Tag Archives: fossil fuels

Politicians Refuse to Tell Us Their Thoughts…

Posted on September 2, 2012 by

Sciencedebate.org is trying to get someone… anyone in the US congress to answer some questions.  But they are refusing. Sigh… so much for transparency in government. The sad part is the senators and reps on this list are the chairs … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Debate, Environment, Government, Science, Skepticism, Society | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

A Totally New Way to Get Solar Power

Posted on November 22, 2011 by

Everyone knows that solar power is great.  No fuel, easy to install, scalable, etc. The problem is that it is not very efficient.  The absolute best production photovoltaic panel is less than 20% efficient.  That means that only about 20% … Continue reading →

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I’m in Lust with all the Teslas

Posted on August 17, 2011 by

Yes, I’ve fallen in love.  With two actually.  They are both stunningly gorgeous, smart, and sexy as hell. I’m referring of course, to the Tesla Roadster and the Tesla S sedan. This video isn’t much, but it does show the … Continue reading →

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There Goes the Real World, Fracking with our Perceptions

Posted on July 31, 2011 by

I’ve been grumpy lately and I’m pretty tired of dealing with the crap.  But it does bring to mind something that I read from Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame).*  Allow me to paraphrase. Ask all the smartest people in the … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, Culture, Debate, Environment, Government, Ideas, Prediction, renewable energy, Science, Skepticism, Society, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Global Warmer – A Primer 3 – The Carbon Cycle

Posted on July 26, 2011 by

You know, I may have jumped the gun a bit.  But no worries, let’s get some more information about carbon and such down right now.  And here’s the big question: Why are fossil fuels bad for the environment (in terms … Continue reading →

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Global Warming – A Primer part 2

Posted on July 23, 2011 by

In part 1, we established the planet Earth is increasing in temperature.  One thing we didn’t specifically touch on, but should be obvious from looking at the charts is that the average global temperature is increasing faster than at any … Continue reading →

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Flywheels For Stable Power

Posted on June 3, 2011 by

Beacon Power has just announced that their flywheel-based power stabilization system is at 18 Megawatts of stored power and about to hit the target of 20 MW by the end of June. This is a fantastic concept and I think … Continue reading →

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Alternative Fuels Don’t Help with Global Warming

Posted on May 20, 2011 by

A lot of people are buying alternative fueled vehicles and so are cities, counties, major businesses etc. On the one side, this is a good thing because it reduces pollution.  Most of these vehicles are powered by propane (C3H8).  There’s … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, Culture, Education, Environment, Prediction, Science, Society | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Economic Comparison – Gas vs Electric Vehicles

Posted on April 28, 2011 by

This is just some back of the envelope calculations that I was thinking about on the way home from work today. We’re comparing the most fuel-efficient hybrid, the most fuel-efficient conventional, and the only pure EV we have data on.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Skepticism | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Electric Semi-Trailer Rigs

Posted on April 27, 2011 by

Why not? Let’s look at some numbers. A diesel engine for a semi weighs in at between 2000 and 3000 pounds.  The horsepower ranges from 250hp to over 600hp.  Torque ranges from 1000 ft-lbs to over 2000 ft-lbs.  Fuel ranges from … Continue reading →

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