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UK to "get serious" About Renewable Energy

Posted by michael on from the don't-hold-your-breath dept.

Bob Dobbs writes "Tomorrow the UK government will announce (observer.co.uk) it's going to "get serious" about renewable energy; in the bleakest look at global warming so far Tony Blair will warn that extreme weather will wreak £150 billion worth of damage across Europe within a decade and the current situation is "unsustainable". On the bright side, it's mentioned that sustainable energy sources are less susceptible to terrorist attack."

4 of 436 comments (clear)

  1. Makes sense in so many ways by bigberk · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Foreign oil funds dictators and terrorism.

    Renewable energy (wind, hydro, solar) creates local industries and reduces reliance on foreign energy sources.

    It makes political, economic, and ecological sense :)

  2. Bullshit by ikeleib · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Your assertion about solar energy is incorrect. Most solar panels are net energy producers after 5 years of their 30 year lifespan.

    Your assertion about wind energy is also incorrect. The time for most wind turbines to be net positive in energy is a few months. The area required for energy production for wind is much smaller than you say. If 6% of the total land in the US were cultivated for wind power (which doesn't exclude other uses, like ranching), the total energy production would be 1.5 times the total produced in the US today.

    The key to energy independance is not just switching sources, but using substantailly less energy. Using less energy is possible without making huge sacrifices, it just requires developing and building smarter.

    See:
    http://www.awea.org/faq/bal.html
    http://w ww.nrel.gov/wind/wind_potential.html

  3. I don't want to be anywhere near wind power. by Stoutlimb · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Have you ever seen ice buildup slough off of the blades of a large wind generator in bad weather? It's deadly. The area around wind farms can be used for other functions, but there are times of the year where it's advisable to stay very far away from them.

    Even wind farms have their dangers.

  4. the CAFE standard is a better solution by g4dget · · Score: 4, Interesting
    An increase in the price of gasoline would hurt low-income families substantially because they need transportation like everybody else.

    Mandating fleet fuel efficiency standards, in contrast, results in car manufacturers charging less for fuel efficient cars and charging more for gas guzzlers. That allows low-income families to both buy inexpensive fuel-efficient cars and save money on gas, while being subsidized by people who voluntarily choose to buy gas guzzlers. It seems like a very elegant free market solution to me. And it seems like a much better solution than raising the price of gasoline.