The world ran on biomass before the mid-19th century-
Biomass is not 21st century energy technology; it is closer to 18th century-
Years ago when I first began to study energy, our economy and environment, I learned that the great advances in the deployment of energy came from the discovery of the fossil fuels — […]
Continue Reading →85% of new energy can be met by more efficient use of existing generating plants-
For some time here, we have arguing against giant, new centralized power plants whether of “alternative” or traditional energy. This means that few nukes, giant wind farms, coal plants, or space-consuming solar farms are needed.
I would have missed […]
Continue Reading →A new use for the bankrupt Missoula paper mill might save jobs, but beware of “greenwashing”-
“Biomass” fuel, as it is often called, is said to be environmentally friendly and carbon neutral. It may be that way sometimes, but cutting down dead forests, hauling them off and burning them to make steam for electricity is […]
Continue Reading →Conflicting landowner positions on wind development is scrambling Wyoming politics–
If you look at a wind map of the U.S., the Laramie Mountains are perhaps the best wind area in the United States. That doesn’t mean wind gets to override property rights, however.
Landowner group tries to block wind development in Northern Laramie Range. […]
Continue Reading →It caused earthquakes!
Geothermal Project in California Is Shut Down. By James Glanz. New York Times.
The person who emailed this story to me wrote, “Boy – If you’ve ever read a geothermal EA to destroy the nearest hot springs – BLM never says anything about the earthquakes …”
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Could the use of “brownfields” reduce the conflicts over the placement of these land-expansive uses?
Contamination transformation. Contaminated sites being used to house wind farms, solar arrays and geothermal power plants. Mother Nature Network. By Jessica A. Knoblauch
It appears there is a lot of land in this category and many are near existing […]
Continue Reading →BrightSource Energy drops project in marvelous desert valley with bighorn sheep-
Disputed Solar Energy Project in California Desert Is Dropped. By Elisabeth Rosenthal. New York Times.
This had been a great Mohave Desert controversy, prompting Senator Feinstein to propose the area as a national monument instead. BrightSource says they are now looking for new […]
Continue Reading →The President visited projects done the right way-
These projects were near a load center and built on degraded land. I wonder if he thinks this is the way most Nevada projects will be, or whether he simply did a cynical PR ploy?
Obama said. “We’ll invest in the development and deployment of solar […]
Continue Reading →Europe encourages solar power in an environmentally friendly way that gives direct compensation to rooftop producers-
Europe’s Way of Encouraging Solar Power Arrives in the U.S. By Kate Galbraith. New York Times.
Continue Reading →Lucas is one of the finest environmental lawyers in the country. He understands that MASSIVE alternative energy wind and solar farms are not the answer-
We have discussed the problems with massive energy generation in remote locations with long transmission lines a lot in this forum. It’s good to see someone of Lucas’ caliber understands […]
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