Display:
The diary was getting rather long, so I left out a great many issues and details. Yes, 20% refers only to capacity. The 20% figure is a riff off of the speeches Bush gave - and Bush probably pulled 20% out of his butt hole, so I agree that 20% is a very weak goal. If I were leader of the free world, I would set a goal of 100%. At 100% of capacity right this minute, wind would provide about a third of electricity consumed - if there's no wind, or too much wind, you can't get electricity out of 'em. One of the speakers at the AWEA workshop mentioned that we can expect to get up to the mid-40s, with a theoretical upper limit of the high-40s or low-50s. The people in the wind industry are very forthright that wind is not an answer all by itself; there must be a portfolio of energy sources of which wind is only one.
by NBBooks on Wed May 14th, 2008 at 10:09:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'd like to see a combination of wind energy and encouragement for solar, especially for home use. Despite all the roadblocks in its way, the technology for that has continued to become more efficient, and there are now flat roof panels much less obtrusive than the old, sticking-up-in-air ones.

Given even a smidgen of the subsidies available to dirty technologies, solar could go a long way toward lighting a good portion of the U.S. And building all the components would, as with wind, help revitalize industries that have been sacked in recent years.

by Mnemosyne on Thu May 15th, 2008 at 12:24:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Display:
Login
. Make a new account
. Reset password
Recommended Diaries
Clipping the wings of a judge
by Migeru - Feb 10
42 comments

Sarkozy: Enemies Ahoy!
by afew - Feb 10
27 comments

Hunger March wins PR battle
by DoDo - Feb 9
3 comments

Romania: protests change government
by DoDo - Feb 8
6 comments

LQD: Unsustainable irrigation
by Melanchthon - Feb 9

Murdoch - Outsourcing and Hubris
by ceebs - Feb 3
18 comments

Obama wins GOP Primaries (to date)
by Frank Schnittger - Feb 8
9 comments

Bristol Pound
by ChrisCook - Feb 7
14 comments

Recent Diaries
Sarkozy: Enemies Ahoy!
by afew - Feb 10
27 comments

Clipping the wings of a judge
by Migeru - Feb 10
42 comments

LQD: Unsustainable irrigation
by Melanchthon - Feb 9

Hunger March wins PR battle
by DoDo - Feb 9
3 comments

Obama wins GOP Primaries (to date)
by Frank Schnittger - Feb 8
9 comments

Romania: protests change government
by DoDo - Feb 8
6 comments

Answers to the Renewable Energy Consultation
by Luis de Sousa - Feb 7

Bristol Pound
by ChrisCook - Feb 7
14 comments

The Imitation Of Germany
by afew - Feb 4
31 comments

Strange Fruit
by Frank Schnittger - Feb 4
14 comments

Murdoch - Outsourcing and Hubris
by ceebs - Feb 3
18 comments

Mismatch with the Natural Gas Market
by Luis de Sousa - Feb 3
22 comments

The Future of Economics
by ARGeezer - Feb 2
191 comments

Desert Island Discs - Helen's distortions
by Helen - Jan 31
48 comments

Gorila
by DoDo - Jan 29
14 comments

Rail News Blogging #7
by DoDo - Jan 29
15 comments

Obama's State Of The Union: LQD
by Crazy Horse - Jan 25
74 comments

Democracy Technology
by gmoke - Jan 24
1 comment

The Hydrogen dream
by Luis de Sousa - Jan 24
49 comments

ET Paris Meet-Up 2012 (2 UPDATE)
by afew - Jan 23
113 comments

More Diaries...
Occasional Series