tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post8476530883138715261..comments2024-03-28T17:53:43.541-04:00Comments on DarwinCatholic: It's Called a Market, Mr. GoreDarwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08572976822786862149noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-49642683442665211502008-07-23T17:52:00.000-04:002008-07-23T17:52:00.000-04:00Great post. I can't believe Gore has the nerve to...Great post. I can't believe Gore has the nerve to live in that sort of house and still claim he cares about the environment. He's a scam artist as far as I can tell, doing all of this for political and monetary gain.<BR/><BR/>Personally, I'm with you on the question of nuclear power. I don't see any other way.<BR/><BR/>Once again, though--great post. Great blog.<BR/><BR/>Cheers!E.D. Kainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07883664120993134334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-63635848837679560562008-07-22T16:01:00.000-04:002008-07-22T16:01:00.000-04:00Nuclear is much more practical and reliable. The ...Nuclear is much more practical and reliable. The average nuke plant is in the ballaprk of 1200 MW and runs at near 100% capacity factor (meaning its churning out those MWs nearly 24/7). The average capacity factor for wind is less than 35%, meaning you're really only getting 1/3 the production out of wind as you are from nuclear, not to mention that you'd have to build a HUGE wind farm to get 1200 MWs of capacity.<BR/><BR/>But as gung-ho as I am about nuclear, and I think the tide is turning in its favor, zero plants will be opening in ten years. It takes a long time for nuke plants to be designed, approved, permitted, and then built. We probably will get some new plants on-line in 11-12 years, but only a few at first, and I'm not sure how many in the longer-term.<BR/><BR/>The problem with nuclear is cost. The costs to build new nuke plants are astonomical. I've seen estimates putting it in the 10-15 BILLION dollar range. Your biggest investor-owned utilities (like Duke) have market capitalization values barely double that. So even if the barriers to new building are removed, it's unlikley that we're going to get a lot of new nuke capacity even within 20-30 years.<BR/><BR/>As for renewables - keep dreaming. Not only are certain parts of the problem not really renewable friendly, there's the whole problem with re-wiring the transmission grid for all this new renewable capacity. <BR/><BR/>Long story short, Gore's proposal is absurd. That's not to say that we must rest on our laurels and do nothing. Some areas of the country are quite well suited for an expansion in renewable capacity. But even reaching 20% with renewables within 10 years is something of a long-shot, let alone 100%.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-13162511845552857342008-07-22T12:17:00.000-04:002008-07-22T12:17:00.000-04:00So, nuclear is "green" now. Does anybody remember ...So, nuclear is "green" now. Does anybody remember the days when it wasn't. All the aging hippies in Takoma Park, Maryland, who are organizing for this (in what's designated a "nuclear-free zone") were the same yokels who were packing their bags to evacuate thirty years ago when Three-Mile Island threatened to melt-down from upwind.<BR/><BR/>This whole discussion gets weirder by the minute. Except for you, Darwin, you totally "get it."David L Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13871706129906941567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-345865660942155542008-07-21T17:31:00.000-04:002008-07-21T17:31:00.000-04:00Maybe not "invented", but "created" is certainly c...Maybe not "invented", but "created" is certainly close:<BR/><BR/><EM>"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet."</EM><BR/><BR/>Al Gore to Wolf Blitzer<BR/>9 March 1999<BR/><BR/>http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/03/09/president.2000/transcript.gore/Pro Ecclesiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814831624547392519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-62439390212737823142008-07-21T16:48:00.000-04:002008-07-21T16:48:00.000-04:00Gore doesn't want to list nuclear energy as one of...Gore doesn't want to list nuclear energy as one of the sources that needs to be expanded, but he knows, as everyone else knows, that it will be the primary base-load energy source in the foreseeable future. Wind power will expand, but will always be a niche source since most places just don't have strong winds on a steady basis. Hydro is already pretty much maxed out, at least in the US.<BR/><BR/>Solar is where the greatest growth will be seen. The cost of PV panels is falling, and will most likely become competitive with coal in 5-10 years. After that, solar will be HUGE, and not just in the southwest.<BR/><BR/>Basically, in Gore's comments here he is following his usual practise of being fundamentally correct while still embellising some details.<BR/><BR/>Joel<BR/><BR/>P.S. In the late 80's Congressman Gore sponsored the Gore Bill, which made the DARPAnet available to the public.<BR/><BR/>Can anyone cite a source quoting Gore claiming to have "invented" the internet? I don't believe he ever said that word, though I'm willing to be convinced otherwise if someone can cite a reliable source (i.e., not Limbaugh or Conservapedia).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-67304999906998025772008-07-21T13:40:00.000-04:002008-07-21T13:40:00.000-04:00Great post, Darwin!The problem I have with the "gr...Great post, Darwin!<BR/><BR/>The problem I have with the "green energy" debate is that it's still <B>alternative </B>energy compared to fossil fuels because fossil fuel is still cheaper - even when oil is $140 + per barrel!<BR/><BR/>Yes, many states have the option to switch to green alternatives (my own state of NY included), but doing so costs a premium. If Mr. Gore wants the country to switch its energy source, he will have to wait until it becomes more affordable to do so. But then, maybe that's part of the reason the Democrats in the senate refuse to consider domestic drilling or other solutions to the energy crunch. Wind and solar are great ideas, but still fall short of being practical at today's prices and demand for energy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-78060622775871220322008-07-21T12:37:00.000-04:002008-07-21T12:37:00.000-04:00Al Gore's electricity in Nashville comes from TVA....Al Gore's electricity in Nashville comes from TVA. There is an option to pay a premium on your usage to fund the development of "green energy." When Gore says all of his energy is green, it is this program that he is referring to. <BR/><BR/>His statement is a bit misleading. The program does not guarantee that your energy amount comes from green sources, you are just helping to fund the development of green sources. It is a slight difference, but worth noting. It cannot be anything else because there are no other power companies in town.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-54371374932347481232008-07-21T12:11:00.000-04:002008-07-21T12:11:00.000-04:00What nerve you have, Darwin. Using the Internet t...What nerve you have, Darwin. Using the Internet to criticize the very person who invented it. I've seen it all now. Next thing ya know, you'll be saying AlGore's yummy Kool-Aid is unfit for consumption.Rick Lugarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16957595491409017184noreply@blogger.com