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30 Comments
- tamman2000, on 11/11/2008, -0/+23This sounds like a great way to knock down the pollution levels without having to invest heavily in new infrastructure.
Brilliant! - JenniferInMO, on 11/12/2008, -0/+16Excellent idea! If solar, wind, geothermal or hydro can be used together with traditional fossil fuels, why not? The idea that we have to pick and choose fossil fuels over renewables is stifling innovative thinking like this. I'm glad someone is thinking out of the box here. As renewable technology advances we can eventually phase out fossil fuel completely. Starting on phases of a smart grid should also be top priority, but for that we need legislation with incentives and publicly funded projects.
- inactive, on 11/12/2008, -0/+6Actually, the technology in question works much better on larger scales. The sacrifice in transmission loss is more than worth the added efficiency of operating on such a large scale.
- Sevets, on 11/12/2008, -0/+5The only route for change in the power generation industry is gradual. Sweeping overnight change is impossible due to all of the entrenched interests! We need to Ween ourselves away, and this is the perfect way to do it.
- Quaterni0n, on 11/12/2008, -0/+5Solar thermal is different. The heat builds up during the day so it can still generate power at night.
- scottknick, on 11/12/2008, -2/+7Well, I suppose this is better than burning more natural. But it also proves once again that the biggest hurdle in developing renewable energy isn't technical -- it's how to implement it in a way that preserves large energy companies. Gathering solar energy at a generating plant rather than at the point of use (say, your roof) is more wasteful because of the transmission loss, but it preserves the monthly utility bill, and that's what's really important.
- pcrow, on 11/12/2008, -0/+4This is great. It addresses one of the biggest problems with solar--it isn't always available when you need it, so you have to build traditional capacity to cover cloudy days. With this system, you don't have to build a separate plant, you just switch heat sources for the plant.
- MarkusX, on 11/12/2008, -1/+5Great news.
- serif69, on 11/12/2008, -0/+3I did the same thing years ago in Sim City 2000.
- Quaterni0n, on 11/12/2008, -0/+3Hey! Here's some good news. Lets put a negative spin on it.
- Sean42, on 11/12/2008, -0/+3This just makes sense since they already have all of the steam pipes/turbines/generators already there, just add a 'Y' pipe feeding the turbine.
This is the kind of incremental genius that it will take to power our future and ween us off of politically dangerous sources of energy. - inactive, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2Energy independence, clean energy, cheap energy... In the end, these three goals ultimately all lead in the same direction. The primary disagreement these days is not over where the future lies, but how much effort we should put into making the change quickly.
- brb1031, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2History provides support to scottknick.
When electricity became popular, we could have all had boilers producing heat and electricity from fossil fuels, but selling the equipment to make electricity would be much less profitable than selling the electricity itself. (Similar to constinuously leasing the equipment.)
Solar thermal is more efficient with a larger plant, so it gets the big private funding. Photovoltaic is much more democratic, and will decentralize power generation, therefore power companies have developed it much less.
Who would fund the development of something that benefits regular people? If not regular people? How about We the People? - tamman2000, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2yeah, but it doesn't build up so much if you have a week of storms...
- corsae, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2A week of storms would prove unfortunate and a hybrid solution is definitely ideal to start. However, heat storage is much more efficient than electrical storage currently and solar thermal has the benefit of producing the most power on the days/times when demand peaks (i.e. noon when everyone is at work or hot sunny days when the ac is on)
- InfiniteNothing, on 11/12/2008, -0/+1What incentive do they have to pass it on to the consumer? The goodness of their heart?
- HappyScrappy, on 11/12/2008, -0/+1Whoa. Don't jump to conclusions there. It's also possible the real hurdle is that this isn't feasible.
This is a trial, we can point fingers after it's over. - InfiniteNothing, on 11/12/2008, -0/+1The payback on solar thermal is faster too.
- GeorgeStone2, on 11/12/2008, -0/+1Same thing.
- GSnake, on 11/12/2008, -0/+1The money people would save on energy costs would probably directly go to either consumer spending, which the US economy needs, or an increase in real estate, which the US economy desperately needs. Either way, the US economy is further stimulated by it's citizens, which ends up being good for everyone in the long run (except maybe the Oil Execs who were too slow to buyout all of the solar patents).
Seems to me that too many people look at things with a glass half-empty mentality. - gnotDigger, on 11/12/2008, -0/+1The EPRI is conducting the project to determine if using solar thermal at fossil fuel plants will reduce fuel costs and plant emissions.
A: Duh. - sponeil, on 11/12/2008, -0/+0They need to do it with style, though. I know these are old, but they're still cool (or should I say hot?):
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/05/21/sevilles-solar ...
http://vortexengine.ca/index.shtml - dotcommodity, on 11/13/2008, -0/+0to jimmy: "If I were president I would require solar panels on every home in the sunny south"
Obama does require all buildings must be built zero energy (ie with solar roof) by 2030, and CA, by 2020. - NSResponder, on 11/12/2008, -1/+1This is what I would call an engineering approach, as opposed to a political approach. I hope it works out.
-jcr - sodade, on 11/12/2008, -1/+1Or we need to take the entrenched interests out back and work 'em over a bit.
- nescalona, on 11/13/2008, -0/+0Yes, and that direction is called prosperity. A cleaner environment is a great benefit, but ultimately not the driving force.
- nescalona, on 11/13/2008, -0/+0
- inactive, on 11/12/2008, -2/+1Thanks to God.
Very good news. - jimmyobama, on 11/12/2008, -2/+1If I were president I would require solar panels on every home in the sunny south west. Might mean a huge loss in tax revenue but it would be good for the environment.
- nescalona, on 11/12/2008, -4/+0FFS why are all the energy-related stories in the environment section? This story has almost nothing to do with the environment.
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