Alternative Energy Crap

I always get a kick out of the withdrawn mindset that Alaska is caught up in. Today it is all about alternative energy. Is anybody out there a realist and serious about this besides Deb Williams, president of Alaska Conservation Solutions? Why am I so serious about the seriousness of this possibility? Because when you see “pork” infiltrating to make even the “alternative” viable, think twice as it is already slated for failure. Take for instance the Chena Hot Springs geothermal mess. Sure it is a mess, as the only reason it is running and generating a farts worth of heat recovery and some electrical demands is to get the regulators to insist on Golden Valley Electric running a high-voltage power line to that area of recreation. What is wrong with that? The entire rate-paying community will pay for it, so it costs a bunch but benefits a few. See, the geothermal experiment was just that, an experiment paid for by the taxpayers. Sure it works, but when one considers its success on the economy of scale, it fails for sure in the “Alternative Energy” category. In fact the company that designed the components for heat recovery did it for a reduced sum of money, as it was the only way to visit this reverse process science. It works just the opposite the Carnot air-conditioning cycle, as the thermal advantage found underground in the Chena area is very limited – to the point it is a disadvantage for this kind of renewable energy alternative. So it required new technology. Will it have a future in Alaska? I doubt it as it is yet another pie-in-the-face project, basically a joke when it comes to the seriousness of energy needs. And the taxpayers paid for a modern building and the salaries of some guys who have nothing better to do then think they are providing a solution to this nation’s energy dilemma. And all those successful wind turbine experiments along Alaska’s coastline, well many of the turbines have to be shut-down when unpredictable wind gusts are present. Which can occur anytime of the day and anytime of the year. In fact, the downtime due to bad weather is more then the generating time. And what about the wind turbines that have succumbed to destructive wind forces, again unpredictable, when the blades couldn’t be turned off and what was blowing in the wind blew the entire project to smithereens. And solar panels in Nome? How much light in the winter? It is a freak’n joke played out at the expense of the taxpayers. Bottom line, we need to conserve if we plan on getting out of this energy quagmire of a mess. We cannot continue to consume on a daily basis horrendous amounts of climate changing crap! Hey, I am all for alternative energy. But we are way behind the curve here in Alaska when it comes to looking out for the future. See, we had the money and interest a long time ago, but did nothing. Why? Because at that time there existed cheap resources. And let us face the facts. Alternative energy doesn’t bring in the profit windfalls associated with crude oil and natural gas exploitation and distribution. Now, with the resources almost depleted, so is the money to move forward with alternative energy research. The pork chops I am talking about. Bottom line, if a project is viable for success, if the promoters are willing to invest their very own time and their very own money and very own energy instead of yours and mine, then the bankers will also get involved - with loans. That is what made America great. People would get an idea then through sweat equity, take and make that dream a reality. When Uncle Sam is there to give handouts that don’t require a return - zero accountability lending in the form of grants - and it doesn’t require investing one’s own sweat equity, there is really no incentive to make things work. Wind and tidal energy has been thought about since statehood here in Alaska and infrastructures have been designed on paper, deemed workable but no interest to go forward. Turnagain Arm was researched for water surface wind turbines back in the 70’s, but the bankers laughed at the idea because the state wouldn’t permit eyesores upon the water! And the state bureaucrats consider wind a resource, so it has to be royaltyized! There has been wasted enough wind power to generate ¼ of Anchorage’s energy needs in the years gone bye-bye. Without the state taking a stand to promote permitting, the bankers ran for cover. And there was the C-sep project in Valdez’s Ship Creek basin that would have provided 180 million-watts of electricity by sucking natural gas liquids off of the pipeline. The project backers couldn’t get a commitment from the oil companies. Why? It would have opened up the books as to how much that commodity when shipped down the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline was really worth. That is something the oil interests’ were not interested in getting public attention upon. Then there was the additional 30million-watts from the reduction turbine at the bottom of Thompson’s Pass in Valdez. This was all designed into the original pipeline design. The reduction turbine would steal energy away from the momentum of oil racing down the pass, for free! That would have meant about 200 MILLION WATTS of somewhat free energy for the Alaska grid. Enough to power 200000 households, or 2/3rds of Anchorage. For cheap. But no! So the reduction turbine was never incorporated and the C-sep possibility went to the graveyard. So for years all of that natural gas liquid stuff has been sent aloft, zero recovery. I guess pollution is better then recovery? And get this, for those now taking an interest in “Alternative Energy”. It is called “lead time”, defined as the time required to procure necessary components for viable alternative energy projects. Wind Turbines: 3-years. Reverse Cycle geothermal: Undetermined as it is not a proven technology. Solar Cells: 3-years. So today I go to vote. No, I won’t vote for the school bonds. If it were a raise for the teachers, “yeh” would be my vote. But to continue to spend more money on schools that have a life expectancy equal to a birch tree leaf, it is yet another waste of money. And who makes out on these bonds? Surely not the teachers or the students, most likely the design groups that get millions to design schools. Why not come up with one design that meets all requirements for the next 100-years? Then pay the architects a one-time fee and be done with them, that’s how to save money. Anyway, alternative energy, solar and wind and tidal is something that should have been dealt with when this sate had a green light to install such an infrastructure. We didn’t. We wasted money on “Crap” projects that have not done anything worthwhile for the cause. When one looks at the billions spent for this and for that, it is not amusing. In fact, it is sickening to say the least. As the winds continue to blow, many states are already on the bandwagon for alternative ways and means. As they have been planning instead of acting like a bunch of crybabies gone corrupt. Wind farms are sprouting up in Texas, Colorado, Washington and Oregon. Many lower 48 coastal communities are already way past the permitting stage for tidal and surface wind turbine power generation. The backlog of components is still a problem but at least they are acting towards sustainable “alternative energy” realization. So even if this state was serious, we are way behind the 8-ball. And as far as solar, hey this is Alaska. Sure we have a hell of a lot of light during the summer months, but that is wherein the problem exists. It is in the wintertime that calls for energy consumption beyond our needs and desires. Tidal power hasn’t generated that much interest, as it is still in the experimental arena. So we wait and pay dearly to heat our houses and fuel our vehicles. To bad Anchorage didn’t have a friendly mass transit system. But soon this city’s harbor will have a high-speed amphibious assault vessel – the U.S.S. Don Young – that is a waste and should be retired to the bone yard to just rust away. Think about how many wind turbines that 40-million could have purchased. In fact, it would have covered the entire cost of constructing a wind farm on Fire Island. Alaska, not a gold rush mentality, but a pork addiction “we don’t care about the future” mentality wherein “alternative” is just a joke.

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