Was I the only one who thought we would see a major Power Grid, Wind and Solar plan in the works?

[KansasVoter]

I know there was no promise, I just thought it would be a really good idea and would be a good way to create jobs.

I assumed we would be moving that direction by now.

Of course the Coal Lobby and other lobby's have done all they can to stop it.

I just can't believe low priced gas makes people forget so quick!

[upi402]

1. Even my neighbor agrees with us

I live in a conservative hood and this idea is such an obvious solution that even THEY see it.


Obam and too many Dems... not getting paid to see solutions.

[valerief]

9. Republicans could offer wind and solar solutions, should they choose.

:rofl:
It's such a funny thought, it hurts!
:rofl:

[upi402]

13. never going to happen

but the Dem deflation as a result of the betrayals will get Republicans elected by default.

Inslee said that 60% Republicans will vote, only 40% of Democrats will. We are aware that there's not a dime's worth of difference in real terms. Stupid Democratic politicians have not addressed campaign funding or vote fraud. Let alone trade and jobs.


They'll likely get what they deserve, and we get screwed even more.

[valerief]

14. $$$$ rules all votes. They don't call them Congresswhores for nothing. nt

[derby378]

2. I can tell you that Texas is really growing its windpower industry

Lots of wind generators along the Gulf Coast in between Corpus Christi and Rockport. Also a bunch west of Gainesville on Highway 92. We're trying.

[blogslut]

16. Trying, hell. We're succeeding!

Texas is leading the nation in Wind Energy capacity.

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=746

[derby378]

19. On top of that...

...you can buy a 12VDC wind generator at Fry's stores in Texas for about $600. Maybe it's not powerful enough to meet the energy needs of a standard house, but it's a good trend.

[KansasVoter]

23. Do you then convert DC to AC and use it?

[derby378]

27. I have no idea

Might not be powerful enough to allow DC-to-AC conversion, but 12VDC is enough to power a lot of small appliances.

[juajen]

3. Follow the money! It's very obvious that our government is

bought and the American people are pawns, whose tax money is collected with threat of mayhem.

[Barack2theFuture]

4. you are not alone.

[Lance_Boyle]

5. The power grid improvement thing should be happening. Funny that it's not.

Not ha-ha funny, but you know what I mean. That would have been good use of stimulus funds.

Wind is slowly coming around, but suffers a NIMBY problem. Solar is more problematic - the technology advances so quickly that what is built today (at great cost) is obsolete, or at least seriously underperforming, by tomorrow.

I personally favor distributed energy production, which would mean small-scale solar, wind, hydro, etc. Sell your excess back to the grid. But funding for this is difficult. Subsidize it and you really are giving the well-off a handout at the expense of the not-as-well-off. Kind of like subsidies for electric and hybrid cars - they benefit the people who can afford to be in the market for a new car.

[Webster Green]

15. I agree about small scale operations. That makes a lot of sense.

Disagree about the subsidizing though. Projects like that would create badly needed jobs. Many professionals and tradespeople would benefit, and so would the economy. Give the people who live in the neighborhood priority in getting hired on for that project. It would be great.

We need something drastic to get us out of the hole we're in.

[HillbillyBob]

18. I would rather see large windmills from my house

than smell the several coal burning electric plants that are about to go up next to the one that is already there and less than 15 miles up wind of where I moved out in the country to get away from the city fumes(and coal the local college used for generation) because of my asthma.
Then again we have some fools about 30 miles away (in the same water shed and on the same aquifer that my drinking water comes from) want to blow up a mountain up in Va to get at uranium.

I just saw the thread where they were talking about panels that convert solar light and warmth into energy. We want to be off grid and as close to fossil fuel free as possible over the next ten years. We have already cut our power needs by 3/4 by efficiency measures, most cost us less than 100$ and return on investment is only a few months, tho replacing the appliances as they die off ROI is a bit longer 2 1/2 yrs for the bosch front loader washer.

[begin_within]

6. I'm surprised the big energy companies haven't started moving towards those.

They must realize that fossil fuels will eventually run out, or become so expensive and risky to try to extract that it won't be economically worth it to them.

[valerief]

10. What's most important to them is to make sure their money doesn't run out, no matter what. nt

[harun]

7. Not alone.

[UndertheOcean]

8. I am one of the people working on it right now ...Give it time.

not alone of course , but part of a team

[KansasVoter]

21. I wish we could send you more federal funds!

[Oregone]

11. You thought things would change?

Thats cute. :)

They should...yes. Not enough vision or willpower.

[TheKentuckian]

12. Fervently hoped? Absolutely. Expected? Meh...not as such but was counting on more lip service

than we're getting.

[Lucky 13]

20. I DEMAND to be more adequately placated!!

That's the sad state of affairs.

The oil spill was the opportunity to make significant change. I fear that opportunity is slipping through our fingers.

[shanti]

17. yeah that

and what about sanctions agains corporations outsourcing US jobs? haven't heard a peep about that either. :(

[KansasVoter]

22. True! Wasn't a tax credit in place for keeping them here also?

[cornermouse]

24. People haven't forgotten.

And no, you weren't the only one who thought we would have a major alternative source power grid being built by now. I guess that's another one of those ponies.

[blogslut]

25. I'm not sure what your expectations are but

The US is the second-leading nation when it comes to Wind Energy capacity. The AWEA predicts that by 2015-2020, approximately 20% of US energy will come from Wind:

http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/02-18-10_US_Wind_Resource_Larger.html
http://www.awea.org/publications/reports/4Q09.pdf
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2211296320100126?type=marketsNews

[upi402]

26. Good info. We need more solar and storage R&D and manufacturing plants

They will give us jobs and a way out of the big oil morass that we're whored-out to.

The storage battery facility that Obama got going is a great start. Battery storage is needed because wind is so unreliable/unpredictable. But we MUST have a huge National Recovery Act II to get us off the edge of the state-suicide that we're on.