Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of man. Albert Arnold Gore Jr., come on down!
You all recall Christy’s posting on Al Gore’s joining this energy venture, right?
Well, it turns out that he and the others involved have picked an excellent time for this — silicon, the basic material used in most solar cells, is about to go into big-time production with a corresponding price drop that in five years (less if oil keeps getting pricier) will make solar energy cheaper than oil, even with oil’s massive subsidies.
Analysts at UBS securities are predicting a quadrupling of polysilicon supply in the next two years as more factories come onstream to supply the voracious market demand for polysilicon wafers.
The single biggest cost to solar cell makers – and the single biggest detriment to solar adoption today – is the high price of raw polysilicon. It is 70% of a solar cell maker’s cost structure. Even companies like Suntech (STP) – which have their entire 2007-08 inventory sold out – must go to the expensive spot market for 25-50% of their wafers. The cost of wafers is what has sunk the share prices of the smaller solar cell makers: China SunEnergy (CSUN), Canadian Solar (CSIQ), Solarfun (SOLF).
All that’s about to change. UBS estimates the cost of raw silicon for wafers is going to fall 66% over the next 3 years, from $300/kg to $100/kg. Solar has overtaken the market share for raw silicon once held by the semiconductor industry (for decades). This acceleration in polysilicon supply will reduce the materials cost for solar cell makers to 25% from today’s 70%. That cost savings ($) can go right to the bottom line: strengthening profit margins, reducing prices for consumers, and making solar adoption more widespread. Solar can be more affordable, more doable, and on a parity with oil in 5 years. Demand for this new energy today is unprecedented. Industry estimates are for 50% year over year growth; yet it is not even 1% of the world’s energy source.
This is for real, folks.
This is what’s going to make it possible to get that solar array on your roof (or a set of condo-association-pleasing shingles) without you needing to forego sending your kids to college.
This is what will cause medium-sized businesses to decide to go solar.
It gets even better:
There are two more aspects to this picture: government subsidies and technological improvements. The explosive profits in the solar sector have thus far been coming from Germany, Portugal, and Spain. In two years a Democratically-controlled congress (by a wide margin) will be the majority ruler and it is very likely we will have a Democratic chief executive. The leaders in both houses of congress are from western states (CA, NV) which have already hosted large solar initiatives and projects, states with solar industries which stand to benefit from a favorable tariff pass-through rate if initiated by congress. They also set the committee agendas. I don’t see who would be able to stand against a national solar initiative or why.
Green is growing in popularity daily and $100/bbl oil encourages policy initiatives. California already pays a solar construction rebate of $2.25/watt for residences and businesses, and $3.25/watt for non-profits. If a Federally sponsored bill was added to that (and this seems likely), it would encourage homebuilders and corporations to go green.
The Democrats wouldn’t even need to throw solar and wind and biofuels that much of a bone — just stop the Bush and the GOP Congress’ practice of having been actively hostile to them. (Though it would be nice to see the subsidies currently flowing to Big Oil start flowing in other directions.)
(Graphic edited from this original posted under a Creative Commons license by Comandante Diego.)
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A perfect solar storm.
Promising!
I’d say we should at least get rid of oil co. subsidies. But I spose all oil co. contributions are in process of switching to Ds, so that won’t happen.
Does that involve “Silicon Laboratories” or is that something different…look at the put options:
http://www.schaeffersresearch……x?ID=20832
Here Comes The Sun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuUhZxkr194
couldn’t resist
Hi PW
I must say I have no problem with AL Gore making a buck. The value that he has already given to the world by bringing the energy problems to fore is worth a few nickles.
My wonderful spouse and I have been trying to figure out a way to make a combo of wind and solar financially feasible for us.
I must say I still have the feeling that somewhere there is a downside to all of this.
Didn’t he say, “Trust me to do the right thing” or something like that recently?
The best use for solar is probably to supplement existing power plants…
You can’t run on strictly solar- cause you don’t get any juice when it’s DARK- so either you have to store the stuff (not easy) or you need an alternative supply when the sun’s not out.
It’s GREAT news about the prices coming down- that’s about all we need to make the ROI viable in California- that and some help capitalizing the expense. Most houses change hands every five years- making it tough to get your investment back.
There is this breaking news also regarding hydrogen:
http://news.nationalgeographic…..-fuel.html
Great minds Suin!
I used the winter of our discontent line myself today.
This gives the Bush Crime Family even more incentive to make sure they either steal the elections, or keep us from having one. Not to put a damper on things, but I’m not feeling very optimistic about things right now.
Paper ballots counted by human beings with monitors standing over their shoulders like they do in Great Briton.
SHIT!
Sorry PW!
I coulda swore I saw Suin as the headliner.
My apologies.
Excellent post!
Let me take this occasion to give a shout out for Farrington Daniels (1889-1972), Solar energy pioneer, Director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Solar Energy Laboratory, in my home town.
Somewhere up in heaven, he is reading this post with joy, and pumping his fist.
