Preferred Energy Alternatives

[earthinc]

Which energy alternatives do you believe are the most proficient? Why?

[Twinkie]

After doing extensive research (last year), wind and solar is all that is viable. Everything else messes up the environment in one way or another. Sure it is expensive, but so were computers at one point.

For cars, we already have the technology for cellulosic ethanol, but car companies still want to use gasoline because it is already in place.

However, we can't use alternative power without stricter regulation of power plants. Sure, I am a democrat, and I in most cases hate regulation. But if you think about it, is there any room for capitalism is the power market? Would you want 5 different power lines managed by 5 different companies on your roads?

The government should manage the power lines, because our power infrastructure is just as important and our transportation infrastructure. They all need to be managed in one place.

Use of alternatives to save this plant cannot happen with power companies running the show, consulting their checkbooks rather than their customers or country.

[ShadowmasterX]

I agree with Twinkie. However, the process in which the enviromentally friendly products are produced are extremely non environmentally friendly, i think that the engery that it saves would exceed in the long run. If somehow the manufacturing process were to be cleaned up a bit, then makeing solar panels and wind panels would be the most optimal way to get renewable energy

[Twinkie]

I agree with Twinkie. However, the process in which the enviromentally friendly products are produced are extremely non environmentally friendly, i think that the engery that it saves would exceed in the long run. If somehow the manufacturing process were to be cleaned up a bit, then makeing solar panels and wind panels would be the most optimal way to get renewable energy

Yeah, but the energy used for the manufacturing process will still be generated mostly by fossil fuels either way.

[wongers]

we should make canada in to one giant solar panel, no-one would miss it :-) (canada i mean :-) )

tbh, i think its a bit late to now try and "prevent" global warming, for those who think its something real, then we are a bit late to really stop it as everything is in motion and the consequences are happening.

and for everyone else, who actually understand we are in an ice age, thats why we have polar caps, then they have to melt anyways, we dont really have a choice as its part of the natural order of time (of sorts)

[Twinkie]

Trees remove carbon dioxide from the air. If we stop our excessive emissions, then nature would eventually balance out. True, the earth does go through natural climactic changes, but those changes are gradual, and animals have always been able to adapt. The earth warming at this rate is unprecedented, and things will happen out of the 'natural order of things'. That is our problem.

[phazzedout]

People seem to have forgotten Hydrogen and Nuclear power. Some one bring that up!

I bet many of you believe Nuclear power is the ultimate worst because of Chernobyl. Well a simple google search, here is a link http://bit.ly/8nDwEE, will show you how the commies were in a hurry to become a technological super power so they built everything by cutting some corners. You know the simple things, such as removing some nails that seem unnecessary, obsolete equipment (Windows ME works the same as Windows 7, honest.), inexperienced staff (Do you honestly need real scientist, you can just hire these people with high school diplomas for half the wage.), and the most famous, saving the concrete by making a smaller wall. Simple things caused the explosion that would never happen here.

Yes.. Yes... keep your panties on, we did have a core meltdown in the U.S. called 3 Mile Island. Doing a simple google search on that will show you some fun facts on that, http://bit.ly/85B8jP. Seeing as many environmentalist have their panties in a bunch thinking that 3 Mile Island was an environmental disaster they can do some research. 3 Mile Island was a core meltdown, sounds scary to most of us but we contained most of the radioactive waste in the reactor due to something the commies did not have, a thick concrete wall! Well due to this, 3 Mile Island is still in operation to this day and is still inhabited by the people around it.

There is more, just ask I will tell. I so far think that the new generation of Nuclear Power Plants will be the best in green technology. As a matter of fact, they say that the heat it would generate can also create hydrogen powering hydrogen plants. I say we work on that.

[Twinkie]

People seem to have forgotten Hydrogen and Nuclear power. Some one bring that up!

I bet many of you believe Nuclear power is the ultimate worst because of Chernobyl. Well a simple google search, here is a link http://bit.ly/8nDwEE, will show you how the commies were in a hurry to become a technological super power so they built everything by cutting some corners. You know the simple things, such as removing some nails that seem unnecessary, obsolete equipment (Windows ME works the same as Windows 7, honest.), inexperienced staff (Do you honestly need real scientist, you can just hire these people with high school diplomas for half the wage.), and the most famous, saving the concrete by making a smaller wall. Simple things caused the explosion that would never happen here.

Yes.. Yes... keep your panties on, we did have a core meltdown in the U.S. called 3 Mile Island. Doing a simple google search on that will show you some fun facts on that, http://bit.ly/85B8jP. Seeing as many environmentalist have their panties in a bunch thinking that 3 Mile Island was an environmental disaster they can do some research. 3 Mile Island was a core meltdown, sounds scary to most of us but we contained most of the radioactive waste in the reactor due to something the commies did not have, a thick concrete wall! Well due to this, 3 Mile Island is still in operation to this day and is still inhabited by the people around it.

There is more, just ask I will tell. I so far think that the new generation of Nuclear Power Plants will be the best in green technology. As a matter of fact, they say that the heat it would generate can also create hydrogen powering hydrogen plants. I say we work on that.

It is not in my opinion a matter of how bad the effects are, it is that there are effects at all. Why should there be? Wind and solar are completely natural, why complicate things with more or less dangerous forces and much greater risk factors?

[cybrax]

Now myself I'm Pro Nuclear. It may not be fashionable in this current climate but I feel that fission or preferably fusion power presents the only real viable alternative energy supply. The 'Green' argument is from the heart and I agree with them that we have to make better use of fossil fuels than simply burning them but the scale and infrastructure needed to maintain the number of windmills ( and other green energy sources such as wave, geothermal, solar) would have a bigger carbon footprint than the original problem.

I look forward to the day when a company wants to cut down some ancient trees/ forest to make way for a windfarm, now that will make an interesting news day..

There is an alternative that has been lurking on the sidelines now for some thirty years, the technology is proven, the beancounters (accoutants) say the numbers are cost effective and investors would see a return in thier lifetime but there is a small political problem with the process.

Space based solar power arrays look very attractive but the tiny hitch is that the system could double as an orbital weapons system.

[Smith6612]

Wind. You can find it pretty much everywhere, even in places where Solar power would be a bad idea (way up North or way down south). Hydroelectric power is also a difficult thing to decide on since while it can produce mass amounts of power, it of course can only be located in some areas. Up where I am, we have plenty of water to go around so we actually use Hydroelectric power as our power source. The hydroelectric dam has a 1 mile long reservoir which is used for reserved water, and at night when power usage is lower if needed the electric company will use some of their generators as pumps to fill up the reservoir. Other parts of my area are unfortunately fed through two coal plants.

For the ultimate power source however, we need to invent the Zero Point Module from Stargate and mass-produce them A few of those should be able to run entire countries for ages. Of course, we'd also need to be careful with those since they can blow up entire solar systems.