An example of efficiency is a job we are doing now. This is at the Huntington Mall which is undergoing a major remodel. This project will cost in the $12m range, but will actually have a payback of around 7 years if my understanding is correct. Does anything else need to be said about efficiency?
Kevin Fooce fooce@hotmail.com 304-751-1448 work 304-675-6687 home 304-593-2875 cell
Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:02:31 -0400 From: jkotcon@wvu.edu To: fmoose39@hotmail.com; fyoung@mountain.net; wvhcboard@yahoogroups.com CC: ec@osenergy.org; wvec-board@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [EC] [WVHCBOARD] The cost of wind and solar energy
The author makes some subtle but incorrect/biased assumptions. A critical one is that, while "Small" may be "beautiful", the author assumes that all renewables will come from industrial scale facilities, which requires industrial scale infrastructure, powerlines, etc. But dispersed generation such as home-scale solar panes and windmills can make a significant contribution without requiring the land use or infrastructure he describes.
Of course, the real answer has to be energy efficiency. Instead of investing billions into industrial-scale renewables, we should invest the majority of those funds in energy efficiency now. The money saved could then lead to on-site generation and largely eliminate the need for new power plants, gas, nuke or otherwise.
Unfortunately, a massive build-out of industrial scale renewables will not avert climate change. The resource being harvested is too diffuse, and it can not keep up with the ever-increasing demand for electricity. A 10-year mass deployment effort could still only generate a fraction of the electricity needed, and by then demand will have swallowed up all that generation. The key has to be to create an ever-increasing demand for efficiency to REDUCE total electricity demand. The good news is that this can be done faster, cheaper, cleaner and safer than any other energy alternative.
JBK
kevin fooce fmoose39@hotmail.com 6/8/2011 7:06 PM >>>