I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

riley702

kad2kar, I'm still dithering! Currently contemplating some lighter color (?which?) with a dark red accent wall. What do you think? And somewhere in the apartment needs to be a dark gold. And darkish green. I haven't gotten around to painting any, but the bathroom will be periwinkle with a dark blue and gold fairy wallpaper border I've already bought. And the spare bedroom will be vertical stripes of pale yellows, but can't decide on a border of ivies, daisies or black-eyed susans. 

ananda8

I posted this after several people were complaining that alternate energy, especially wind energy, was a boondoggle.  I'm sure there will be repercussions since facts are seldom well received by some people.

AWEA figures show that the average wind PPAs are now being priced at about 6 cents per kilowatt-hour, the same price for energy procurements from a combined cycle natural gas plant. The group says wind is actually about 2 cents cheaper than coal-fired electricity, and more projects were financed through debt arrangements than tax equity structures last year, a possible sign that wind deals are winning more mainstream acceptance from Wall Street's banks....

[AWEA chief economist Elizabeth] Salerno credits the breakthrough in cost to improved turbine design and performance, higher towers and longer blades, which have boosted the reliability and performance of wind power generation. Equipment makers can also deliver products in the same year that they are ordered instead of waiting up to three years as was the case in previous cycles, she said, calling it a sign of a mature supply chain.

The group estimates that 5,600 MW of new installed capacity is under construction in the United States, more than double the number at this point in 2010. Thirty-five percent of all new power generation built in the United States since 2005 has come from wind, more than new gas and coal plants combined, as power providers are increasingly enticed to wind as a convenient hedge against unpredictable commodity price moves, AWEA said.

While the above statements concern wind power in the U.S. (the lowest-priced wind power market), the trend is the same worldwide.

Clean Technica (http://s.tt/12tsQ)

YramAL

notself-you should just stay here where facts are not to be feared or scoffed at.

Mary 

Wabbit

I know the wind farms in northern Indiana are expanding ... there are more every time we make a trip up that way.  I've been fascinated by them ever since I got the first look at them. 

Riley ... are you going to do all that painting yourself?  I hate to paint so I will be very impressed if your answer is yes  

Ang7

Blue~Love that video!

crazy4carrots

A new elementary school was built in our area a couple of years ago.  Solar panels on the roof provide all the heating for it.  New highrises in Toronto are required to have "green roofs".  It's so good to see these changes in thinking -- away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.  I'm still confused about "clean coal"......

RetiredLibby

I saw an article last night (WaPo, maybe?) that discussed the results of a recent study that wind power (wind and water, maybe? Damn swiss-cheese brain!) can supply the energy needs of the entire East Coast. Check this space later - I will go find and post. Eating oatmeal right now!



L

alexandria58

Clean coal is an oxymoron.

Geothermal is another clean energy that I see more and more of.  I'm also seeing more solar panels everywhere.  

I do worry about bird migration and wind turbines, but as long as the towers are not in migratory paths, it should be ok.

RetiredLibby

Ok, first frustration of Monday morning. My browser on my work computer is too old to work with bco, so I can't cut and paste. I can't cut and paste the article's URL on my iPad, apparently, because the URL comes out to about 8 lines of text that I can't make live. So ... The article is on NBCnews.com under U.S. news, and the title is "Power East Coast via Wind? Doable with 144,000 offshore turbines, study says." *whew*



I didn't click through to look at the study, but the article was interesting.



L

Enjoyful

There are plenty of alternatives to fossil fuels but too many powerful people stand to lose a lot of money should we make the switch. Plus, most people loathe change even when they realize the need for it.

Momine

As far as I know, Denmark currently covers 20% of electricity use with windmills. Seems like a no-brainer to me, and I am not even a pinko-commie like the rest of you

Enjoyful

I believe Germany is the world leader in solar energy. They get far less sun but produce far more energy from it. But what do they know?

Anonymous

Hi, RiverRat - good to see you...please just jump in the water, no sense required, just nice to see a friendly "face"

SO happy I could be of, ah, service, to those who won't be posting nasty things here anymore, doncha like it when you can make the environment a little better for yourself and your friends, living in the country, we even pick up stuff that visitors toss out of the cars when we're walking, we do it after the end of every "tourist" season especially - and keep the roads, country clean, while getting good exercise.  Sometimes wonder if the cows grazing nearby wonder "how come those people carry those big black plastic bags?"

RICKY NELSON - I was in love, truly, IN LOVE when I was 15. Those eyes, that snarly lip - it was before I know about Jim Morrison, - so another reason to be "jealous" of our HappyLibby - she had him "in her room" - well, well, well, - and she'd rather have had The Boss.  Go Figure.

Scoot - there's an interesting "argument" going on in the "solar world" that I've been hearing, between whether to rely on importing the panels, keeping the prices of them down, or making them in the USA, meaning the prices would be higher, until the demand increases.  That's the "cereal box top version of the discussion" - I don't knwo enuf economics to really get it, just know I want MORE of'em!  We've got a few windmills on farms around me.  Don't knw anything about the "bird" argument against them, either.

Alexandria: Back atcha' "May you be written into the Book of Life.  Le Shanna Tova." And a Happy, Healthy, Peace filled  New Year to all.

