[mdlug-discuss] [mdlug] Automotive technical info wanted (only slightly off topic)

[allen]

Garry Stahl wrote:
> I favor non-combustion electrical generation.  Be that wind, wave,
> nuclear, or hydro.  You can make H2 for fuel cells or combustion
> engines, use direct electrical, or any number of things.
>
>   
The common problem to all of the "alternative" energy sources is that 
they're power is captured by the square foot. If you do the arithmetic, 
you'll see that area requirements for photo voltaic arrays quickly get 
out of hand if you've got any ambitious plans. Matching the base 
electrical generation capacity of the US with solar cells at their peak 
power production yields area requirements that are in the tens of 
thousands of square miles.

That area won't actually replace base capacity since it doesn't include 
area loss to due to topographical features, access and minimal spacing. 
I didn't bother to figure out the capital requirements for the PV array 
since calculating that number involves a whole host of factors which I 
didn't want to bother with. The capital requirements for a base capacity 
replacement system would, of course, be higher since they'd have to 
include all the support infrastructure, maintenance, power storage, etc.

If you don't want to paper the globe fission power seems like a good 
short-medium term solution but longer range, as all those third-worlders 
ascend to higher living standards, I don't think it'll be a viable 
solution. Maybe cold fusion will allow little power generators to perk 
away in everyone's basement or power sats in orbit. Maybe the hot fusion 
guys will finally produce something other then budget requests. With 
China and India as examples, I don't think those folks are going to have 
too much patience with environmental considerations if it means putting 
off a higher standard of living.
> If oil must be had thermal depolymerization looks to be a promising
> future for our trash.  Better the oil plant than the land fill.  Yes the
> technology has a few bumps in it yet (The smell for one thing).
>
>   
> We only get one planet, so we better take care of it.  However I don't
> believe that we cannot have a high standard of living and a high
> standard of environmental responsibility at the same time. 
>   
Mother nature turns out to be a tougher broad then she's made out to be 
and humanity isn't quite as all-powerful as we're made out to be. One 
way or another, us human beings are transients and Mother Nature will be 
doing just fine long after we're gone.

Allen