← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Demigorgona
Thread ID: 11698 | Posts: 2 | Started: 2004-01-02
2004-01-02 02:06 | User Profile
An Age-Old Power Resource Is Making a Comeback
By Lee Dye
Dec. 31 ââ¬â The fastest growing energy source in the world today isn't oil, or coal, or hydrogen, or fuel cells, or any of the whiz-bangers on the frontiers of high technology. In fact, it's the same technology that pushed boats up the Nile River as early as 5000 B.C., and pumped water in China and pulverized grain in ancient Persia around 200 B.C.
It's just wind.
Reports from varying sources in different fields ranging from high finance to environmental organizations to the U.S. Department of Energy all point to the same conclusion. Finally, at least some movers and shakers are beginning to recognize that humans have no choice but to find something other than non-renewable resources to power our cities and factories. We need to shift our emphasis to something that is inexhaustible, available in our own corner of the globe, and non-polluting.
Like wind. There's plenty of it. It's not going to go away. There's no way we can use it all up.
Read More:
[url]http://abcnews.go.com/sections/SciTech/DyeHard/windfarms_dyehard_031231-1.html[/url]
2004-01-02 18:12 | User Profile
For my new house (which is still just a hole in the ground), I have given up (for now) on solar panels. They're just too expensive when local power costs pennies per KW. I read an article about a company that has come up with dirt-cheap solar panels that use plastics rather than semiconductors. But, they're not available yet and will probably require a couple of thousand of square feet to create enough energy in the summer for an energy-efficient home, forget winter.
But, wind is looking better to me. Wind blows in sumer, in winter, at night, and during the day. I'm also thinking that I could put together a few dirt-cheap windmills using car alternators and homemade blades.
Another thing I was thinking of is steam power. Everyone has a furnace, wood stove (self-cut wood is the cheapest fuel source), or some such thing. It's a shame that all this energy is being burned without any work being produced. But, boil some water with the heat, produce electricity from the steam, cool the water by warming the house and then return the water back to become steam again. A perfect compliment to solar power. But, I have no idea of where to get a home steam-powered electric generator.