Farrington, ya done good.
Bob in HI
(Madison, WI ca. 1946-1966)
this is excellent news! We would take our house solar if only it didn’t cost so bleeding much.
bobschacht @ 13
thank you for introducing us to your illustrious hometown
sunson.rwcole @ 8
But if those solar sources are hooked into the power grid, the grid can always feed where there’s sunshine, and pipe those electrons to places where its dark, and store them up for the few hours when the entire continental US is dark. You don’t have to have a 100% solar grid.
Bob in HI
Oh Sh*t.
Chimpy has plans. So does Harry or doesn’t Harry plan to do anything about this?
bobschacht @ 16
If we all save a little……..
I’m sorry, someone a whole lot smarter than I am needs to explain to me exactly why we are subsidizing companies making record profits that reach into the billions of dollars Every Three Months.
RevDeb @ 11
I actually take the opposite POV. Some items from Greg Palast’s Armed Madhouse.
1. Ds start 6 million votes in the hole. Despite that, Ds won prior 2 prez elections until dirty tricks set in. Ought to be much easier in 08.
2. There were 2 oil plans for Iraq. The neocons wanted to control the oil & put it on the market. The oil cos. wanted to keep it off the market so the price would go up: make more profits by raising price than by raising production & oil demand isn’t very sensitive to price in the short run.
Now here’s where we get into the “be careful what you wish for” category. The oil cos got too much of a good thing. Iraq’s oil is off the market to be sure, but all the well known events have made the price go uch higher than they thought. An while oil demand isn’t sensitive to price in the short run, it surely is in the long run. Thus oil substitutes become very attractive.
I wonder if the world is making some kind of “quantum leap”…and it will leave the dinosaurs in our government and other governments behind in the end…The young people, coming of age right now are not going to put up with the crappola anymore..they are very, very savvy.
RevDeb @ 17
Hmmmmm….I’m sure those aren’t the only evil plans he has in his “stash”.
Hey MODS!
I clicked on the check this out link on the main pain and McAfee alerted that the website tried to download a backdoor.
Boxturtle (Danger, Will Robinson!)
We’re getting down to the short strokes on this administration- so Clusterfuck appointments of anyone but judges becomes progressively less important in my opinion. Judges, on the other hand, are what the war is about right now.
Companies also going to be using the rejected computer-grade wafers (99.9% pure silicon) for photoelectric cells, which really don’t need that kind of purity (what they need isn’t as pure, and isn’t as expensive, and therefore doesn’t get made so much.)
I use solar-only calculators when I can. No batteries to deal with.
RevDeb @ 17
That’s delightful I’m sure Harry and
DiFi, uh, the woman who wants to be the next HoJo, are jumping up and down with joy that they can be eating their turkey while the rest of us have to eatthis turkeyHolsinger.Hello!
Phoenix Woman @ 27
here comes the sun!
How is everyone this bright sunny day?
Phoenix Woman @ 29
Bathing in the sunset on this beautiful day!! Great post PW!!!
RevDeb @ 17
Yeah, what happened to the handshake deal you had with the Thief-in-Chief, Harry? Not looking so good, is it?
Phoenix Woman @ 29
rechargeable! ;)
boxturtle @ 23
Do you get the same result if you try to open this link?
http://seekingalpha.com/articl…..olar-flare
Hiya PW! Your post is way too siencey for me, but HI!
My solar electric fence has worked flawlessly for the past 10 years.
Back on topic – I talked on the radio yesterday (thanks, Christy…) about Gore’s announcement of a business partnership with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer. I hate it how such firms get their inside information in ways so they make he big bucks, we make the small ones, but the lowering of the cost to make solar cells, along with other, new photovoltaic transmitting materials, is nothing but great news.
Hey ET:
How did your radio gig go?
Ed*ard Teller @ 36
what were the callers responses?
RevDeb @ 17
Given that Bush is a short timer, I think this homophobic clown is irrevelent. The surgeon general has no real power, Bush just wants to throw a bone to the Religious Right as they’re the only group still supporting him.
Boxturtle(Fight the judges, ignore the rest)
Wow…CNN is really bashing Edwards, Toobin just called him a petulant jerk, because he wouldn’t say he will endorse Clinton if she is the nominee. Comparing him to Ralph Nader…now…
**sholes.
RBG @ 33
Nope. That link seems clean.
Boxturtle
Boxturtle @ 39
Chimpy wouldn’t do just one recess appointment. And not just for this clown. Given the opening he probably has quite a bit of mischief up his sleeve and I wouldn’t be surprised if judges were included. There are a lot of vacancies needing filling, so I’ve heard.
Boxturtle @ 39
Strategically, though, I think it’s important to fight this. If Bush can be shown to be incapable of satisfying the religious right’s red meat appetites, they will press the 2008 GOPs to do so. Thus, the 2008 GOPs will move to appease the religious right, something the rest of America, including a lot of mainstream GOPs, has had enough of. Making an issue of this cleaves the GOP base against itself.
