Renewable Energy

[kipin]

If you think people should change because they like that warm fuzzy feeling you should look into game theory.

People's actions speak much, MUCH louder than words.

Edit: I do agree that some people will find some level of utility knowing that they are "saving the earth", but the majority of people do not feel this way, and instead speak with their wallets.

[xorbie]

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If you think people should change because they like that warm fuzzy feeling you should look into game theory.

People's actions speak much, MUCH louder than words.

Edit: I do agree that some people will find some level of utility knowing that they are "saving the earth", but the majority of people do not feel this way, and instead speak with their wallets.

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Yes, people almost uniformly suck in this regard. That this is our preference says something quite negative, that's simply my point.

[kipin]

There is no doubt in my mind that humans will cause the destruction of the earth, (well OK, a meteor could hit tomorrow) but each individual has such a small contribution to that happening, that it is nearly (probably entirely) impossible to provide an incentive great enough for the 6 billion inhabitants of the earth to change their ways.

Sure we could go back to the stone age, and burn no fossil fuels, but not many people are willing to give up their lifestyle that goes along with the dependence on fossil fuels.

Humans are self-interested, and very myopic, and also quite hypocritical.

I fail to see any way to solve the problem when someone like John Travolta, a proponent of "ending global warming" has five private jets that burn a tremendous amount of fossil fuels, and have a large carbon footprint. If he is really so serious about ending the problem, he wouldn't be telling others what to do, and would instead lead with his actions. Source

Al Gore has no support of mine for the same reasons. His private estate, uses enough electricity to power 20 "average" homes. Source

The whole global warming debate to me seems like a huge case of "do as I say, not as I do".

It really is too bad humanity is so intent on destroying itself, but I don't really see any good solutions to the problem. The only possible solution I see is economic solutions that will develop over time. But those take time to develop and prosper, and they don't exactly carry the same touchy-feely weight that "GO GREEN!" does.

[BCPVP]

The Rocky Mountain Institute seems to put out some good stuff on this issue. I like that they emphasize making these changes profitable and (for the most part) voluntary as opposed to the same old, top-down Soviet-style we hear from other global-warming groups. Check out this video on super efficient building designs. It's a bit self-congratulatory imo, but the stuff they're doing to save money in various ways is pretty interesting.

[marchron]

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And the thing that pisses me off the most is paying $3.50 a gallon for gas, while Exxon/Mobile post record profits each month.

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How dare they.

[jws43yale]

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And the thing that pisses me off the most is paying $3.50 a gallon for gas, while Exxon/Mobile post record profits each month.

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How dare they.

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What pisses me off if you think cheap gasoline is a right, when you pay more for bottled water that hasn't been pumped out of tiny pores in concrete density rock 2 miles underground. Come to think of it, Apple has much higher profit margins than Exxon/Mobil and no one thinks they are getting ripped off.

[kipin]

Well there is a reason why I don't buy Apple products. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Yads]

The problem with wind and solar energy is it's just not reliable. This is why most jurisdictions have a cap for how much power can be produced from wind and solar power. Also a great majority of power plants run on coal or natural gas not oil.

[microbet]

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The problem with wind and solar energy is it's just not reliable. This is why most jurisdictions have a cap for how much power can be produced from wind and solar power. Also a great majority of power plants run on coal or natural gas not oil.

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Solar PV is EXTREMELY reliable. EXTREMELY. The first modern PV cell manufactured at Bell labs in 1954 still works. New modules are warrantied for 25 years and will work for much longer. They require little or no maintenance.

The reliability issue with solar is muddled with solar hot water heaters which are reliable if they are will made and installed, but many of those systems have been of very poor quality.

[mbillie1]

step 1: kick all the cubans out of cuba, confiscate island

step 2: build enough nuclear power plants to power everything except cars, planes, etc

step 3: dump nuclear waste on cuba, buried underground, etc

problem solved

get ready cuba.