Your Questions About Wind Turbines Colorado
Laura asks…
Should the brightest mind in the world be focusing on solving the pollution problems?
With all the health issue’s tied to smog and the eviromental impact from smog, Shouldn’t we be making this the highest priority to fix? Many of you may not know about the seriousness of the pollution from coal burning plants and we have solutions to fix it but it is moving slow also the burning of petroleum fuels should be fazed out the sooner the better because they just can’t be made clean. All this pollution ends up in the ditches then streams then rivers and lakes and it doesn’t have to be that way. If we have the solutions then why not move on to the future and live in a cleaner world?
admin answers:
There are many very brilliant people working on many different aspects of “green” technology. Solar energy and biofuel research has been going on since the ’70s (although poorly funded from mid ’90s till recently). There is a national lab dedicated to renewable energy in Colorado (www.nrel.gov) and other national labs like Sandia and Oak Ridge also do research related to greentech.
There is also a very large new center opening at Berkeley called the “Energy Biosciences Institute” which is partially funded by BP. Contrary to the previous response, ignoring the environment is only in the short-term interests of corporations. In the long term, even they need to be concerned about the problems that have been building, and some of those with more forsight are beginning to take the lead in putting more capital behind greentech – it is in fact, a great business opportunity.
The problem is that solving these problems isn’t like a moon-shot. We can’t put tons of resources into a single program and expect it to find “the answer” to pollution. We need renewable plastics, green chemistry, improved agriculture practices, biofuels, thin-film solar, blades for wind turbines, more efficient engines/turbines, lightweight materials, redesigned transportation infrastructure, better power grids, eco-friendly architecture, AND ways to retrofit all the fancy new stuff into our current reality.
Maria asks…
Do you think all new build houses should have solar panels fitted?
Don’t you think it would be a good idea if the Government made it compulsory to have all new build houses fitted with solar panels? If everyone had solar panels, the price of them would come right down.
What do you think?
admin answers:
No.
Simply, not every house will be a compatible match for solar.
Solar needs sunlight. If a roof surface is not in the correct 40 degree sun path facing magnetic south, then modifications have to be made to build up and angle panels so they do. This can cost more than the energy ever produced for the home. That is an unfair burden to add those costs to that homeowner. The ideal home will face south with a 40 degree pitch to the roof. Can you imagine every house from here forward with a plain gable roof all faced south?
In addition, trees could become an obstruction. Planting designs would have to eliminate any tree that would grow higher than roofline and shade the panel array. Passive solar methods like tree lines have been used for years to help summer cooling costs.
Geothermal systems are working very well in Colorado which suffers severe weather mood swings between hot and cold. A new energy efficient home built in the foot hills just proved its capabilities. The annual heating costs for this 2000 sq foot home was $34.00. Yes, $34.00 for the entire year. That system also heats the water used to bathe and shower in.
The cost of that system paid for itself in the first 2 years making this one of the best investments on the market. I say skip the stock market! Homes, including those in the City, can be designed with either a horizontal or vertical system.
Eastern Colorado is finding great success with small wind turbines making them more affordable than a typical solar panel array.
At this point, no, I don’t see this becoming a mandatory situation. But, the solar manufacturers have been supported and are working for grid autonomy meaning the panels should be as cost effective to install as hooking up to your local power. The solar industry knows it has to become more competitive. It’s very survival depends on it and we are already seeing drops in pricing.
Let me point out that Solar is still a good return on investment “for the right house”.
The energy efficiency approach is based on Best Practice. That means, one system like solar will not work as the solution for everyone. Building codes like plumbing and sanitary systems are because of safety and health reasons but they dont mandate this product or that product. Just that the products must be safety tested to meet certain standards. They do mandate that solar follow NFPA and NEC codes (National Fire Protection Association and National Electric Code) and be installed by a Master Electrician… Again for safety reasons. Geothermal be installed by a licensed Master HVAC and a Certified driller. For, you got it, safety reasons.
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