Also, the man is a bigot and a homophobe, and they do not deserve federal office anytime, anywhere.
Principles plus pragmatism.
Boxturtle @ 39
I actually think the Ds could make mileage out of this. Portray W as a man who can’t be trusted to keep his word and, again, appoints an unqualified person to a top government job. Just blast it out as another example of an out-of-control stubborn incompetent.
Hey PW, thanks for this uplifting post. Been so hard to feel hopeful lately. Good on Gore. That man rocks.
PW, this is wonderful news and a fantastic post!
Thank you.
Elliott @ 38
They didn’t respond to that information. I was reading news bits, bridging between talking about shutting down a projected coal plant in my community (Palmer – yeah, team – we beat ‘em!!!) and an ongoing election reform initiative.
The show went better than I could have hoped. I’ve been asked back to sub on Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. AK time. I’ll be interviewing plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez class action suit coming up before the Supremes this winter.
Finally. Some real good news.
Phoenix Woman, outstanding report. Even without new techie break throughs, solar energy is already cheaper than oil, because it is FREE. Coal and Nuclear merely boil water, which solar collectors could do much easier.
Forget, biofuels, this is just a corrupt, corporate fraud. Sunlight can be easily used to make hydrogen (from water) to use as a fuel.
The K-Street lobbyists will fight this with all their greedy power. The billionaires have invested in Oil, Coal and Nuclear, and the Sun is not in their plans. That is what Darth Cheney’s secret energy plan is all about.
Way to go, ET.
LS @ 40
Good. The Clinton or Obama handlers must be getting worried about him. As for endorsing Clinton, I think it’s very early to be asking that sort of question. Edwards is still very much in the race and Clinton hasn’t won yet.
Boxturtle(I’D have trouble endorsing Clinton in the general election without using the phrase “Lesser of evils”. GOOOO Edwards!!)
Ed*ard Teller @ 47
we were disappointed when the connection went out!
RBG @ 33
Hi RGB, This link started something on my computer concerning Malware. It began happening the day before yesterday, and the only way I can get rid of it is to reboot.
Bush’s dirty tricks will just lower his unpopularity even further…solidifying forever the fact that he is the worst president in the history of the United States of America, and he will have to live with that forever, and ever, and ever…no matter what he does…he’s just the worst ever. He’s also way too unpopular to pull off anything like martial law or anything like that…because no one would obey his sorry butt.
RevDeb @ 17
Ya know, I seem to recall that the Republicans did a little procedural trick one time where they gaveled the session in and out of recess just long enough to get one of their schlubs through at 3AM when nobody else was around.
Why doesn’t Harry do something like, say, keep Congress technically in session all through the holidays?
here’s what corporatist don’t want people to know;
developing technology HELPS the economy, it PROVIDES jobs, in STRENGTHENS the middle class and it is win win
there are corporations that get hurt though, those in the petro industry, they get hurt because they have to price effectively to make alternative energy unattractive
however, if we include carbon dioxide tax, include pollution tax, there is no pricing strategy they can use that will get us off track
this is the real killer;
if Reagan didn’t rescind carters alternative energy incentives we would have very little foreign energy reliance, we could be entirely energy Dependant today
and Iraq, if that weren’t taken off line with deliberate intent by this administration oil would be trading lower then when this administration took office
just how much damage can the republican party do to our nation and it still survive?
Do any of you have solar panels on your house?
Boston1775 @ 53
And you thought they were only taking our information out of that secret ATT room. Hah! :~/
SnarKassandra @ 57
No, but I wish I did
I’d like to see more attention paid to what the city of Berkeley is doing.
Berkeley Offers Residents Unique Financing Option for Solar.
Phoenix Woman @ 55
Reportedly that’s what Harry threatened to do during the August recess and supposedly he and Chimpy had a deal that they would both lay off. I guess that deal expired.
Bustednuckles @ 12
No problem! It’s a complement to be taken for her. :-)
Phoenix Woman @ 55
August recess deal
tsf bold: Might this explain Southwick, I wonder?
Joe Buck @ 60
Ah, yes, the People’s Republic of Berkeley. So why is John Yoo there?
SnarKassandra @ 57
Some houses in my town do, but I live in an apt building, and I’ve never seen the roof (but I doubt it).
TeddySF- also, from my reading of the KY blogs:
~~~Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., of Louisville, who introduced Holsinger to the committee in July, said then that the nomination is “the right prescription to help America confront today’s health challenge.” This week, a McConnell spokesman said that the Louisville Republican continues to support Holsinger.~~~ here
This was about a month ago, and the article suggested that Holsinger would not make it out of committee.
Ditch Mitch, anyone?
Holsinger is an abomination.
RevDeb @ 58
I think it started happening at HuffPo as well. Once it gets going I can’t get rid of it.
