http://www.energy.ca.gov/nuclear/california.html

 

[Randy]

Yes thats true, but it doesnt scale down well for generating power in
your house.
Where can you buy a small domestic sized steam turbine and boiler.

I don't know about the boiler other than fixing a boiler assembly to a old
satelight dishes with polished mirror finish and check with old grain mills
for steam powered motors such as my father pointed out to me a while back to
power a generator.
Lot's of power loss but it sounds like fun.
Randy

 

[TomJohn]

Has anyone (in or out of Congress) seriously considered building the first
square mile? Maybe by the time the last one was finished, they could start on
refurbishing the first one?

I bet (hope) there are some in government that are thinking more seriously about
it now. I wonder what the impact would be if each state built 1 square mile?