Re: [GreenYes] Environmental impact

[Muna Lakhani <muna@iafrica.com>]

Bruce,Jr E Arkwright wrote:
>    For some reason people do not get it.  They say solar is too expensive, but they are using up the natural resource at a very wasteful rate.  We will still need to use fossil fuels on those rainy days (while we collect rain water for home/garden use) and  those long cold winter nights in the north.  And thats the best time (only time) to use them.  But if we use it up now and wait until its gone (like the current attitude in America then 'force' ourselves on solar) what are we going to use for...

Hiya!
let us get some context into this - the RE energy issues are around two
key factors - availability and storage...

wave, geothermal and biomass are always available, so this (and other)
methods of energy generation are perfect for guaranteed baseload; wind
and solar will (on average) supply baseload up to an availability of
98%; so what we are really talking about is storing enough energy to see
us through maybe 2% of total requirements...

pumped storage; fuel cells; biomass; more wave; geothermal on standby,
would all fill that need very easily.... so a sustainable energy society
is not technically difficult, or intricate - all it takes is political
will, and given the backers of the US presidency, that would be where
the problem starts... 

If even the International Atomic Energy Association (the world's
promoter of nuclear energy) itself says that wind energy will be
competitive with coal and nuclear in the near term, between 2005 and
2015, in pure economic terms - excluding all the social and
environmental benefits, then what are we doing going down a failed road?

Kind regards and strength to all....

Muna


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