Actually the reason is business. Without a guaranteed quick return only the solar energy companies like Solarex can make a profit off the stuff. And don't think that pouring more R & D dollars will get the efficiency much over the low percentage conversions now available. NASA pays for extensive research and engineering projects in that area as space is still the number one priority for it. Not to mention the Sierra Club would most likely sue to keep all the solar panels from covering all the acreage you would need to make it work. Fusion would be a better solution so instead of trying to harness a small percentage of the sun's fusion it would be better just to do it here. Would save the large areas we'd have to chop down to cover with solar panels. My vote is to get all the commuters off the road into some kind of mass transit so those of us who enjoy high performance driving can have the roads all to ourselves. Kent Gittings
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of aimcompute Sent: Monday, December 03, 2001 9:31 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: OT ot OT Re: SUV's - was: Illegal Street Photography? Funny Juan. Solar energy has always been a fascination of mine since about 7th grade. In 10th I did a Science Fair project using the phase change principle. A triangular shaped box made of insulated door material. The front had a double-paned glass door. Inside was black and suspended in it were about 10 aluminum tunes, also black. Inside each tube was Glauber's Salt, a solid, about 50% full. Glauber's Salt melts (liquefies) at about (if memory is correct) 96 degrees F. Upon cooling it recrystallizes (solidifies) and releases the stored heat. I had a fan on the upper back side that blew air out a vent in the bottom. I could get 80 - 90 air out of thing for 4-5 hours after recyrsatllization started. I ended up getting 3rd place in the district science fair. I think I answered a judge's question wrong. He asked me if I considered it a science project or an engineering project. I said science. I determined the next day I was wrong. About 10 years later, several mfr.'s. in the US came out with almost identical items, that were window boxes designed to be greenhouses. The Sun's energy is free,clean, and virtually unlimited. There's only one reason the necessary R&D hasn't been put into to making it available at a reasonable cost to most consumers, for almost any purpose. There's to many financial incentives at the time, not to do it. Tom C. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Juan J. Buhler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 03, 2001 6:49 PM Subject: Re: SUV's - was: Illegal Street Photography? > On Mon, 3 Dec 2001, aimcompute wrote: > > > If converted at 100% > > efficiency, the energy falling on 1 square mile of Arizona desert in a > > 24-hour period, could power the USA for a year. > > Wow. Where is this place and does the sunny 16 rule apply there? > > :-) > > (sorry, couldn't resist) > > > -- > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - > Juan J. Buhler | Sr. FX Animator @ PDI | Photos at http://www.jbuhler.com > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. www.mimesweeper.com ********************************************************************** - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
