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Topic:
Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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VadersLaMent
Registered:
Apr '02
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Date Posted:
6/10 3:43pm
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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I just browsed a headline today that race engineers say you do not need a fancy drive train, just lighten the load an dmake the cars weigh a bit less. A 10% reduction in weight offers as much of a mpg increase as a hybrid. I say do both and get an even better increase in mileage. I say go another step and make plug in hybrids. An engineer has his students turn vehicles into plug in hybrids and 4 wheel drive trucks get 68 mpg on the highway. The performance is easily increased too, they can regularly break axles.
There are all kinds of kits out there too where you can just trun your car into a plug in hybrid but you have to void your warranty and they cost a few thousand dollars. Automakers either need to add this to their assembly line or else take a hold of the all electric idea like the Tesla car and run with it. The only the Tesla needs is greater range, about double what it gets now, and the infrastructure for plugging in and getting charged quickly.
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anidanami124
Registered:
Aug '02
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Date Posted:
6/10 4:11pm
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
- Date Edited:
6/10 4:13pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
anidanami124
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LordNyax113 posted: I see no problem with such; it saves energy that offices would use, and would have to pay for. The only detriment is longer work days. Our health may suffer due to less sleep, but meh.
I don't really see that as a problem. At my work we are going to be doing that. In other words four days a week at 10 hours. Then three days off. In other words that cut out the over time. That's the part that really hurts peoples health is the over time. Heck there was someone who worked a near 72 hours in one week. In this case you will get the rest.
Besides, people tend to travel more on days off than they do going back and forth from work. It's a nice idea, but I don't see it working or passing.
Not really in fact more people would use the extra day off to be getting things done at home that that before they could not do to being at work a lot longer and in some cases working over time and things such as that.
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chibiangi
Registered:
Jun '02
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Date Posted:
6/10 7:25pm
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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Naw, you weren't grilling me
I do think the program is sucessful. I preferred the 4/10 schedule because I did not feel the extra two hours because I was already waking up that early anyway in order to beat the commute (I was switched from 0800-1630 to 0600-1630, I woke up at 5am for the 0600 vs 0600 for the 0800 shift.) The extra two hours is not a big difference during the workweek, but you can REALLY FEEL the extra freeday. I got so much done during the weekend and still got a day to be lazy and sleep. It took me at least six months to reset my "body clock" and get used to only two day weekends again. It sucks.
I think I did my numbers wrong on the carpool incentive. I think the total incentive is $100 but it ended up saving my coworker $300 in driving expenses. I will have to double check the actual incentive. The point here is that either way, the incentive puts cash into the employees pocket AND reduces the amount of pollution and cars on the road during the congested commuting hours.
I think most people in the private sector would go for this too as it represents a raise in income without having to do anything!
I found the CFRs for federal clean air:
cfr posted:
CFR posted: § 102-74.205 What Federal facility ridesharing policy must Executive agencies follow?
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(a) In accordance with Executive Order 12191, “Federal Facility Ridesharing Program” (3 CFR, 1980 Comp., p. 138), Executive agencies must actively promote the use of ridesharing (carpools, vanpools, privately leased buses, public transportation, and other multi-occupancy modes of travel) by personnel working at Federal facilities to conserve energy, reduce congestion, improve air quality, and provide an economical way for Federal employees to commute to work.
(b) In accordance with the Federal Employees Clean Air Incentives Act (Public Law 103–172), the Federal Government is required to take steps to improve the air quality, and to reduce traffic congestion by providing for the establishment of programs that encourage Federal employees to commute to work by means other than single-occupancy motor vehicles.
(c) In accordance with the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (Public Law 105–178), employers, including the Federal Government, are to offer employees transportation fringe benefits.
§ 102-74.210 What steps must Executive agencies take to promote ridesharing at Federal facilities?
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(a) Under Executive Order 12191, “Federal Facility Ridesharing Program,” agencies shall—
(1) Establish an annual ridesharing goal for each facility; and
(2) Cooperate with State and local ridesharing agencies where such agencies exist.
