Comments on: Co-Generation: Clean as wind, reliable as coal http://polizeros.com/2008/09/12/co-generation-clean-as-wind-reliable-as-coal/ Musings on politics: anti-war, global warming, peak oil and otherwise Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:32:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: miggs http://polizeros.com/2008/09/12/co-generation-clean-as-wind-reliable-as-coal/comment-page-1/#comment-155404 miggs Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:16:19 +0000 http://polizeros.com/?p=12805#comment-155404 I'm associated with Recycled Energy Development, which is Casten's company. You're right that it's tough for companies that recycle energy to sell their excess power and heat, whether to the grid or -- even tougher -- to neighboring buildings. The reason for this, though, is regulations that give monopoly protection to utilities. There's nothing inevitable about this state of affairs. But it is how utilities want it to stay. If we allow more efficient alternatives to emerge, we'll slash greenhouse emissions and power costs at the same time. I’m associated with Recycled Energy Development, which is Casten’s company. You’re right that it’s tough for companies that recycle energy to sell their excess power and heat, whether to the grid or — even tougher — to neighboring buildings. The reason for this, though, is regulations that give monopoly protection to utilities. There’s nothing inevitable about this state of affairs. But it is how utilities want it to stay. If we allow more efficient alternatives to emerge, we’ll slash greenhouse emissions and power costs at the same time.

]]> By: DJ http://polizeros.com/2008/09/12/co-generation-clean-as-wind-reliable-as-coal/comment-page-1/#comment-155403 DJ Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:53:58 +0000 http://polizeros.com/?p=12805#comment-155403 More and more people are beginning to realize the opportunities for conservation-- reducing or reusing what is now wasted. Twenty percent of our power from wasted heat? Wow. About half of all energy used in this country is wasted (or could be otherwise eliminated). Add to that the energy sources currently viable and being used elsewhere that are not used here (like sewage in Sweden) and we have no business saying we can't power our nation cleanly. We don't know that because we haven't tried. But here's the question: all these the conservation and clean energy production technologies exist, so why aren't we using them? Does the fossil fuel industry really have that much of a lock on our government and our economy? More and more people are beginning to realize the opportunities for conservation– reducing or reusing what is now wasted. Twenty percent of our power from wasted heat? Wow.

About half of all energy used in this country is wasted (or could be otherwise eliminated). Add to that the energy sources currently viable and being used elsewhere that are not used here (like sewage in Sweden) and we have no business saying we can’t power our nation cleanly. We don’t know that because we haven’t tried.

But here’s the question: all these the conservation and clean energy production technologies exist, so why aren’t we using them? Does the fossil fuel industry really have that much of a lock on our government and our economy?

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