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Domain: thewatt.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to thewatt.com.

Comments · 58

  1. price of solar chimny and solar panels by grqb · · Score: 5, Insightful · on Solar Power Put to Good Use
    I'm surpised that the solar chimny is actually cheaper than solar panels. Basic calculations show that the solar chimny costs between $2.5-3.75/watt but solar panels cost about $8/watt. I would have expected the solar chimny to be much more expensive, considering that it's going to be twice the height of the tallest structure today (the CN Tower in Toronto).


    One cool thing about the solar chimny though is that apparently it can generate power 24hrs/day, unlike wind that fluctuates. Basically the solar chimny generates electricity from the same type of turbine that a wind turbines use.

  2. Go for solar power by grqb · · Score: 4, Interesting · on Electronic Gadget Ideas for a New House?

    Design your house so that you can add a solar power array. Dollars to doughnuts there will be some incentives for doing stuff like this in the future and it might even save you money in the long run. You can add a 2.6kW solar array for $23,000 as was done in Rochester NY recently, it works quite well. You can sell any excess power back to your utility and also check the status of your solar arrays online.

  3. Uranium regeneration is a good thing though by grqb · · Score: 5, Interesting · on London Nuke Plant Loses 30 Kilos of Plutonium

    Uranium regeneration is a good thing. A nuclear reactor only uses about 4% of the uranium until it has to be either discarded or regenerated (because of reduced efficiency issues) but the regeneration process makes plutonium, which can then be used in a bomb. Most of the time, the plutonium is actually mixed with uranium and it can then be used as a fuel.

    Hopefully fusion will come along sometime soon...

  4. Kyoto Rules by grqb · · Score: 5, Informative · on Kyoto Protocol Comes Into Force
    theWatt has a summary of the important details. Basically 127 countries have signed up (but not the US). Countries that have ratified the protocol must reduce emissions (such as CO2, methane, NOx etc) by 5.2% of 1990 levels by 2010, this is expected to be about a 29% cut if Kyoto was not implemented by 2010. If a country exceeds their target, then they can sell carbon credits (at about $30-40/ton in the US and $70-80/ton in Europe), if they're under, they can buy credits.


    The second round of Kyoto starts in 2012 and will try to lure in those emerging countries like China and India. The omission of China and India is the big reason why the US isn't going for Kyoto.

  5. Kyoto Rules by grqb · · Score: 5, Informative · on Kyoto Protocol Comes Into Force
    theWatt has a summary of the important details. Basically 127 countries have signed up (but not the US). Countries that have ratified the protocol must reduce emissions (such as CO2, methane, NOx etc) by 5.2% of 1990 levels by 2010, this is expected to be about a 29% cut if Kyoto was not implemented by 2010. If a country exceeds their target, then they can sell carbon credits (at about $30-40/ton in the US and $70-80/ton in Europe), if they're under, they can buy credits.


    The second round of Kyoto starts in 2012 and will try to lure in those emerging countries like China and India. The omission of China and India is the big reason why the US isn't going for Kyoto.

  6. Re:Want more on the subject? by grqb · · Score: 1 · on Green Energy Now, And On The Tide

    theWatt.com was also reporting this same story.

    One big reason why people may like water power is because nobody can see it...unlike those big wind turbines. Actually, I like seeing wind turbines, maybe because they don't exist yet where I live.

    And now Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy doesn't have any reason to boycott water power either.

  7. Re:Want more on the subject? by grqb · · Score: 1 · on Green Energy Now, And On The Tide

    theWatt.com was also reporting this same story.

    One big reason why people may like water power is because nobody can see it...unlike those big wind turbines. Actually, I like seeing wind turbines, maybe because they don't exist yet where I live.

    And now Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy doesn't have any reason to boycott water power either.

  8. Re:Idiocy by Tiger+the+Lion · · Score: 3, Informative · on Green Energy Now, And On The Tide

    Not 24% of coastline, but 24% of total tidal energy. You can't assume that the waves are equal everywhere along the coastlines.

    And 7% of total energy demand is nothing to scoff at. Imagine if it was actually realised - a lot of greenhouse gases would be saved. All I hope is that the picture is still rosey after an in-depth environmental assessment.

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