Water Power
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Having grown up on the ocean, in Virginia Beach, and done some surfing and windsurfing in high school and college, I can appreciate the tremendous power of the ocean. It only takes a couple of falls in rough water to bring some serious respect for the sheer force that the ocean can develop.
So why doesn't the US government want to harness that power? According to this report, The government isn't interested in generating electricity from the ocean. And it's power that's in the $0.07 to $0.10/kw range, comparable with other technologies we use today. And with a relatively small investment, a few million dollars. Unlike the $88 million pact the DOE is entering with GE. A couple million in ocean power might generate some hydrogen they can use.
Heck, California with it's long coastlines and blackout issues should be going it alone and giving a few of these are try. With few severe storms, they could hook one of these up off the coast of Carlsbad in Southern California, right where I used to live. There's a power plant on the ocean there and no harbour nearby. Put one out there, run a cable in, we could surf inside of the barrels and generate a little extra power.
I don't want to move backwards with technology, and I certainly don't want to use less electricity. I like my computers 🙂
But I would like to find better ways to generate electricity. I've considered putting up a small windmill next to the house. We get lots of wind and maybe I could generate some small amount of electricity, enough to offset the burning of a bit of gas or coal each year.
Having worked in the electricity industry at one point, I came to the conclusion that the way to become a lot more efficient is with more, smaller plants. Cogen plants with industry, a blend of technologies, and the movement of generation as close to the consumption as possible. Mini plants in each house, on each block, in each grid station, just to offset things a bit.
I still like nuclear, just not sure I want a breeder reactor in the basement.
Steve Jones
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I got my undergraduate in Environmental Science and used to regulate a lot of these industries. Government is real good at squashing the little guy, but can never seem to deal with the larger companies.
Anyway, one plant I became intimately familiar with was a Co-Generation plant - wood chips from a logging industry. It was fantastic! Two potential problems solved - waste product turning into energy and the waste from that put back into the ground to help grow more trees. Obviously, the 2nd law of thermodynamics does mean that inevitably, some of the waste remained waste, but this was a great solution, nonetheless.
My guess would be lobbying groups who do in fact want to go backwards in time and some who even think we "humans" are the problem would block this... I do not know what such a device would like viewing it from land, but that may be a factor as well.
I have a sister who lives in Carlsbad and fights this plant all the time for air pollutants - it is funny having a part-time activist tell me all about environmentalism.
She does get only the "we're all gonna die" side of many of the issues... With gas going up, (hmmmm...., more production from Iraq, Sudan trying to be our buddies now, but gas going up - crazy. Maybe Congress will do a "study" and two years from now we will find out nothing) we need to start looking for alternative sources.
Wind is good, but those wind mills are not always the prettiest landscape. Solar looks to have lots of potential, but that is free, so the energy companies sure don't want that pursued. Can you imagine Congress taxing you on the amount of sunlight you use? We would be "wasting" that resource as well. Alaska has sunlight 24 hour days! Man, they waste huge quantities of sunlight!
Bush pushed Hydrogen in his State of the Union a couple of years ago. Although I do not think his oil buddies, (don't misunderstand, I am glad Bush was re-elected) would go for that though...., cause they are too involved with these darn gas prices going up....
I wasn't born stupid - I had to study.
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I live in the Channel Islands, a small group of islands between France and England and here, tidal energy is picking up speed. Its much more sustainable, predictable with little to no visual pollution as all the generators sit at the bottom of the sea.
Alderney (one of the smaller islands pop approx 2000) aims to have all their energy needs met by tidal in approximately 5 years, if the current test program is a success.
Their next aim is to sell on to the rest of Europe. Thats interesting because Guernsey recently started piping power from France, where nuclear reigns. It would be nice to turn the tables and start selling them tidal energy!
We will be going to zero tax for businesses and the budget in 2008 looks like being in the red for the first time during this and the last century....yet selling energy thats effectively free(after the initial outlay), with just a little time and effort,is not even on the States (local government) stop gap measures. I see a bleak future as individuals are taxed and then industry is forced to raise wages(the biggest cost in most organisations), pricing themselves out of the very markets they wish to compete in.
Go for water power. Like solar, once the initial outlay is there, you're laughing....
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Still think we need to figure out how to harness the energy of 8 year old boys.
Russ
Russel Loski, MCSE Business Intelligence, Data Platform
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Why not convert deisel engines over in power plants to run off vegetable oil. They can do it with cars and again another waste not want not situation. The government is to self important to care about anything other than what helps their pocket and those of their friends. So next time vote all new folks in and see if they get the picture.
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I read an article recently called Silicon Shortage Stalls Solar. Here is a link: http://www.wired.com/news/planet/0,2782,67013,00.html. Basically it's a combination of the computer industry buying up all the silicon in bulk and the government(s) not providing incentives for solar power usage. So, the masses continue to use the cheapest option...
