Cartoon of the Day: Alternative Energy
CARPE DIEM
Professor Mark J. Perry's Blog for Economics and Finance
Friday, May 23, 2008
About Me
- Name: Mark J. Perry
- Location: Washington, D.C., United States
Dr. Mark J. Perry is a professor of economics and finance in the School of Management at the Flint campus of the University of Michigan. Perry holds two graduate degrees in economics (M.A. and Ph.D.) from George Mason University near Washington, D.C. In addition, he holds an MBA degree in finance from the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. In addition to a faculty appointment at the University of Michigan-Flint, Perry is also a visiting scholar at The American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.
Previous Posts
- Housing Market Correction: It's Far From Over
- ANWR = MA+NJ+RI+CT+DE; Footprint = 1/6 Dulles
- Oil's Perfect Storm May Finally Blow Over
- Trade Policy: Always Looking Out for the Consumer
- US: Only Country to Limit Its Own Energy Supplies
- Want Lower Gas Prices? OK, Let's Increase Supply
- Cartoon of the Day
- Pigs At The Public Trough: So Much Pork Even The D...
- What About This Female Pay Gap?
- Ethanol Post Office Trucks: More Gas, Fewer Miles
5 Comments:
Today I was discussing the use of alt energy with a lawyer in Houston who deals exclusively with multi-million $ wind and solar energy contracts. He was complaining about the neg. press about wind and power, saying the backlash against it is motivated by some of the stanchest proponents of the tech. The blind belief that ALL our energy could come from wind/solar. The reality of 10% coming from a combination of wind at night and solar during the day, is doable, and profitable. Alt. energy would be less of joke if not for many of its own backers presenting it as cure all-fix all. Tech has never magically fixed our problems (just as magic hasn't solved all the problems for Harry Potter), and energy independece (not desireable or possible) will not save us from the bad men.
For all the failings that solar actually has, it taking up the entire landmass of the US is not even close to one of them. The most useful areas for solar collection are the least useful for human occupation.
Im confused, so its ok to have a footprint in the desert but not in ANRW.
Both solar and wind need transmission lines in order to bring the power to market (except for rooftop solar, which has problems of its own)...and to take advantage of some of the best areas for solar, these lines will have to be very long.
I'm confident that *every single mile* of transmission line construction will face long regulatory battles and extensive litigation, much of it prompted by the same people who say they are in favor of "green" power.
I’ve often wondered how many megawatts of solar energy would have to be converted into electricity before we would seriously diminish the life giving heat which our sun provides to our planet. How many solar panels would be required to plunge our planet into some super Ice Age even more profound than the Ice Age we’ve been in for at least the last 2.5 million years?
I should pose that question to my favorite science and Climate Change blogger. As a Ph.D. Physicist, he should be well equipped to do the math.
Environmental Extremists are infamous for putting their blinders on, embracing tunnel “vision” and utterly ignoring “unintended consequences”.
Note: We are currently in one of the three most severe Ice Ages in the last 600 million years. The reason that comes as a surprise to most lay persons is because we also happen to be at or near the apex (aka Climactic Optimum) of the most recent Interglacial Warming Period. Even the IPCC admits that warmer temperatures than today are evident some 8-10 thousand years ago than we see today. That fact is clearly evident in this chart. My guess is that the Climactic Optimum for the current Interglacial Warming Period took place back then and that we will not exceed that level during the current warming period.
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