Joe Buck @ 60
Austin, TX has cool programs too:
http://frecklescassie.wordpres…..an-energy/
http://frecklescassie.wordpres…..y-schools/
TeddySanFran @ 65
All the (very few) solar panels that were put up in the 70s have been taken down. Just didn’t make sense at oil prices below $30, plus the existing ones were ugly. But now the cost calculation has changed.
Elliott @ 59
Stole my line.
Boston1775 @ 67
Valley Girl @ 66
Ditch Mitch!
Vote Crit!
Draft Joe B Hall!
Whatever the hell it takes but DITCH MITCH!
TeddySanFran @ 46
No problem — thought we could all use some uplift.
This taken with the thin-film solar revolution (what makes those neato roll-up solar chargers possible) is a really cool thing.
dakine01 @ 72
Yeah, look into Mitch taking $$$ from BAE, who is under investigation in the Bandar Bush scandal for bribes….
My cousin wants to buy a bunch of land in west texas and start wind and solar farms there.
Here’s my wish list: solar panels, wood heat, wind energy, and hand pumped well, you know, with the old fashioned crank handles. Oh yeah, I want a root cellar and cold frame too.
Here’s my latest aquisition: an old rusty push powered lawn mower, circa about 1940. No engine, just people powered. Works pretty good, next spring I’ll clean it up a bit. Wanted one of those for a while, saw it free by the side of the road, my son jumped out and loaded into the back seat. Made my day.
Phoenix Woman-
1) Small quibble – oil is basically not used for electricity. So the comparison in your header is not really viable-more important-will the price reduction lead to competition with natural gas, coal, wind, nuclear. Obviously the answer is yes.
2) Interesting aside-a post on DKos notes an apparent breakthrough on the production of hydrogen for fuel from renewable biomass-the Kos link is this, and the original paper is free at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences here.
SnarKassandra @ 75
Good plan.
TeddySanFran @ 43
First, I absolutely agree that he does NOT deserve federal office nor do others of his ilk. However, this is an appointed position and Bush is entitled to appoint anyone he pleases who can do the job. He’s made MUCH worse appointments. Along with eCHAN @ 44, I think this will do nothing but help the D’s especially if he uses a recess appointment.
My pragmitism says cynically that this works to our advantage. My principles say that the way to fight ideas like this clown’s is to expose them to the light of day and debate them.
Boxturtle(Bet this guy jams both feet in his mouth within a month of his appointment)
dakine01 @ 72
myddpost likes the fact that Mitch’s running on his record as R leader. Thinks he can really be skewered on it.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/11/13/152440/34
LS @ 40
This was the subject of a previous thread. Edwards doesn’t get adequate or fair coverage because the MSM have decreed the only serious candidates are the decidedly flawed Clinton and Obama. On yes, and cable news is garbage.
Hugh @ 81
I like kucinich! If he was tall and people could spell his name, they would take him more serious.
eCAHNomics @ 80
Mitch’s nominal constituents are becoming hip to the fact that Mitch ain’t done much for ‘em over the years and that he only helps his REAL constituents (Big Bidness).
carolyn urban @ 76
I remember the sound of those push mowers as a kid in the neighborhood on the weekends…brrrrr…brrrrr…brrrrr…
My brothers always had to cut the grass too. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in Norway in the summers…we had the hand pumps for water, double outhouses!!!…a wood stove for cooking and for heat…Ahhhhhhh…
SnarKassandra @ 75
He’s not the only one looking to harvest wind — Iberdrola – a Spanish energy co. which is probably the largest producer of energy from wind in the world – is on a buying spree for this. They just bought Scottish Power for that reason and are in the middle of buying Energy East Corp., which owns companies in Maine and New York State, both very windy spots. They already own Community Energy, which has some big wind farms in PA.
SnarKassandra @ 57
I helped a friend just over the mountain from my house build a solar powered home.. except for the kitchen stove and a little wood stove.. Even the well runs off of solar power.
Bring on the solar panels.
Bring on the windmills.
Bring on 50 mpg.
I’ve become a bike commuter for real. Not everyday – can’t handle cold rain. But I’m in my third month of almost every day.
My husband switched from driving into town five days a week to taking the train.
Thanks for great news, Phoenix Woman.
Boston1775 @ 67
On my PC, running McAfee, in both IE and FF, I can’t replicate the error you are seeing. There may be a couple possible fixes:
1. Check that you are running the latest version of McAfee with all current updates.
2. Add FDL to the trusted sites within your anti-virus program.
If it’s also happening with links at HuffPo then it is likely something with your anti-virus software.
Hope that helps.
I had forgotten that Mitch was Holsinger’s sponsor. We may actually want him recess-appointed so that his embarassing ejaculations can come at opportune times during Mitch’s re-election campaign.
Hard to call this one, but I’ll count on Harry Reid to do the strategic thing! /s
SnarKassandra @ 82
I don’t really think his height is a factor at all, that is just a red herring…heck, Cheney isn’t tall either, nor is Heinz Kissinger…they don’t take him seriously, because he would stop their corruption…
Went back to the mydd post & viewed Mitch’s ad. It’s all about pork!
http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/11/13/152440/34
SnarKassandra @ 82
I think his wife would be a really cool first lady as well: The Red-Haired Faerie Queen, pierced tongue and all!
