OgreMkV
Posts: 3668
Joined: Oct. 2009
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| Quote (midwifetoad @ Sep. 11 2012,18:46) | Every technology seems to have its enemies. Wind turbines are ugly and kill birds. Everyone wants them but not nearby.
Personally I'm interested in thorium. China seems to be going in that direction. I assume we'll be buying their reactors in ten years.
My point is that opposition to solutions comes from so many directions. I don't think it coincides with the antievolution crowd. |
No, the opposition to clean tech comes from oil companies. And it's not that it's because they don't have a piece of the pie. I have heard, but not confirmed, that at least one biofuel company was bought by a major oil company and then shut down.
As to the bird kills, every research article I can find on that subject points to one site, using old turbines that spin a higher rates of speed, causing a FEW bird deaths. According to the report, cats killed more birds in the US than wind turbines. http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Environmental-Impacts-Wind-Energy-Projects/11935
Thorium is a neat tech, if it works. The problem, again, isn't so much technology as political will. It can take 8 years or more to get a new plant approved, then another 4 years or so to build the facility.
Basically, the cost to build one 3 gigawatt nuclear plant (not Thorium), would build almost 10 gigawatts of wind power. even assuming a 25% availability factor, the wind still wins because it can be online in a year, while the nuclear plant will take 8-12 years to be built. Pollution from the alternate power source (until the new plant is built) is much, much lower with wind.
I'm not saying I don't want nukes. I agree that it will take a variety of methods. But if I have to push wind to get anything done, then I'll do it.
And yes, everyone has the NIMBY issue. I'm one of the few who thinks turbines are awe-inspiring.
Sorry, I'm going beyond your intentions, but I see so much mis-information that I try to correct it when it crops up.
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Ignored by those who can't provide evidence for their claims.
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