On Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:30:13 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 4/6/2009 5:43 PM dpb spake thus:

TX panhandle just about went blackout last August owing to an
unforecasted/undetected wind shift line that shut off virtually all
their wind generation output almost instantly at a peak summer load
when supplying almost 15% of grid up to that point. Managed to load
shed and recover, but it was iffy. Such operational issues aren't on
the radar for the greenies that think all you have to do is have
nameplate generation capacity installed and it's all done.

If they're good greenies they'll take all that into consideration. We
need smart greenies, not just party-line-followers or PR flacks.


Most of the greenies, as you call them, that I've come
across all live in la la land. Thanks to their government
school education, have absolutely no clue when it comes
to understanding basic science or engineering. "All we
need is electric cars" "OK, where you gonna plug them in?"
"Uh, uh, the electrical outlet." "Where's the power for
the outlet gonna come from?" "Well, wind and solar."
"What sort of wind and solar, please explain?" "Well, it's
....... YOU'RE A RACIST!" That's what I deal with when I
try to get them to come down out of the clouds.

TDD

That may be your experience but it isn't mine. Most environmentalists
that I know are interested in how to do things, not just slogans. We
just had a Going Green event in my county and there were many lectures
and presentations.

Everything is a tradeoff, but the basics are that we need to shift
away from non-sustainable and polluting energy sources and towards
sustainable and cleaner ones. And, from what I read about global
warming, we'd better do it pretty fast.

I'd love to put up a windmill in my backyard. No idea how though. Or
solar panels on the roof, which is why I looked at the thread in the
first place. Not trivial I understand. Hopefully under Obama we can
get the cost down enough to make it practical. Even without a storage
system it should pay.

Actually, I don't know any environmentalists who fit your description.