Solar is best used in synergy with other technologies.
In Germany, new houses are being sold with the promise of ZERO heating costs. A solar array runs a geothermal heat pump. Batteries store the excess energy to run the pump at night. The heat pump simply extracts the heat energy from ground temperature water (better than from colder outside air).
This works in a country with latitudes the same as the tip of Hudson’s Bay, so it can work here too.
They are afraid of being too dependant on Russian natural gas, so it is very common to see these houses, as well as retrofit homes.
RBG @ 88
RBG, Thanks. My impression is that someone is trying to sell me new software (not McAfree). Of course, I can’t remember the name of the thing, but I will go press that button if you want more information. Thanks for trying to help me.
Toby Wollin @ 85
The Dutch have moved into the US wind market as well..
A wind energy blog here.
Pectopah @ 93
wow, this is amazing.
carolyn urban @ 76
We’ve got the wind energy, root cellar, and cold frame … no solar panels. wood heat is too dirty for our metro area and i’m not convinced by shelling the bucks out for one of the super clean stoves.
Maybe this will “eclipse” the neocons.
OT
This should be fun to watch:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11…..ref=slogin
Good for you Boston. Here in VT many commute by bike. I have a neighbor (attorney) who commutes 10 miles each way to work, down hill going and a long steep 10 miles of uphill back.
This is the only place where I’ve ever seen people biking in the snow.
I love this place.
eCAHNomics @ 99
Yeah baby!! Bring..it..on.
LS @ 40
Toobin has become a Petulant Jerk – do not understand why he gets so much space at The New Yorker in recent years. IMO he continues to devolve into tabloiditis first noted back in the day of OJ’s murder trial.
Oh, very nice. Good job.
The problem that I have with energy policy and decisions is where to get information that is not pushing an agenda. In a little casual research on photo cells, the tech is evolving rapidly. A fact that hadn’t occurred to me was the energy input need to make the silicon blanks. For cells produced in the ’90’s it was estimated that 20 years of use would be needed to equal the energy input to make the cell. For the best current tech it is ~5 years. I suspect that current consumer grade would be some where in between but I don’t know. The devil is always in the fine print.
lee5 @ 97
We regularly have “Spare The Air” nites here, announced on Eyewitless weather, to tell folks inland not to burn their fireplaces that nite.
newspaperbrat @ 102
Agree about Toobin. He also didn’t get it that Libby broke the law, iirc.
carolyn urban @ 103
One of those big rain collectors would be cool too!
lee5 @ 97
Any recommendations for good reference material on root cellars..and are you able to keep critters out of yours?
Eureka Springs @ 108
We had a root cellar in Norway too…I forgot about that.
carolyn urban @ 100
Believe it or not, Carolyn, I was looking at studded bike tires yesterday. I’m not sure I can handle it, but I understand how people are getting around in the snow.
SnarKassandra @ 82
Good for you! I like him too and only wish he was taken seriously by the wretched MSM. Wouldn’t it be a hoot Cassie is Edwards wins the nomination, is elected and appoints Congressman Kucinich the first Cabinet director of the Department of Peace? ;~)
Oh yeah, LS, I forgot that. A nice cistern.
And I’m dreamin’ of chickens and a work horse. Neighbors on both sides raise chickens now, and some of them are beautiful birds. They run around as they please and retire to the sugar shack at night.
carolyn urban @ 100
Here’s the link to the winter biking newsletter of the Toronto bike group. http://www.toronto.ca/bug/pdf/bugle_winter2007.pdf
I’ve been biking the 7.5 miles to work a couple of times a week now for several months and have been wondering about this winter – I think the only thing standing between me and bike commuting is the proper lubricant on my gears; I’m going to have to check on that.
RBG @ 88
I checked my mcafee logs. There’s no question that something tried to download something evil. It was identified as Downloader-AFH.gen and tried to hide in Local SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5PXUENX5Y_YzBmZmVlYnk_aHVsbGlfYW9fMzk1OF8wXzEwMjI3X2FvXw_a2V5aW4_[1].exe
Boxturtle
Eureka Springs @ 108
Older pubs from Story Publications and Rodale Press. And, as I recall, they advocate sinking an old fridge into the ground and putting a lock on it.
carolyn urban @ 112
I love the ones with the “hairy” legs…they make great pets too, and those Rhode Island Reds are amazing.
LS — chickens have hairy legs? or neighbors?
Brilliant thanks!
LS- did you ever find the owners of the lost asses?
I admire you bike commuters. I am very inspired by that. I’m a little intimidated by all the uphill on the way back to my house. Miles and miles of it. I’m not that spring a chicken, and would need some serious conditioning.
This place is like a highschool clique.
Conformity required.
No opposing views accepted.
Reinforcement the rule.
