Expanding the Electricity Grid May Be a Mistake 412
Posted
by
kdawson
from the big-systems-thinking-needed dept.
from the big-systems-thinking-needed dept.
Perhaps T. Boone Pickens was onto something. Al writes "An article in Technology Review argues that plans to string new high-voltage lines across the US to bring wind power from the midsection of the country to the coasts, could be an expensive mistake. What's needed instead are improved local and regional electricity transmission, the development of an efficient and adaptable smart grid, and the demonstration of technology such as carbon capture and sequestration, which could prove a cheaper way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions than transmitting power from North Dakota to New York City."
Made a quick template for you (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Problem with wind and solar? (Score:5, Funny)
Hopefully the drag from all those windmills will slow the earth's rotation enough to eliminate those damnable leap years.
Re:Carbon capture and sequestration (Score:5, Funny)
I agree - mod parent up.
You know what we should do? We should go ahead and continue to extract carbon from the bowels of the earth, pulverize it and shoot it into the atmosphere. That just makes economic sense. But then - you're going to like this - we go chase down all the carbon in the sky, catch it, and put it under the rug.
Re:Made a quick template for you (Score:5, Funny)
Yep, seems to work.
Re:Problem with wind and solar? (Score:5, Funny)
Hopefully the drag from all those windmills will slow the earth's rotation enough to eliminate those damnable leap years.
Pff...what if they're facing the other way? Hmm? Wouldn't that speed up the earth?
Re:Made a quick template for you (Score:3, Funny)
Nice going.
My boss read your post, thought this was a great idea, and now we have to implement it.
Re:This is the FAILURE of science education (Score:1, Funny)
Thank the lord for the magic buckets that scoop water out of the oceans and dumps it out on the mountains so that we can have hydroelectric power.
Oh wait, the sun does that. Nice job being all ranty though.
Re:Problem with wind and solar? (Score:2, Funny)
WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!
Re:DC power line is the only economical way (Score:5, Funny)
Arguments against DC power lines is based on ignorance.
Québec and Manitoba have big power lines and they save tons of money. The cost of the converters on both ends is offset by the lower cost of the power lines. DC power lines have less loss and only need 2 wires instead of three. You don't have the inductive losses in DC lines. When the line exceeds 1000km the savings are huge.
Ha! I knew you were a Canadian sympathizer, Edison! Take you direct current and go back to Canada!
Sincerly,
N. Tesla