Tuesday, August 05, 2008

More than Hot Air

While the Schiavo wingers put on a spectacle that calls on us taxpayers to drill in pristine areas rather than use a tire gauge, there are people of real merit out there working to give us sustainable energy. One group has come up with inexpensive solar units that presently they are teaching needy people in S.America to build and use.

There is a great deal of concern about heating northern houses this winter, and this would go a lot farther than all the wingers' hot air.

In spring 2007, University of California Berkeley Energy and Resources Group professor Ashok Gadgil challenged students in his Design for Sustainable Communities class to come up with an affordable and efficient solar water heater that could be used in low-income households.

The heaters installed in Guatemala have made an important impact on peoples' lives, student says.

The heaters installed in Guatemala have made an important impact on peoples' lives, student says.

Now, a little more than a year later, one team of students has already installed solar water heaters on the roofs of several homes in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.

They have been so beneficial to the recipients that there are already plans to mass produce the heaters locally.

The team of UC Berkeley graduate students and alumni said they are planning to enter their heater design into a national competition in October.

Though the heater has only been tested in middle- and lower-class residential homes in Quetzaltenango, the team hopes to extend the technology to other developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Southern Asia, said Kenneth Armijo, a mechanical engineering doctoral student currently in Guatemala.

"The more we advance with the project, the more we realize it has an important impact on the life of people and it has a great potential to be replicated in other places around the world," said team member Ernesto Rodriguez, who is working toward a masters in business administration.

Armijo said the team hopes the heaters will stimulate local economies.

"This is a crucial step to not only integrate technologies into the third world for beneficial resources, but to make these resources available sustainably," said Armijo.


Energy can be produced by many ways, and the technology is ready when obstructionists stop promoting the oil industry.

Healthy sources can be found, and are ready and waiting, while the winger reps are still desperately trying to convince the public that they need to keep using the tried and untrue methods that have led us into the present disaster. Listening to Washington Journal this morning, I was amused to hear Rep. Musgrave, (R-CO), insist that the 60 vote requirement in the Senate had been frustrating her for the past 7+ years. She must not have been around much, since we are all well aware that only when Dems took control in 2006 did that 60-vote rule, tantamount to a filibuster, become operative.

As I pointed out yesterday, and previously, lies are all the right wingers have to offer, since the facts refute all their talking points. At one point I did say that leasing increased amounts of land for drilling was the problem, not the solution. Add to that, the right wing too, it's the problem and, most definitely, not the solution. So far they haven't been able to open their minds to the solutions that exist.

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Today is the scheduled date for execution of Jose Medellin.

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6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I put (an admittedly meagre) 4 PV solar panels on my roof. Their lifetime (back then) was about the same as their payback time. So why not.
Oh I am at the same latitude as the most southern tip of Alaska. I don't think it is hard.

10:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Most southern tip of Alaska... Not to hard to do since it's just north of Seattle in the rain forest and not in the real Alaska.

Drilling in pristine areas...
You have never seen ANWR have you? We are talking about opening 2000 acres to drilling in flat land best suited for mosquitoes. It's not the mountains or streams that the "left" or "dems" would have you think with its with slick ads. Check your facts.
I live in Alaska, you don't.

12:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I live in Alaska, you don't.

I do however.

Now, where are you in SE, Juneau or Ketchikan?

And you just look across and imagine 2000 acres of your freaking forest flatlined.

Do it, imagine it.

And then tell me it's ok to do this to my backyard, and not yours.

2:55 AM  
Blogger 52XXL said...

Barry, that's just a dumb emotional argument unless, of course, the 2000 acres IS your backyard. Are you actually living in ANWR? I'm not trying to be contentious, I would like information. How many folks live in ANWR and what is the proximity to the 2K drill area?
I've seen extensive photos of the intended drill site and I gotta say, I wouldn't build my domicile there.

I own property in Texas and yes, I am considering a well in the backyard that can be seen from the house.

Has anyone actually said that the forest is going to be flat lined? I seem to recall exactly the opposite proposition, maintaining the wilderness while using the resources.
I remember the extinct Caribou scare when the pipeline was built.
Darn animals continued to proliferate instead.
Fooled even me.
I used to be an environmentalist, (still got my green ‘E’ button from the first Earth Day). Now I would rather be a good steward of the earth, use what we can in moderation and restraint but not get stupid and become rapists.

Similar to alcohol use;
enjoy the buzz with friends have fun,
but don’t get s**tfaced and try to drive.

So . . . . how close are you to the 2K?

8:43 AM  
Blogger Ruth said...

The view of the well;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24541926@N08/2628998154/

This is during its regular service. Scares the bejeebies out of my cats so I am dubious about the reindeer loving it. But the reality of the situation is that there is no need to drill in ANWR, and it will do nothing to bring down the cost of gas.

9:34 AM  
Blogger 52XXL said...

Every species is adaptable, including the cat.
The Caribou around the pipeline proved it.
The Spotted Owl that purportedly could only live in old growth forests showed us that KMART signs and barn attics were just peachy with them. In fact, as we continued to study the little sub species, lo and behold, they were mating with Bard Owls.
Of course, none this info was available to mainstream America until several local economies were destroyed and families lost their homes. Oh yeah, lumber prices skyrocketed which shut down construction in my neck of the woods and screwed with my personal income. Thanks all to lying enviro-mentals.

There are many reasons to drill in 2K acres of ANWR, even if the least is to alleviate the use of foreign oil. It is not about affecting today's gas price. This is an old plan. If Mr Clinton had signed on in 1995, we would not be in some of the mess we are now. As soon as the US makes a gesture to solve its problems with oil, we’ll be amazed at how fast the price comes down. Worked under Regan and all he did was announce our new research into synthetic gas and oil. BAM, just like that the Jimmy Carter gas crunch went away. The Mideast got spooked that we may not need them.

I noticed that you picked up on Mr. Obama’s ‘Tire Inflation’ theory. Most us who care about not spending cash wastefully have been maintaining our vehicles properly for years.
This is not new information and, as a gearhead, I seriously doubt that we can inflate our selves into better gas prices or less foreign oil. I have yet to see any documentation that proves any where near that great an impact. Great idea for the average vehicle user but silly campaign rhetoric and will not alter the general problem of oil consumption.

Did you check your tires this week?
Did you use the max or min #?
It does make a difference.
Use the max psi, drive 30 miles, now you’re over inflated and lost the purpose.

Street Cred: Driving a Prius while recycling a 52 Ford truck,
currently researching wind/solar power for my residence.
Conservation and Stewardship.

2:05 PM  

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