All the proposals and policies I have seen have the same flaw. They rely on major corporations and electric companies to produse the power and ignore the potential of individuals and commercial buildings entirely. Sorry, we can conserve. THAT is not good enough!!!!!! Did you know that there is over three times the surface area available today on residential buildings alone than the 100 mile by 100 mile mega facitility proposed for Nevada? That sight is said to be capable of meeting all our electrical needs. One of the big problems is transmission to areas of demand. That is the same problem with mega wind farms in the Dakotas. The other problem with both is that we are still at the mercy of companies with the ethical track record of Exxon, Enron, and electric utilities like National "Greed" in NY.
Installation of solar and wind technology on any residential and commercial building that wants it could more than meet our electrical requirements. AND it is generated where it is USED. There is no need for the vast majority of our electricity to be transmitted hundreds or thousands of miles. Throw in a smart grid that can bring in electricity to calm and overcast areas from all surrounding areas in ever increasing circumference and even localized shortages can be met with minimal net transmission distances.
Require the grid to by excess generation at wholesale prices and allow them to sell it to electricity intensive facilities at retail prices. This keeps the utilities profitable in the transmission business. If needed they can operate a drastically reduced number of power plants to meet rare power shortages.
Another area that gets a lot of hype, but is short sighted is plug in electric cars. This may be a short term necessity, but should not be looked at as a long term solution. Why should we be limited to the range of a batteries charge? Imagine trying to go cross country on battery power. There is an alternative. Wireless resonant induction is a technology that could be adapted to wirelessly powering vehicles on a continuous basis. This technology may be a decade or so off yet. The idea is that the transmitter coils be incorporated into the pavement at a depth of 3 to 5 cm. The power for these coils is supplied by local wind and photovoltaic generators along the roadside with back up from the smart grid. Photovoltaic in urban areas could be produced by CIGSS technology on the sound barriers with no noticeable change in aesthetics. The receiver/s should be mounted on wheeled, to prevent contact of receiver to pavement, extension arms at 1 to 5 cm above the pavement surface. The receivers and transmitters are sealed in waterproof casings similar to the technology used in modern electric toothbrushes. Currently efficiencies are on the order of 90% within 10 cm. The electricity needed to operate the vehicle is transmitted from the road coils to the receiver coils only when they are in resonance, like 2 bells of the same pitch. For heavier vehicles and loads, like tractor trailers, more receivers can be used to increase the power. Small battery systems can be used for brief interruptions to the wireless system or brief excursions out of the wireless network. The electrical energy is not transmitted unless the receiver is at the correct frequency so danger of electrocution or other negative effects is minimal.
MIT is working on this technology to power the appliances in your livingroom today. That requires transmission overdistances of upto 15 feet. This is done in rooms in which you are living and moving about. All without your sensing the electrical transmission. Another exampeare the wireless charging plates for cell phones and ipods, etc.
I just want to stress in closing the urgency of expanding our discussion of alternative energy to include decentralized generation. It is imperative in my opinion to develop this technology to most effectively meet future needs and as the most exportable technology to the developing world.
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