The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #74599   Message #1304099
Posted By: GUEST,Larry K
22-Oct-04 - 03:31 PM
Thread Name: BS: Gasoline prices doubled in 4 years.
Subject: RE: BS: Gas prices doubled in 4 years.
Gypsy:   You are more correct than you probably know.    Right now, renewable energy accounts for 6% of the total energy in the USA.   (source: DOE fact sheet dec 2003)    The 6% total is broken down as follows:   (This may surprise a bunch of you)

Biomass      50%
Hydro       42%
Geothermal    6%
Solar         1%
Wind          1%

Solar and Wind get all the publicity, but biomass (including agricultual mass) is the largest source of renewable energy in the country.    I am thinking of using this as a quiz in my presentations , but I don't think anyone will get it correct.   

Wind and solar are only a small part of our energy mix.   Wind in the USA accounts for 6,000 MW of power.    California does 2005 MW while Texas does 1305 MW.   No one else is even close to that.   (Governor Bush was great for wind, President Bush has been terrible)   My state of Michigan does 2.4 MW.   Big Whoop.   I got into a huge fight with the wind developer at a renewable conference in traverse City last week.   The shame of it is that brand new weather maps show that Michigan has 16,000 potential MW of level 3 or higher wind in non restricted areas.   That is enough to power 100% of all residential homes in Michigan.

Sorry for the soapbox- it just frustrates me.   
1.   The potential of alternative energy available
2.   People talk green but don't pay for it
3.   Deception- a supplier in Ohio is marketing coal as a "clean energy"   Other use a mix of 97% gas and 3% wind- that is wrong
4.   Green people want the price of fossil fuel to increase so that they can be competitive rather than finding ways to decrease the cost of alternative energy.