Big feathery legs Cassandra. The roosters are handsome as heck and they know it.
carolyn urban @ 120
I take the bus to school and bike everywhere else.
Jonathan @ 121
Are you saying you are anti chicken or just anti root cellar? and hey stranger..
LS @ 116
We raised chickens for years – if you are in a place with cold winters, you’ll want one of the “heavy” breeds – RI Reds, Columbian Wyandottes, etc. Look for a chunky bird with a little eensy comb on her head. These will be “dual purpose” birds – great for eating as well as eggs.
Republican sex education at work..this is what we get for 200 million from the fundies.
U.S. Sets Record in Sexual Disease Cases
link
Everything is up including congenital syphilis.
RevDeb @ 17
Sorry. I’m trying to catch up.
Can we ask the soon-to-be surgeon general just how rush got the boil on his butt? he didn’t pray enough?
Jonathan @ 121
Jonathan- I was wondering where you had been, as I enjoyed reading your comments. What has put you in such a bad mood? I think your take is unfair.
Steve-AR @ 126
if those people would just stop having sex we wouldn’t have these troubles.
Eureka Springs @ 124
Eureka,
I want truth, as best as it can be expressed.
I like it here Jonathan. WAY better than high scool cliques.
carolyn urban @ 120
I live in a town of hills. Bike clubs come here to train, so I was intimidated. I got a great commuter bike with 21 gears and I can make the bloomin’ hills everyday. (I’m in my fifties!)
Excellent. I used to walk everywhere. I’d walk five or ten miles a day without thought. I’d refuse rides just to walk. Now I’ll do a mile or so with the hound, seems tame.
Steve-AR @ 126
then you’ll really appreciate RevDEb’s link at 17…
Jonathan..welcome back..we need your comments to stir up the clique.
Jonathan @ 130
You and me both, brother. It’s an endless search i’m afraid.
Eureka Springs @ 108
on a well-drained slope, out of the wind, dug to about 8 feet down – two layers of concrete blocks, six inches apart, with foam sprayed between the block layers. Gravel floors, sturdy, insulated door, small ceiling vent, and six of each of these. Backfill on three sides…
I love it. I bet you’re in terrific shape too. You have to love the win/win.
Steve-AR @ 135
That is the most God Awful top I have ever seen. Did your baby sister pick it out?
Steve-AR @ 126
Hey, use a little self-control. I was going to post this earlier, but managed to prevent myself. Besides, you know it’s either Clinton’s fault, or the fault of the Ds that got elected last November and didn’t take office until January.
carolyn urban @ 120
I also admire you. But I am afraid of all the Death Monsters on our streets, and the folks behind the wheels of them. I would love to ride a bike again, though, and might get one just for no-car Saturdays and Sundays in the park.
OT but ON science vs stupidity
tivo alert for NOVA tonight
Judgment Day
Intelligent Design on Trial
Boston1775 @ 132
And Carolyn, no one ever said that the Bike Police would come and grab you and harass you if you are seen pushing your bike up the hill when you “run out of gas” – pretty soon you won’t have to push it so far.
I know someone (friend of friend) who is an epidemiologist at the CDC. She is really frustrated by the lack of CDC funding for anything that does not include the BushCo. line- abstinence. Scientific information, research and education has suffered terribly under the Bush regime.
Ah! Yeah for PW! This is the kind of news I like to hear, and “Yeah” for FDL for being the first to bring it to me!
(Was just at the library, looking for any recent solar news.)
Jonathan @ 121
you sure you have the right blog?
FWIW, I don’t grow organic veggies in my yard, I don’t vote party line, I drive a car–a lot, I don’t build my own chicken tractors, I don’t work as a lawyer or a DJ, I don’t have solar power, I do have energy efficient appliances, I don’t join clubs, I do read books. I watch TV and I shave my legs. My birth control is “not tonight, Honey!”
Does that make me a conformist? I don’t think so.
Jonathan @ 121
I guess you’ve never seen me on my ornery days.
-GSD
Valley Girl @ 119
The craziest thing happened…I went out the next day, and they were gone!!! They had gone out the way they came in…the horses were still there, and I don’t know how they got in and out…beats me…but a few days later, a neighbor told me she saw them walking down the road at night…then about 2 days after that, I got a call from another neighbor asking if they were mine, and both of us had signs up…as far as I know, no has claimed them!! They are living at his house with his emus….go figure.
Maybe they’ve been roaming around for months!!!
Cassie…I like the chickens with the hairy legs…not my neighbor’s hairy legs…*g*..
Valley Girl @ 144
I like to think it’s hard to keep Truth hidden for very long, it always rises up and shines out. Least that’s the way I like to see it.
do-si-do @ 146
I shave my legs. No solar panels. Cheap crappy appliances. TV.
There’s this, also. At DKos:
Link:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/13/1165/9596
ohhh you wise and wonderful Phoenix Woman, you bring us hope! thank you.
