Point Lookout
Musings from the hillside

In The New Math of Alternative Energy, a reprint in the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization from the WS Journal, there’s a quote from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) that only 0.01% of US energy was supplied by solar. I’ll bet it’s at least 0.02%.

The fallacy here, like the fallacy of Gross National or Domestic Product (GNP or GDP), is that it is what they choose to measure. The EIA has no idea how many $30 solar cell phone and iPod chargers are charging their gadgets and what amount of energy that constitutes. I suspect they have little or no clue how much solar energy is being generated for home consumption. They get nice, convenient computerized reports from The Grid and that’s that. No mention of the many amateur radio stations with solar backup emergency power. 0.01%, hrumph.

The real problem is that if we all put photovoltaics on our roofs and replaced, say, 30% of our home’s electricity needs, they’d never notice. They might declare a softening of demand (shock and horror or in a post peak-oil world, perhaps a sigh of relief outside the board rooms of the power generating industry) but since they don’t meter it, it doesn’t exist … it didn’t happen.

New math where 1.0 + 0.02 = 1.01 … or worse. And the economics are anything but clear. Remember, for every kilowatt generated at a powerplant (that’s 1,000 watts) we get about 480 watts at the house. What does that mean if we can generate a kilowatt at the house and deliver it at closer to 100% efficiency? It means that if it costs double what it costs the energy company (fully burdened), we’re more efficient. That’s old, boring math. The subtext of all this industry-supported arm waving would seem to be that photovoltaics, with a little cost help from higher volumes, are probably more cost effective right now assuming sun shine.

[sigh].

I started to write the following in a comment on a blog entry, “The fact that his penis (as measured in millimeters) is smaller than his IQ probably had nothing to do with his statement.”

For additional credit, identify the subject (person) and the subject (story). For a guaranteed A, identify the blog/site that triggered it.

Good luck. There’s simply too much good material out there. You’d have to be struck by lightning but I’ll be honest if you get it.

In spite of the insinuations of Slashdot’s story, neither Symas nor our family have plans, at present, to complete such a transaction.

In a typically cheerleading InternetNews story we learn that RedHat is building a HealthCare platform. Life support for its marketing department? Isn’t there some more compelling approach to the market?

Apparently not.

On engadget a little story about AMD and cutting the power of servers. Of course, then they go and run bloatware that forces them to still have many more of than they need. And, also of course, you have to buy new to get there from here.

Now that’s conservation.

In an Op-Ed piece on washingtonpost.com, our favorite billionaire complains that we’re falling behind because we’re not churning out computer science graduates fast enough.

Pretty cheeky for a guy without an undergraduate degree and who wasn’t in CS to begin with.

From Al Jazeera English, a story Food insecurity rife in Gaza. The Euphemism is for hunger and starvation. Unusually coy or politically correct for al Jazeera, isn’t it?

The Gallup Poll finds “Among Religious Groups, Jewish Americans Most Strongly Oppose War”. How can this be? Could it be possible that things are being done in their names that don’t represent their views?

Shocking!

The ever amusing Ynetnews propagates a smear by repetition. And this is the outfit that trumpeted his pro-Israel speech supporting exactly sucn an attack last month at Herzliya! What’s up with these people?

Of course, if Edwards did say that in California and his handlers are merely trying to put spin on it, then ynetnews is calling a flip a flip. Either way, it’s an amusing turn of events.

Europeans tell Abbas unity gov’t must meet Western demands - Haaretz. Something about dictating to another country’s voters?

The corporate media, world wide, will continue to follow Haaretz’s slant on this as it represents the puppet master policy catalyst behind the US and its economic and military colonies in Eurpoe EU positions.

The amusing thing is that there is a good chance that none of the players know the history any more. Time has a way of reinforcing memoricide.