Hi Horace,
Makes sense, won't work
Why? Because our nation has a fuel use addiction. It has taken 60 full
years for society to become addicted. Fuel use excesses over this length of
time become so ingrained that culture is actually modified. This habit
began forming at the end of WW2. Prior to WW2, only cities had electric
power, few owned autos. We went to bed at dark.
No amount of reasoning can change the culture of excessive use of energy.
City lights remain on all night. Auto traffic does not cease all night.
Attempting to reconcile this fact with my childhood experience where we had
no electricity or auto is impossible.
However , there is a solution to most addictions. Remove the addictive
substance.The cold turkey method cannot be permitted, so the addiction
will continue until it becomes prohibitively expensive due to shortages of
supply or no more money is available to purchase. It appears society has
chosen a combination of the two solutions. I deliberately left out the
obvious solution, self discipline and imagineering for pending crisis
because no society has ever been capable of acting in their own best
interest. That leaves the individual to look out for himself.... which is
exactly what is taking place.
The solution becomes like the joke about the different ways a switchman can
prevent a railroad collision. When all remedies are exhausted, call your
sister to come see the wreck.
Richard
----- Original Message -----
From: "Horace Heffner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <vortex-l@eskimo.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 6:41 PM
Subject: An Energy Business Idea
One of the problems with developing and selling wind and solar energy is
the variability of these sources. Typically, alternative energy
companies are small and horizontally organized. Many solar and wind
companies have failed, in part due to the inability to market power that
is not dependably deliverable, and in part due to variability in
government support.
The variability in delivery problem may in part be solved by use of
improved energy storage and transportation means. See:
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/HotCold.pdf
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/BigPicture.pdf
However, much of the reliable delivery problem can be immediately solved
simply through effective business strategy and business synergies. The
solution is a vertical integration approach. By diversifying energy
sources, the reliability of delivery is increased, and great technical
synergy is possible. By owning energy transmission systems, the delivery
strategy can be optimized with reduced exposure to external manipulative
schemes.
Wind companies should, during build-up of capacity, also acquire or build
conventional generating capacity for the purpose of smoothing energy
deliveries. Small methane fueled jet engine powered electric plants
might be a viable way to build this capacity. Energy delivery
reliability can also be improved by buying or building alternative power
sources, like solar, or biofuel generating plants. Merger with existing
power generating utilities may make sense, and should be facilitated and
expedited by regulatory commissions when application is made.
Wind farms can readily be used to store energy in the form of liquified
air. This capacity, combined with heat storage plus waste heat from a
nearby peak load generating facility, can dramatically increase the
efficiency of that facility, as well as the energy storage capability of
the overall plant. There are many synergies that can exploit existing
technology through vertical integration.
A large new source of reliable power, deliverable in the form
electricity, can readily be absorbed. Home heating can easily and
cheaply be upgraded and augmented by electric heaters and utility managed
network based control systems that optimize use of the generating,
transmission and distribution systems. Electric vehicle technology is
close to being deliverable in a big way.
The remaining problem, variability in government support, can only be
attacked by reaching the critical mass required to support adequate
lobbying.
A solid business plan and big financing may be the key to quickly
cracking the energy nut. Alternatively, a mutually formed business
consortium or even merger of alternative energy producers and
manufacturers might be achieved to take advantage of the dramatic and
obvious economies of scale and synergies available. The profit potential
dwarfs most alternatives.
Horace Heffner
