The Energy Matrix
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Water Falls Two large ducts carry some of the
water from this river to a generating plant near base of fall. When the
river is near flood stage most of the water goes over the fall and the energy is
dissipated. Some estimate that the United States is only exploiting a
fraction of its potential hydro-electric Elimination of the burning of Diesel and Propane for heating could result as part expanded Natural Gas Network. Mr. Pickens and some natural gas suppliers have suggested that utilities stop burning natural gas and substitute green solar and wind power for electricity production. The gas could then be compressed and used to fuel trucks and cars. Thank God someone with capital is developing a serious green energy policy. Natural gas vehicles will require an expanded nationwide gas distribution system. The US already has an extensive natural gas pipeline. One of my first memories from my childhood in New York City was that we got gas for our refrigerator and stove from a Texas pipeline. We used coal for hot water and heat. My point is that the technology to ship gas long distances existed over sixty years ago. So expanding the current pipeline grid to reach every corner of the country, so that their are no dead zones where natural gas powered vehicles will find themselves without gas, is possible. However, the expansion of gas pipelines will be a major national project. I feel that the this expansion should should include service to those who are presently using diesel or propane to heat their homes. This would free up diesel and propane for use by vehicles that already exist. Many gas stations already provide propane service.
Cheap Oil, Oct.19,2008 Bad news for clean alternative
energy, Oil drops to about $70 a barrel. If your trying to sell or develop alternative energy, cheap oil is bad news, because it undercuts
alternative products.
Cogeneration growing. Central heating systems date back to the days
of DC power generation in lower Manhattan during the Edison/Telsa Era. High
Pressure Steam Plants provided steam
Heat Storage Heat storage are an important element of solar
power systems. Power plants that use concentrated solar heat to generate
steam to drive turbine driven electric generators, require heat storage to
maintain steady power output. See
reference article, Click here . Heat stored in super heated water can provide
steam to meet sudden changes in load.
Index for all Editions Ice Energy Density versus Battery
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Electric Cars (Continued) for about 100,000 miles before requiring replacement. The Subaru has developed a charging system that can charge car in 15 minutes. "The lithium-ion batteries, co-developed by a joint venture of Fuji Heavy and NEC Corp., only take five minutes to be charged 90 percent, the company said. " [ Quote from ref. 1] Five minutes is how fast they could charge the batteries in the laboratory. It might be difficult to bring that much power to car, especially if you wish to charge at home. A typical service for an entire American home is only 100 Amps at 220 volts. The electric car is the key to energy self sufficiency in that the root source of it energy could be solar, coal, hydroelectric, nuclear or even from the burning of garbage in order to produce electricity. You do have to resort to alternative energy to save energy with an electric car. You could use a diesel generator to charge your car, heat water, and heat your home. A car diesel internal combustion engine only converts 20% of the energy in the fuel to locomotion, the other 80% is dissipated to the atmosphere as heat. Electric motors convert 90% of electricity from battery to power. Optimum cogeneration would be achieved when, the heat generated by charging batteries heated your garage in Winter and all the diesel engine heat was captured by heating system and/or hot water system. OK, maybe that would require going a heat exchanger to far. Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3
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Future Editions
What is the Matrix? In the future we will consider questions such as "Is corn a better solar collector than silicon?"
Nuclear Energy and HVDC The safety of nuclear energy is
hotly contested in the US. High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission
will not effect nuclear plant safety. It could make worst case scenario
nuclear accidents economic impact less severe. HVDC
Practical Electric Cars by 2010 By 2010,Japan will have electric cars with
50 mile range and capability of being recharged in 15 minutes. The cars
will use lithium battery packs that will last
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