Reply #21: Someone pinch me.

[garybeck]

Your first 5 points are just basically saying that fossil fuels are bad. We know that. Preaching to the choir. However I would make one comment, that just because a nuclar power plant has never been attacked by a terrorist doesn't mean it never will. I suppose the answer to all terrorism is just wait and see what they do first, and then build up a defense against it so that they don't do it again? Where is the logic with that?

But let's really take a look at your #6. That's a real doozy.

6. Renewable energy is a dangerous pipe dream that has failed to produce even two exajoules of electricity.


no, it is not a pipe dream. Renewable energy works. I have designed and sold thousands of solar energy systems that are in place all over this planet and I'm happy to say that many many people are living on solar energy today. The only thing standing in our way of taking it to the next level is politics.

If it's a dangerous pipe dream, what are these photos?








I guess a picture is worth a thousand solar panels. Or, is this just a pipe dream? Someone pinch me!

Your point that only a relatively small amount of energy has thus been produced by solar panels... What exactly is your point? With all due respect I don't understand your logic. Or maybe logic isn't part of the equation here? The fact is that when a new technology arises, usually it doesn't exist first, then there is a little of it, and then it grows and there is more, and then there is lots of it. That's usually the way it happens. So according to your logic, we could go back 30 years and say computers will never have an impact on society and they're a pipe dream because no one was using them 30 years ago? Or how about television, cars, radio? Anything you can think of, had to go through a process of first being an idea, then being developed, then being introduced into society and then growing and eventually taking over a fundamental part of our infrastructure. The comment that solar is a pipe dream just because only a certain amount of power has been generated by solar panels thus far is really quite silly.

The fact is that enough sun shines on the planet every few minutes to power the entire earth for a full year. I forget the exact number of minutes but Google it sometime and you'll find it. Even the DOE has it on their website. We only need to use a minisule portion of the potential energy in the sun's rays to power our needs. In fact, an area about 80 miles X 80 miles covered with PV panels could produce ALL THE ELECTRICITY OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY USES, just with today's current technology.

The fact is that political leadership is the only thing standing in the way. The technology is technology is here, now, and projects like The Appolo Alliance are going to make it happen.