Valley Girl @ 144
Having worked at the first AIDS organization targetted by BushCo for shutdown, I can tell you this has been a long-range plan since 2001. The CDC’s politicization has been shameful; like so much else, I fear we’ll find it hollowed out when we try to revive real science in 2009.
TeddySanFran @ 105
power generation sure looks like something that’s a good candidate for public works … hard to do it in the volume needed and cleanly on an individual basis.
LS @ 148
LS- omigod- I am really truly laughing! What a story. Living with his emus? Please take some pix. I look forward to further installments in the “opportunistic asses” story. LOL
Boxturtle @ 114
The malware may have come from the bander ad servers it’s been an ongoing problem around the net but little attention has been payed to it.
Jonathan @ 121
Where’d that come from? What do you mean?
Steve-AR, you know I was joking, right?
should read banner ads, first typo of the day
Folks – Ian is upstairs with more economics goodness…
oh, and I got the zed.
Valley Girl @ 144
As near as I can tell, from the outside, the CDC was a basket case long before W got his hooks into it. I formed that conclusion by observing how they reacted to the anthrax attack. There was no sense of urgency, no attempt to quarantine anything or anyone until very late in the attacks. Now my last science courses were over 40 years ago, but even I know that in small probability-high consequence events in public health, you don’t take chances.
I hypothesized that it was due to the conquering of the most dangerous communicable diseases, and that gradually the CDC became a backwater. Ask your friend to correct me if I’m wrong.
FYI, new post
TeddySF- as a scientist I have very strong feelings about the Bush regime, not to mention my views as an ordinary citizen. Every thing that was ever good has been totally perverted.
Eureka Springs @ 108
We actually rebuilt one of our out buildings and as part of that dug a cellar space under it. 4 feet down under the foundation, 8 foot space dug out in the middle of the room. Makes a decent root cellar and wine cellar, not perfect for either, but good enough to keep potatoes and squash into feb or so. Cellar also holds the bottom half of the composting toilet. Given all that, it’s pretty easy to keep the critters out.
Putting Food By is a great reference, has info on cellaring and how to construct a root cellar if you don’t have an obvious candidate.
LS @ 109
when were you in Norway, LS? I spent a lot of time there in 2000 – 2002. We seriously thought about moving to Oslo. (”Of course, if the weather were as nice in Bergen as it is in Oslo, everyone would live in Bergen” :-)
CAHN, BushCo’s assault on the CDC was one of their earliest. It started upon taking office, so I wouldn’t presume their havoc hadn’t been wreaked by anthrax-time in November 2001.
That doesn’t contradict your view, of course. Both could be true. But there was a lot of damage done in Atlanta and field offices throughout the summer of 2001, and it was a very high priority within the White House and HHS.
eCAHNomics @ 161
eCHAN, this is not someone I talk to on a regular basis. I don’t know enough myself to comment yea or nay on your CDC observations.
But, it is certainly true that scientific research has suffered greatly under the Bush regime. I can say that from first hand experience.
1,658 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen Jonathan and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
“This place is like a high school clique. Conformity required. No opposing views accepted. Reinforcement the rule.”
Where are you comin’ from, brother Jonathan, I don’t understand what precipitated your remark? I’m late ta this thread and haven’t read all the comments but talk ta me Jonboy…what’s happenin in yer world ?
KEEP THE FAITH AND TRUST YER BUDDIES!!
carolyn urban @ 76
It’s an art to sharpen one of those. I’ve been wondering if I could rent sheep for 3 days / month.
Boston1775 @ 94
Oh, that one. It’s running in your browser. Close your browser and it goes away. (I had it the other day, and was laughing, because it knew my computer was Linux, but it wanted me to download a Windows .exe anyway!)
Well, if your browser is IE, it may not go away, because IE never shuts down. Do your surfing in Firefox.
I had a weird message tonight while on Foxfire about posible sp*ware on my computer. Had to download a sp*ware program and scan and fixed that. Never had that before.
~~~ModNote: Edited for content to clear filters.~~~
Sent a link to my ultra Republican SoCal ehm, relative, who I’m trying to get into blogging family stuff on WordPress. Hope he likes it.
“
This is one of the most heavily trafficked librul blogs going. I’ve been wondering whether to send you here for a look at what WP can do, but I think this particular post has several convergent factors that should be of interest:
1. Al Gore– that’s bad.
2. Steal underpants.
3. ???
4. Profit! — that’s good!
5. No government mandates– screw them!
6. Phoenix Woman is a Minnesotan–
7. Can I go now?
Mixing South Park and the Simpsons, there.
“
Brel1 @ 171
Was it via HuffPo? I got redirected to malware.com, clicked cancel, and it took me off-site anyway. Did it’s little scan bs and told me I had 7 Win32 worms. Ouch! I didn’t know Linux could get those! Pissed me off.
lee5 @ 164
Thanks lee
all well and good except the democrats just drop all benefit to renewable energy OUT of the energy bill in Congress. Counting on the current congressional democrats under Reid and Pelosi to do anything right is a fools errand.
.
