Quote:
Originally Posted by Toughy
What happened to 'American ingenuity'? Nuclear power is the best we can come up with to frigging boil water, creating steam to run a turbine to produce electricity??????
We need a paradigm shift in how we think about energy production and distribution. Right now we operate on the idea that everyone should be hooked up to the local power plant grid and ALL the electricity for an area must be produced and distributed by the local power company. That power company is most likely a for profit corporation and they are sucking up your dollars (your energy bill) in order to make a profit. All utilities should be publicly owned and not for profit.
If every new building built had solar or wind panels on it, the amount of power needed from the grid could be reduced, significantly in many cases. A home building company here in CA has decided to put solar panels on all their new homes. How about all the acres of parking lots with cars baking in the sun? In SF, there is a parking lot with solar panels over the parking spaces..........energy created and stored, cars in the shade and asphalt not putting off 120 degree heat.We need a bit more of the 'can do' spirit instead of the 'nope, too expensive' lie.
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Yes, this is exactly the kind of BIG changes in thinking and doing we need. I think we are lied to about most of this, too. All of a sudden, after decades of cars and trucks that never got more than 12 miles a gallon, there are hybrids and second generation electric vehicles. These could have been produced 20 years ago.
Some larger SUVs are hybrids now. People can have hybrid mini-vans. Even argricultural vehicles and equipment that are gas powered get more MPG now. In some instances, like trucking, the need for gas will most likely be around- although, development of transit hubs much like high speed rail could change how much gas/oil is used in these cases.
Rapid/Public transportation system infra-structures must be developed in the US now. They do need to be easy to use and get people to places on time. And we need to begin education (and modeling) a public transit
state of mind to future generations.
I have re-thought my needs for vechiles a lot lately. I use the public transportation here a lot and realized my car sits in the garage most of the time. Yet, I pay to insure it and license it. I drive the dog to the dog park daily in a camping van- same expenses and my I just can't go on the road trips I used to. So, it is time to change this. I have always loved cars, but my life is different now and I'm retired. I know we all come from differing regions and have different needs for vehicles and transportation. But, the kinds of things you write about here, Toughy, could go a long way in cutting down energy use and costs in the long run. It does take changes in building right from the start. Good place to begin is with new construction- both residential and commercial. I have seen some great "Green" residential areas in which this has taken place. The thing I see most is a very different consciousness of the people that live in them.