Busy figuring out the Heating Oil contracts for the next year - friend in Maine just paid ( are you sitting down) $4.50 a gallon.   Here it's all over the place, $3.50 ( what we paid last year) to $4.00 - that's prepaid under contract with a minimum of 400 gallons.  We're talking what I call "real money" on this one.  My rant about this subject is - Home Heating Oil is not a "commodity" - it is life or death, no options, for some of us.  I can't have a woodstove in a rented cabin, no gas lines here.  Propane is cheaper, but not too effective when one has an oil burning furnace in the little cellar.

Oh, well - it's GORGEOUS, Athena weather - supposed to get mega thunderboomers tomorrow..

Happy Today...

River_Rat

Across the lake from us is a small Canadian wind farm, about 30 windmills.  On a clear day we can see them when we walk by the river, which spills into that lake.  We really wanted a better view though so we took our little boat across the lake and went up fairly close and they are beautiful.

Sunflower, regarding other threads, yes thank you very much for your suggestions.  I'm hopeful that both threads can be maintained but think not being in active topics would also be safer for them.  Ouch! on the heating oil.

QuinnCat

And to reflect back onto a related topic on a closed lively thread about ACA - per experts in the area, on NPR, "There are no high speed trains in the USA."  It upsets me that as a nation we are falling behind the rest of civilized society so we can fight wars and give gigantic tax cuts.

Linda - when I read your post, I momentarily forgot you were Canadian and wondered where in the heck in the USA are we building a new school?  We can't even pay our teachers! 

IllinoisLady

Kad....I use to get that message all the time -- sending posts to close.  I wait for a second and hit the submit button again and it goes.  Something about the message must clear  the problem. 

Windmills...sometimes I think if we break things down to the simplest answer as too many equations can spoil the broth life could be easier and work just as well. 

Jackie

QuinnCat

Sunflowers - I have a 200 gallon tank to fill with kerosene (in the "olden days" it was cheaper to heat with fuel than electricity, but maybe no more).  I live in rural California and my town always tops any "highest gas price in the nation" list.  $900 for one fuel up ($4.50 a gallon)  and I'm trying to dig out from under BC debt....come October I'm going to have to add another major purchase onto the credit card.

bluedahlia

Regarding high food prices.....I guess the drought had nothing to do with it!

pip57

There is a windmill farm along the highway in Ontario.  It looks very majestic, however, I always feel woozy and a little nauseatied as we pass through it.  It took a few trips to figure out what it was.  I think they are fine one at a time but can have unpleasant effects if there are dozens of them together.

pupmom

Pip, I know there is an issue with birds being killed in the windmills. I have heard something can be done to prevent this, but can't remember what it is!

Dilly

If the USA made a real commitment to clean up our national forests, we could create a lot of jobs and a lot of "renewable" biofuel.  However there is a longstanding battle between obstructionists and doers, and the money all gets lost in the shuffle.  Our national forests are in dire need of attention. We worry about rain forests somewhere else while our own forests are overgrown, bug infested and drought stressed.  Mobile power plants moving along as work gets done and the forests get cleaned up, and jobs jobs jobs.

pupmom

What Lost Creek said! I am so worried about the giant sequoias. What beautiful, magnifient trees. They are a national treasure. All forests and parks deserve and need our attention, however.

Anonymous

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81280.html

pupmom

Priceless, Sunny! And exactly WHEN will we see one of those "good" days? ROFL!

gardengumby

Sheesh - stay away from my computer for a couple days and MAN - what a bunch of stuff happens....

Blue - so sorry I missed the pictures of your daughter - I bet they were spectacular.

Kad - the "can't post messages too close together"  I get that message all the time.  I believe you cannot post messages closer than 1 minute.  Anyway, just wait a few seconds and press enter again and it'll go.

Alexandria - wind power and birds is really not a worry.  Any bird that couldn't avoid one of the wind generators is a pretty poor specimen of a bird.  We (well, really my husband) raised racing pigeons for years and years and years.  Some of the pigeon flyers were concerned about the wind generators, but after seeing them, we just laughed.  The blades do not move NEARLY fast enough to cause an issue for any birds.  I think whoever started that particular "worry" was simply attempting to get animal lovers to take the side against wind power.  We don't have any windmill farms on this side of Washington - but there is a huge one just north of Yakima.  We pass through there quite often.  I love watching them.  I've never had any bad effects, Pip, though it may be that you're sensitive to electricity.

I'm glad conservatives started their own thread.  Maybe that will make them happy - naaahhhhh - but at least maybe they'll stay away from this one?  Naaahhhh - that probably won't happen either.  ahhhhh wellll.

QuinnCat

Yorkie - as coniferous species go, Giant Sequoias have a high resistence to insects, disease and fire damage.  The largest groves are encompassed by the National Park (no logging) and I've worked on fires in Southern California (their range is limited to the Southern Sierras) where special measures are taken to protect groves in the National Forests (they are not logged under any circumstance).  On the other hand, I think bad air quality, climate change (increased temperatures) have changed the ecosystem faster than any species on this earth can adapt, so no telling what fate any of us, plant or animal, on this planet has in the near future.

Wabbit

The birthday fairy strikes again ... hope you have a day as wonderful as you are Bren!

pupmom

Kam, thanks for the info. I saw them years ago and was in complete awe. I know loggers were trying to get permission to cut them down during Dimson's reign of terror. Thank goodness enough people got involved to stop THAT madness. Glad they have a good shot at survival, overall. As you say, climate change is going to impact all species, and, except for insects, generally for the worse.

gardengumby

And ragweed - don't forget ragweed - it's just getting bigger and bigger.... 

pupmom

Poison ivy too, ugh.