Modern Energy Sources

[DonFox]

The growing demand for energy has led to a greater usage of renewable source of energy. Traditionally this demand has been met by fossil fuels. With the rising prices and depleting supply of the fossil fuels, the world is slowly shifting to other sources of energy. The renewable energy sources are known for its unlimited availability and lesser costs. Once the initial costs of installing a renewable energy plant is covered, the energy can be highly profitable.
Today the renewable energy technologies like the wind, solar and the tidal energy produces nearly 1% of the total world energy. This is less compared to the potential present in these sources. These energy sources are capable of providing far more energy than is currently available from all traditional sources.
World energy research is dedicated to promote the renewable energy usage and help people understand the huge advantages present in the sector. One of the key challenges faced by the organization in doing so is making the cost of clean energy more directly competitive with traditional fossil fuel generated energy, besides the environmental benefits.

[AJs Human]

DonFox: Perhaps this is a very touchy subject. The science behind global "warming" is so flawed, the verbage has been changed to "climate change." Just ask the farmers in the midwest for the past 10 years. The planet is in a cooling phase right now due to inactivity by the sun and planetary placement with regard to the sun. Check the temperature stats over the past 60 years and you will see the cycle for yourself.
I have no beef with "clean" energy, but consider this: What goes into the manufacture of necessary facilities to "create" clean energy? (plastics, petroleum products, strip-mined metals, etc) How many jobs are lost by the installation? (thousands) What is the footprint on the environment from adding man-made objects to areas that are not designed for them? (Tidal energy: destroys a very delicate under-sea eco-system by implanting large objects that block the natural ebb and flow of the water as well as the sunlight needed to grow aquatic plants, which will create more, larger and longer-lasting "dead zones" such as those experienced along Central Oregon Coast in Summer 2006. Solar farms: drive through Kramer Junction east of Boron, CA and see for yourself the damage done here. There are acres and acres of solar panels blocking the sun from reaching the desert floor. The natural desert floor is far from dead. Most of those solar panels displaced desert tortoises, which, by the way, are endangered and becoming rarer each year. Wind farms: go to the Tehachapi Mountains west of California City or along I-10 out toward Indio. Birds are killed by the blades, they have to be maintained by driving onto previously wild areas and they are just plain ugly. These monstrosities are cropping up everywhere you look.)
We are currently sitting on the largest crude reserve ever discovered and there is more coal in the Appalachians than we could use in a hundred years. Check it out for yourself. We now know how to harvest oil and coal without damaging eco-systems, then use it in ways that are more efficient and cleaner than ever before. My truck is a fine example. The EGR system built into the exhaust has what I lovingly call the "garbage can" system. Particulate material is trapped in a primary filter and burned off periodically by an injection of diesel. A secondary filter traps any ash that's left over and what comes out of my exhaust pipe, while extremely hot, is 90% cleaner than anything coming out of the tail pipe of a gasoline powered vehicle. The primary filter gets manually cleaned periodically and the secondary filter is replaced. Materials from the secondary filter are recycled. Also, there is no mercury or platinum being dumped into land fills, as is the case with caltalytic converters.
There are fuel systems being developed (and some are working) that use Hydrogen power and give off water vapor as exhaust. Will we outlaw water vapor next? It is actually the largest proportion by far of any "greenhouse gas" emitted into the atmosphere. Where does all the taxing and regulation stop? After all, that's what this is really all about. "Cap and Trade" is not even supported for the purpose of Carbon Dioxide by its authors! It was written for actual pollutants such as formaldehyde and sulfur. It's now a regulatory and taxation tool being used to send jobs overseas to nations who don't care about pollution and do a horrible job of cleaning up their industry. The USA has, by far, the cleanest industry in the world. Yes, we even beat Europe. Check their stats for the coal-fired electric producers. Problem is, we can't afford to buy our own products because they are too expensive. Mostly due to heavy taxation.
The way the Guv'mint makes the playing field even is by taxing those industries it does not like and unfairly giving tax breaks to industries it does.
For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. And, boy, are we seeing it today!

Cheers

[nobarkus]

Well said AJs Human.
DonFox you may want to see this.

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/annmcelhinney/2009/10/11/al-gore-the-death-of-journalism/

[AJs Human]

Nobarkus, do you remember the ballyhoo over the "Hole in the Ozone Layer?" We all had to give up CFC propelled aerosols, change our vehicle paints and revamp the entire industrial sector of our economy. Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioning systems, you name it…all had to be changed. Who made a buck off that?

Now we know the ozone layer not only cycles just like every other part of nature, but is replenished with every lightening strike. I was a schoolgirl at the time and I still remember the hysteria over this. At the same time, there was a huge push to make everyone believe direct sunlight is bad for people. Newer research has shown we need direct sunlight in order for our bodies to make vitamin D, which has a great impact on bone strength and the immune system.

The point is that we have been subjected to various hysterias over time. I have become numb to most of it. I believe our friend Al Gore, among others, is in line to make tons of money over this global climate change nonsense. That's what this is really all about.

My wish in this life is to be left alone to make my own decisions with regard to my life and how I choose to live it. Unfortunately, that is unacceptable to people who crave power over others. These are interesting times, yeah?

Cheers