(b) Under the Federal Employees Clean Air Incentives Act (Public Law 103–172), agencies shall—
(1) Issue transit passes or similar vouchers to exchange for transit passes;
(2) Furnish space, facilities, and services to bicyclists;
(3) Provide non-monetary incentives as provided by other provisions of law or other authority; and
(4) Submit biennially to GSA (as directed in House of Representatives Report 103–356, dated November 10, 1993) a report that covers—
(i) Agency programs offered under Public law 103–172;
(ii) Description of each program;
(iii) Extent of employee participation in, and costs to the Government associated with, each program;
(iv) Assessment of environmental or other benefits realized from these programs; and
(v) Other matters that may be appropriate under Public Law 103–172.
(c) In accordance with the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, agencies may (in lieu of or in combination with other commuter benefits) provide fringe benefits to qualified commuters, at no cost, by giving them a monthly pretax payroll deduction to support and encourage the use of mass transportation systems.
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anidanami124
Registered:
Aug '02
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Date Posted:
6/10 7:28pm
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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I do think the program is sucessful. I preferred the 4/10 schedule because I did not feel the extra two hours because I was already waking up that early anyway in order to beat the commute (I was switched from 0800-1630 to 0600-1630, I woke up at 5am for the 0600 vs 0600 for the 0800 shift.) The extra two hours is not a big difference during the workweek, but you can REALLY FEEL the extra freeday. I got so much done during the weekend and still got a day to be lazy and sleep. It took me at least six months to reset my "body clock" and get used to only two day weekends again. It sucks.
So that would be the only down side to going back to a five days a week? Or is there more?
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chibiangi
Registered:
Jun '02
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Date Posted:
6/10 7:44pm
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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For me? I can't say for other people. Once I got used to 3 day weekends, it was really hard to go back just because it is so convenient.
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Jedi Merkurian
Title: Games: RPG d20 GM
Registered:
May '00
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Date Posted:
6/11 7:40am
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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To echo VLM, I wonder about marrying turbodiesel and hybrid technologies. As it stands right now, in terms of MPG for passenger vehicles, diesels and hybrids are pretty competetive.
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Fluke_Groundrunner
Registered:
Jun '01
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Date Posted:
6/11 9:50am
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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The Solar Grand Plan
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Jabbadabbado
Registered:
Mar '99
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Date Posted:
6/12 6:29am
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
- Date Edited:
6/12 6:53am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Jabbadabbado
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There is no question in my mind that we have to incorporate this solar plan into a national strategic energy policy, and we ought to be spending on it like the depression era public works projects. In fact, since we may have another depression, this project could be part of the approach for keeping people employed.
My feeling is that concentrated solar power has more potential than PV. In any case, I would divide the workload between PV and CSP differently. Sun-exposed rooftops are one of our great untapped energy resources. I think we need a national program (take a look at San Francisco's new municipal program) to make every commercial and residential rooftop in the U.S. energy productive, with some caveats. Tree shade is also a wonderful thing for energy conservation. A house with good summer tree shade can save an enormous amount of electricity.
Put PV and solar water heaters on rooftops. Build CSP plants in the southwest. These projects can be supplemented with wind and wave energy.
Energy conservation needs to be a part of this plan as well, however. I believe America can lower its energy consumption by 25% without undo hardship.
Over the long term, the U.S. has some more difficult decisions. By 2050, alternative energy will have be responsible for powering a significant percentage of industrialized civilization for 400 million Americans. Do we really want to be a nation of 400 million? Is the current 300 million really sustainable? This is not just a question of energy, but also of food, water and all resource availability.
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Mr44
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
6/13 10:15pm
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
- Date Edited:
6/13 10:16pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Mr44
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It looks like China has overtaken the US by a solid margin as the world's greatest carbon dioxide emitter.
In fact, when most other industrialized nations are reducing their carbon footprint (with an average of a 2% reduction)- China's grew by 8% in 2007, and it looks like it is now 14% higher than all of the US. (and double digits vs other nation-comparisons)
With all of the focus on oil/gasoline, China now accounts for 80% of the world demand for coal. Unfortunately for China, many are forecasting that the environmental damage China is inflicting on itself as a result is going to soon catch up to it, with predictable results.
