Due to battery cost reductions and new battery technology that can provide a 200 mile recharge in 5 minutes expanding driving range EV's are becoming cheaper to buy than combustible engine alternatives not to mention cheaper to maintain.
I've built 7 small hydro/solar alternative energy projects as a proof of concept because I've always dreamed, even as a kid in the 1960s, of being independent. I'm almost there but I can also power as many as 3,500 homes.
To me the next advance should be community based alternative energy. You can build a solar project on less than 3 acres that can power 100 homes. A "Run-of-River" hydro project can do the same and is not only environmentally friendly is even cheaper than solar.
With energy tax credits that were supposed to be phased out as early as 2011 Democrats have fought successfully to keep them available despite Republican opposition you can realize rapid investment pay-back and enjoy near free carbon free energy for decades.
The biggest obstacle to community based alternative energy are the big utilities who have coerced legislatures all over the country to protect their investments in mass energy production using fossil fuel based plants.
The way I ended up getting around them was working with an old FDR "New Deal" group that still exists, "Rural Electric Cooperatives". There are still around 950 of them around and they control around 50% of the nations electric grid.
It was the responsibility of the developed world to figure out how to live a middle class life with a smaller carbon footprint so that the developing world wouldn't make the same mistakes as us. We failed.
It’s always so much fun to have a moose walk across the road --the road covered with black ice—right in front of you.
The winter after I moved from Anchorage to San Antonio, I kept startling as I drove down the highway. You know, driving on autopilot and suddenly your brain starts warning you of something. It took me a while to figure it out. Along the road were a bunch of low trees and bushes with no leaves and now and then a cedar mixed in. The cedar looked dark. Like a moose on the edge of the road looked. Took me all winter to convince my brain I didn’t have to worry about moose anymore.
Now that Biden is already Truman and we are on the way to America again do yourself a solid and dig up his VP shoot for The Onion ... Trans Am !!! THIS IS ALL TIME STUFF, good as it gets and starring our Uncle Joe!!!
I built my first solar water heater in 1971, worked so well we had to replace with higher quality pipes. Montly Cost? zero ... times 50 years now and of course had them on all my boats for the last 40 at least ... filthy trash Chevron bought up the patents for great solutions and buried them like the scummy excrement they are.
I'm listed on two patents, on a team each time ... patent two sheets of plywood, a roll of mylar and some pipe and faucets??? hokay einstein ... gee, I wonder why it didn't make billions lol ... oh jfc, wait a minute, you deplorables thought it would take PV? wow vulgarians are so dumb, no, the mylar reflects on the pipe and the water gets stored by the pressure copernicus ... jfc
I'd be interested in plans and specs for something like that. Marketing those might be more profitable than the patents.
My home and properties are 100% "off-grid", energy, water, sewage, garbage/trash and most of the food. It's a modern home not a cabin in the wilderness. I built everything as a proof of concept using a lot of upgraded ancient and old technology for water collection and heating and cooling but water heating isn't one of them. Since I have plenty of free power the water heating is standard electrical but I wouldn't mind changing that.
Back in the seventies we just used plywood, black paint, mylar and pipe ... that water will be very very very hot ... storing it is easy, nature provides for that when you set up the tank and voila ... now, that should cost about five bucks, looks like you can get a new version for a hundred bucks in China these days ... https://www.alibaba.com/pla...
Based on the cost alone, electric beats fossil fuels hands down. Electric motors are way more efficient than internal combustion. My all electric costs 1/3 per mile compared to gasoline. If the generation is so dirty the cost would be higher. I also have a solar array that provides most of my needs. Still, at 10-15 cents a kW electric is way cheaper than gas.
Due to battery cost reductions and new battery technology that can provide a 200 mile recharge in 5 minutes expanding driving range EV's are becoming cheaper to buy than combustible engine alternatives not to mention cheaper to maintain.
I've built 7 small hydro/solar alternative energy projects as a proof of concept because I've always dreamed, even as a kid in the 1960s, of being independent. I'm almost there but I can also power as many as 3,500 homes.
To me the next advance should be community based alternative energy. You can build a solar project on less than 3 acres that can power 100 homes. A "Run-of-River" hydro project can do the same and is not only environmentally friendly is even cheaper than solar.
With energy tax credits that were supposed to be phased out as early as 2011 Democrats have fought successfully to keep them available despite Republican opposition you can realize rapid investment pay-back and enjoy near free carbon free energy for decades.
The biggest obstacle to community based alternative energy are the big utilities who have coerced legislatures all over the country to protect their investments in mass energy production using fossil fuel based plants.
The way I ended up getting around them was working with an old FDR "New Deal" group that still exists, "Rural Electric Cooperatives". There are still around 950 of them around and they control around 50% of the nations electric grid.
I see they left out Norway which is 100% hydro based energy for the entire country.
That is so stupid.
All good. Let the infernal combustion engine die.
It was the responsibility of the developed world to figure out how to live a middle class life with a smaller carbon footprint so that the developing world wouldn't make the same mistakes as us. We failed.
It’s always so much fun to have a moose walk across the road --the road covered with black ice—right in front of you.
The winter after I moved from Anchorage to San Antonio, I kept startling as I drove down the highway. You know, driving on autopilot and suddenly your brain starts warning you of something. It took me a while to figure it out. Along the road were a bunch of low trees and bushes with no leaves and now and then a cedar mixed in. The cedar looked dark. Like a moose on the edge of the road looked. Took me all winter to convince my brain I didn’t have to worry about moose anymore.
Also Devin Nunes's cows. I hear he has lots of them, and they fart.
Now that Biden is already Truman and we are on the way to America again do yourself a solid and dig up his VP shoot for The Onion ... Trans Am !!! THIS IS ALL TIME STUFF, good as it gets and starring our Uncle Joe!!!
I built my first solar water heater in 1971, worked so well we had to replace with higher quality pipes. Montly Cost? zero ... times 50 years now and of course had them on all my boats for the last 40 at least ... filthy trash Chevron bought up the patents for great solutions and buried them like the scummy excrement they are.
The parents would have expired by now. Plus the Patent Office should have the applications.
I'm listed on two patents, on a team each time ... patent two sheets of plywood, a roll of mylar and some pipe and faucets??? hokay einstein ... gee, I wonder why it didn't make billions lol ... oh jfc, wait a minute, you deplorables thought it would take PV? wow vulgarians are so dumb, no, the mylar reflects on the pipe and the water gets stored by the pressure copernicus ... jfc
I'm on my second Prius. My mom is on her third.
I'd be interested in plans and specs for something like that. Marketing those might be more profitable than the patents.
My home and properties are 100% "off-grid", energy, water, sewage, garbage/trash and most of the food. It's a modern home not a cabin in the wilderness. I built everything as a proof of concept using a lot of upgraded ancient and old technology for water collection and heating and cooling but water heating isn't one of them. Since I have plenty of free power the water heating is standard electrical but I wouldn't mind changing that.
Back in the seventies we just used plywood, black paint, mylar and pipe ... that water will be very very very hot ... storing it is easy, nature provides for that when you set up the tank and voila ... now, that should cost about five bucks, looks like you can get a new version for a hundred bucks in China these days ... https://www.alibaba.com/pla...
Based on the cost alone, electric beats fossil fuels hands down. Electric motors are way more efficient than internal combustion. My all electric costs 1/3 per mile compared to gasoline. If the generation is so dirty the cost would be higher. I also have a solar array that provides most of my needs. Still, at 10-15 cents a kW electric is way cheaper than gas.
Washington DC was built in a swamp/