I don't understand how Liberals want to move to alternate fuel sources but won't allow business or government to build a stronger energy infrastructure at all. Its fairly common knowledge that this country has an outdated energy grid. In 2003, NYC along with several states and part of Canada were plunged into blackout because a transmission line in Ohio tripped off. Why in 2007 should close to 20% of our population be affected by one transmission problem?
Liberals bemoan the conservatives calling for new oil refinery's or *GASP* nuclear reactors rallying instead behind solar power, hydroelectricity and wind power. First I have looked into solar power for my house. Living in the desert south west, the costs involved (roughly $15,000 for a residential home) would take me approximately 20 years to recoup my hardware investment in solar power offsets. I don't mind delayed gratification but please. Hydro-electric power is played out in America. We have a great program here and by most estimates are at 85% capacity. Good Job!
That leaves wind turbine generation, the new de jour of alternative power grids. I have driven through Palm Springs. those monster towers are everywhere. For those that don't understand these are not Dutch windmills or like the one on Grandma's farm were talking about here. These are upwards of 500 feet tall with blades 150 feet long in groups of thousands. Thousands. California has 95% of the country's onshore wind power facilities, which all goes to their states power supply. All those generators contributed to 1.5% of the states power. Meanwhile the 5 nuclear plants in California generated over 12% of its state wide power.
While popular in rhetoric, when it comes down to legislating wind power development you can't even get liberal leaders to vote for it. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) used his considerable power in DC to withhold plans for an off shore wind plant off Marthas Vineyard and Cape Cod. I don't know why he would do so when it could not be seen from land and his nephew Robert Kennedy Jr. is such a proponent of alternative power; but suspicion has long held its because the site was on prime Kennedy sailing grounds. I think his original argument once it became public, was that the blades would endanger the birds and seagulls. Nice.
What it really comes down to is this. Right now alternative energy sources are not cheap. Individuals who want to do their part with home solar power lose money. People in regions that invest in wind power pay twice as much and sometimes more than for other power options. What environmentalists and global warming advocates are afraid to tell you is that alternative fuels equal higher taxes. They use gimmicky terms like 'caps' and 'offsets' but really what their avoiding is that if you will take the bait by hearing the sizzle, when see the fat on the bacon, its too late, you might as well eat it. If the global-warming-end-of-days people instead said "we will have to raise your taxes...a lot, for this to work" they would get a good chunk of people to say to themselves, "Hmmm, let me look at those studies again. How bad is this and just how much better can it get."
Whether its wind or solar or nuclear, lets all just try to get the damn national power system updated. Lets get it set up today to be more efficient and prepare it for tomorrow when better options present themselves and can be incorporated. It just seems so absurd. If you live in a big city you know every year you will hear the warning bells on the local news that there could be rolling brown outs because of spikes in power. In Phoenix a few years back a power station transformer blew up because it was so damn hot that summer and people were cranking the air conditioning. It turns out it took two weeks to get a used replacement because new units are cost prohibitive to have laying around the warehouse and they are shipped by slow-truck. It takes months for one to get built and put on site.
This is not to mention the absurdly lop sided cost to benefit ratio current solar or wind power projects will have on our country's power system. Litigation on water rights, protection of wildlife habitats, fights with shale coal development and our lack of gas/oil refineries all contribute to a decline in our power grid.
Something has to give on both sides. Our power grid infrastructure must be updated for the 21st century. Alternative systems need to be created and made affordable while we strengthen our current power technology programs. I see no problem with building an oil refinery today only to have it close down in 20, 50 or 100 years when it becomes obsolete. Let the conservatives cheer now and the liberals cheer later. What better way to put Big Oil out of business that to suck the resource dry.
Liberals bemoan the conservatives calling for new oil refinery's or *GASP* nuclear reactors rallying instead behind solar power, hydroelectricity and wind power. First I have looked into solar power for my house. Living in the desert south west, the costs involved (roughly $15,000 for a residential home) would take me approximately 20 years to recoup my hardware investment in solar power offsets. I don't mind delayed gratification but please. Hydro-electric power is played out in America. We have a great program here and by most estimates are at 85% capacity. Good Job!
That leaves wind turbine generation, the new de jour of alternative power grids. I have driven through Palm Springs. those monster towers are everywhere. For those that don't understand these are not Dutch windmills or like the one on Grandma's farm were talking about here. These are upwards of 500 feet tall with blades 150 feet long in groups of thousands. Thousands. California has 95% of the country's onshore wind power facilities, which all goes to their states power supply. All those generators contributed to 1.5% of the states power. Meanwhile the 5 nuclear plants in California generated over 12% of its state wide power.
While popular in rhetoric, when it comes down to legislating wind power development you can't even get liberal leaders to vote for it. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) used his considerable power in DC to withhold plans for an off shore wind plant off Marthas Vineyard and Cape Cod. I don't know why he would do so when it could not be seen from land and his nephew Robert Kennedy Jr. is such a proponent of alternative power; but suspicion has long held its because the site was on prime Kennedy sailing grounds. I think his original argument once it became public, was that the blades would endanger the birds and seagulls. Nice.
What it really comes down to is this. Right now alternative energy sources are not cheap. Individuals who want to do their part with home solar power lose money. People in regions that invest in wind power pay twice as much and sometimes more than for other power options. What environmentalists and global warming advocates are afraid to tell you is that alternative fuels equal higher taxes. They use gimmicky terms like 'caps' and 'offsets' but really what their avoiding is that if you will take the bait by hearing the sizzle, when see the fat on the bacon, its too late, you might as well eat it. If the global-warming-end-of-days people instead said "we will have to raise your taxes...a lot, for this to work" they would get a good chunk of people to say to themselves, "Hmmm, let me look at those studies again. How bad is this and just how much better can it get."
Whether its wind or solar or nuclear, lets all just try to get the damn national power system updated. Lets get it set up today to be more efficient and prepare it for tomorrow when better options present themselves and can be incorporated. It just seems so absurd. If you live in a big city you know every year you will hear the warning bells on the local news that there could be rolling brown outs because of spikes in power. In Phoenix a few years back a power station transformer blew up because it was so damn hot that summer and people were cranking the air conditioning. It turns out it took two weeks to get a used replacement because new units are cost prohibitive to have laying around the warehouse and they are shipped by slow-truck. It takes months for one to get built and put on site.
This is not to mention the absurdly lop sided cost to benefit ratio current solar or wind power projects will have on our country's power system. Litigation on water rights, protection of wildlife habitats, fights with shale coal development and our lack of gas/oil refineries all contribute to a decline in our power grid.
Something has to give on both sides. Our power grid infrastructure must be updated for the 21st century. Alternative systems need to be created and made affordable while we strengthen our current power technology programs. I see no problem with building an oil refinery today only to have it close down in 20, 50 or 100 years when it becomes obsolete. Let the conservatives cheer now and the liberals cheer later. What better way to put Big Oil out of business that to suck the resource dry.
No comments:
Post a Comment