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Jabbadabbado
Registered:
Mar '99
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Date Posted:
6/14 11:29am
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
- Date Edited:
6/14 11:29am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Jabbadabbado
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China is building coal-fired plants so quickly (about one every week) that they no longer know how to source the coal. They built generating capacity faster than they could expand their supply chain. They may soon run into limits on how fast they can increase their own CO2 emissions.
Coal is our fossil fuel of first and last resort. We've been burning it to power industry for more than 200 years. And after we've used up most of our oil resources, we will continue to burn it. Those who believe that human ingenuity will jump in quickly to ramp up alternatives should take note. In two centuries of looking, we have not found an adequate replacement for coal.
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Mr44
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
6/18 11:31pm
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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Thunder Horse, one of the world's largest offshore production platforms, is now operational, 13 years later.
You brought this up in the other thread, but do you know what accounts for this much of a delay? There can't be nearly as much regulation for drilling as there is for nuclear power, can there?
What's your opinion on such regulation in general? Can the needs of the project ever balance with valid concern for the environment?
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Jabbadabbado
Registered:
Mar '99
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Date Posted:
6/19 7:30am
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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3 years of the delay were caused by hurricane damage compounded by faulty construction.
I don't think it's about regulation. The issue is the expense and technical complexity of deepwater drilling and production. These costs are mounting exponentially too, not just because the complexity increases as we look for the last, most difficult to access oil, but also because there is inflation from so much competition for infrastructure resources (China for example is using more cement in construction right now than the rest of the world combined, times three).
If I wanted to drill off the coast of Florida tomorrow, it might take me 5 years to locate and book, or build, a drilling rig.
I'm not all that worried about environmental concerns. Careful exploration and production can minimize the risk of environmental damage. But that risk is well worth it. We are going to need the energy.
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Jabbadabbado
Registered:
Mar '99
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Date Posted:
7/1 10:07am
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
- Date Edited:
7/1 10:07am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Jabbadabbado
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Germany managed to reduce its energy consumption by more than 5% in 2007, despite running a large trade surplus and enjoying strong economic growth.
The Energy Bulletin listed some possible reasons:
Sustainable Factors (some more sustainable than others)
- People using mass transit and high speed rail
- People buying more fuel-efficient cars and driving slower on the Autobahn
- Government incentives for using renewables, insulating homes, subsidies for commuting reduced, road pricing for trucks introduced.
- High take rate up for wind and solar due to feed in tariffs
- Heating fuel switching to solar & wood/pellets
- Heating technology switching to CHP and heat pumps
- Stable and aging population, less consumption growth and less growth in commuting
- Mindset to save costs, people heating and lighting their homes less and desire to help environment
- Sadly, warmer than average winters due to global warming
- Expertise in producing energy efficient technologies and bringing them available to market
One-offs
- People fuelling their cars in cheaper neighbouring countries
- People running down their heating oil tanks
- Reduced purchasing power due to ongoing wage moderation and inflation
Anecdote: a friend of mine in Austria just paid 5,000 euros to fill his home's heating oil tank ahead of the winter. The strategy of buying heating oil in the summer to take advantage of lower prices has been adopted by just about everyone now.
Anyway, any thoughts about the U.S. duplicating some of these strategies? The weakness of our economy makes a lot of these options difficult for people: buying new cars, improving their insulation, switching out light bulbs, let alone investing in high end alternative energy projects for their home.
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Mr44
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
7/1 10:24am
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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Well, didn't the US see a 2% drop in rate of consumption as well, so I think the trend is to look to efficiency were possible. Many of the same programs are being used in the US, but I think a great push is now just starting.
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Jabbadabbado
Registered:
Mar '99
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Date Posted:
7/1 11:03am
Subject:
RE: Jabbadabbado's Weekly Discussion on Alternative Energy and Conservation
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Are you referring to a 2% drop in gas consumption in the U.S.? I'm not sure the U.S. has seen any corresponding drop in natural gas or electricity consumption yet.
Germany is a smaller country and culturally more cohesive. Its people are more tuned in to the need for political action on climate change, etc. In the U.S., I don't think people will respond to any kind of incentive to conserve energy other than price.
Increases in electricity/natural gas prices are coming. We've already seen massive seasonal upward swings in natural gas prices in recent years. World coal prices are skyrocketing as are costs associated with nuclear power.
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