Back in 1979, Barry Commoner wrote a two-part piece for The New Yorker about the advent of solar power.
As I remember it, he wrote about the high price of solar cells as the major impediment. And he argued persuasively that the U.S. could bring down the price sharply by requiring military installations and government buildings to install solar. The resulting demand would be enough to lower prices to the point where solar would really take off.
Looks like it took 28 years to get the economies of scale, and the lower prices, that Commoner’s strategy might have given us long ago.
pluege @ 175
For Jonathan…
Shadow Cast Over Solar Stocks
Well, at least now there is a “solar market”.
Boston1775 @ 132
There’s a gnarly hill I have to climb to get onto the main drag, but I’ve no problem going into my granny gears to do it.
Neokneme @ 177:
Check out the comments section — there are other factors at work.:
woid @ 176
Carter was trying to implement a similar strategy, but of course Reagan came along and deep-sixed it.
solai @ 151
Yup.
LS @ 9
The best thing is that while it may never be practical for transport, the hydrogen can be turned into fertilizer:
PW — Thanks for the heads up… I read all the FDL comments (e.g. Jonathan) but are there comments in SA’s post? I didn’t see any…
Good tech thread nonetheless. I do solar.
The feed-in power grid is what gets me excited. Imagine an open, decentralized distribution system that will enable every one of us to generate and consume energy from the network. It encourages diversity and the development of alternative energy strategies. If solar works better in Nebraska then use solar and sell the excess you generate back into the system. If wind is better in North Dakota then use your turbine to generate power for your own use and for sale back into the grid. The system is diverse, regionally adaptable, and robust because of the inherent redundancy. (If there should be too many cloudy days or no wind it is more likely to be limited to a particular region and weather pattern. Other regions could be tapped to compensate. Additionally, conventional generation could provide a fall back source of power.)
The other exciting aspect of this is that an open network concept provides a direct incentive for property owners to generate their own power using small-scale sustainable methods and relatively small capital investments. It is a truly self-generating (local and small at first but large and diverse once it is developed) power system that is analogous in structure to the internet. This kind of system avoids the huge investment cost associated with centralized power plants—especially nuclear energy. It does require the utilities to maintain the grid, provide backup and monitor the movement of power. They would make money doing this.
The feed-in power grid is what gets me excited.
Me too.
So where’s all the lead for the storage batteries going to come from? And all the copper for the wiring? The Chinese? Sir Richard Branson? (I hear he’s been investing millions on a system of electricity generation that burns corn to make steam that turns turbines…)
Storage is a key issue. That’s why grid-tie is so important — it distributes the excess production, typically during peak loads.
Another developing alternative is the “ultracapacitor”. Though (currently) limited in terms of energy storage capacity, it could help buffer a household’s worth of usage for a short period.
Instead of lead-acid, we should be using nickel metal hydride or lithium batteries. Here’s why…
40 Million Electric Bikes Spark Environmental Dilemma in China
I don’t know why the process is so wasteful.
Much of the distribution system is in place already.
Another concept is to use automobile battery storage as a massive decentralized storage system. This would require autos to be plugged in when not in use so their batteries are on line, so to speak. This ideas seems quite speculative but interesting none the less. The batteries would need to be part of an economically secured recycling process—which is doable. If each battery is recycled for, say $300, you wont see many in landfills.
Or we could just stick with what we have–Eore.
The price drop makes breakthroughs like this even more exciting:
“A company in Japan has developed a novel way of making solar cells that cuts production costs by as much as 50 percent. The photovoltaic (PV) cells are made up of arrays of thousands of tiny silicon spheres surrounded by hexagonal reflectors.
The key advantage of the system is that it reduces the total amount of silicon required, says Mikio Murozono, president of Clean Venture 21 (CV21), based in Kyoto, Japan. “We use one-fifth of the raw silicon material compared with traditional PV cells,” he says…
CV21’s solution was to place each of the one-millimeter-diameter silicon spheres in its own hexagonal aluminium reflector. These work like car headlights but in reverse, ensuring that any light hitting the reflector is directed toward the sphere. When this approach is used, even the underside of the sphere is utilized. The hexagonal shape of the reflectors allows them to be slotted together without dead space between them. “Effectively, these are mini-concentrators,” says Branz.”
Focusing Light on Silicon Beads, in MIT’s Technology Review
Scoop @ 189
That’s amazing. Thanks!
First, before reading the comments…
It was cold outside and the homeless were freezing on the streets. A local wine shop owner decided to help out with some cheap K-Mart tents.
You could say, it was the vintner of our discount tents.
Boxturtle @ 51
Great point! How low does the Democratic party have to go to force it’s most loyal members into saying, “I’m voting for the lesser of two evils.”?
We need a candidate who is all positive, someone we’ll be proud to vote for and tell our friends about.
Wouldn’t it be great if the default production idea was electric with rechargeable battery backup from solar? How much energy would that save over a year or decade?
To default to oil or coal is to condemn our planet to death.