[font="Tahoma"]Bryant E. Byrd, BSSE MCDBA MCAD[/font]
Business Intelligence Administrator
MSBI Administration Blog -
The next generation nuclear plant will be something of the design called a pebble bed reactor. Here is a link...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_bed_reactor
The coerciveness of salt and the difficulty of dealing with biological organisms that foster around energy sources give ocean power its technical difficulties.
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I lived in CA for many years and was delighted to see alternate options such as geothermal, wind, and sun being utilized and explored. There are some truly great ideas floating around and I too believe that we could extend them far beyond what we use today. I have to believe that there are too many other political interests fighting against this and that is why they are not proceeding but, who am I?...!?
Great editorial! Thanks!
David
@SQLTentmaker“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” - Jim Elliot
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Most alternative sources have grossly insufficent power densities or are way to expensive. Not an answer that people want to here but one that any competent engineer will tell you. Doing cogen, solar, geo, wind are great, but have essentially 0 contribution to the total amount of energy used. The only choices for the future are coal and nuclear. If you're an educated (vs touch-feely) environmentalist you will pick nuclear in a heart beat.
p.s. hydrogen is an energy storage technique, not an energy source
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I'll be one of the 1st to sign up for a nuclear reactor in the basement.
If you live in an area that can take advantage of some of these alternate technologies, thats great, but lots of us don't.
We can't use solar as its too cloudy, we can't use wind as it is calm too often, I live in the middle of the US so ocean power is out...
I think if we stopped making these idiotic nuclear fear movies and tv shows and had some real portrayals, this would help as well.
People in general are ignorant about the truths of these matters and somehow this needs to be corrected.
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Preamble: I too studied environmental studies at UNI. and saw that all I was going to be able to do is point my finger(s) after the fact. So I found gainful employment in literally high-speed linear motor operation.
So here goes the finger pointing (spelling and grammer aside):
We are just a small part of this planet's biosphere, to think we can turn it into one big park is rediculous. These computers, the internet, and all that goes into keeping it running in some cases keep people alive, and when you allow for less reliable technologies for constant electrical output to have a greater percentage of the production power, lives will be lost. Would you like it when your in the middle of surgery or landing on the runway and they say well its not windy enough or its too cloudy for us to keep the lights on or power the infrastructure you need to complete the task at hand. Now that said, geo-thermal will cover most heating/ac costs and better / cheaper electrostatic precipitators will scrub the pollutants from the manufacturing (maybe auto) process. I'm sure when gas prices hit five dollars a litre auto congestion will really sort it self out. But remember the police, fire dept's, ambulances use those roads (tar refined from oil / tar sands) and gas as well. Sorry, but I say leave the tides to the moon and surfers, and stick to centralised sort of nonrewable conventional production stations.
Though I'm sure what any of this has to do with SQL its a nice change of pace. (I take that last statement back ... Im not SMRT enough to read the forum title.)
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Thanks for the insights and teaching! (My degree was NC State - not touchy-feely, even with many goofy academicians being touchy-feely). Co-gen is still good. If it weren't for some of these plants, useful stuff would go to waste.
I also agree with you about nuclear. We kind of love to scare ourselves about ourselves. So much "wrong" environmentalism is out there, (and taught to our kids), that some of these things may take a generation or two to swing back to the truth.
I did a study on coal years ago, (it is hard to remember, but it dealt with the high temperatures and liquification...), but there are still serious problems with mining it. It does rain, and run-off can be really damaging. There are better methods of mining these days, but the expense is growing...
I appreciate the hydrogen comment. Well stated....
(btw - this particular forum is about anything but SQL... its nice to have a life outside of work...
)I wasn't born stupid - I had to study.
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I paid US$2.43 for a gallon of gas today, predicted to rise to US$3.00 by the end of summer. I realize that this is low compared to what a lot of Europeans pay, but it's still not a good sign. Gas prices are based on gas futures, so things aren't looking to good.
Renewable energy resources; that's the buzz. I never even thought of harnessing the tides, but that sounds like a for sure winner, at least for costal regions.
Micro-grids are becoming more popular as well. the P2P of energy, if you will; small communities producing power in a number of ways and sharing it. Basically the current US energy grid design, only more localized and decentralized.
Good editorial, Steve.
cl
Signature is NULL
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Steve,
I also lived in Virginia Beach, VA and San Diego, CA! How about we harness all the hot air from the politicians in Wash D.C., we should be able to power half the country from all the hot air they put out!
Just a thought...
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Steve,
I hadn't considered harnessing ocean tides for energy, but what a fabulous idea.
Unfortunately, major energy companies don't appear to be interested in investing in this or other alternative, more environmentally friendly sources. After all, why invest in something that might provide later generations with energy sources when you can milk the poor consumer at $100+ per barrel of oil and rake in immense short term profits?
What I'd like to see is a grassroots movement to invest in the development of technology to promote this. Any ideas / sources?
Ed
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