OT: Regarding the debate last night.....

[repete86]

It is, but it flows to the Gulf of California, not the Gulf of Mexico.

[MnFocus]

Ha True Dat !!

[Hockey4mnhs]

solar wind i dont care how long or how much i just want it

[kps]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

i would have no problem having a wind generator built on my property...

Me neither, as long as I could mount antennas on top... but I'd rather have a reactor. That would be a nice toy.

[cfg83]

Matt -

Originally Posted by Matt Timion

I honestly think that America should be more Norway (I think it's Norway) that has hundreds of miniature power plants everywhere.

Each neighborhood has it's own power plant. It makes rolling blackouts a thing of the past.

Yeah for Norway! I wish we had their Scandinavian Social Democratic ways also.

You reminded me of something else. Japan has a subsidized fuel cell home generation system.

Residential Fuel Cells Nearly a Commercial Reality
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/csr/en/high...4/fuelcell.htm

FCs work on the principle of the reverse electrolysis of water. This involves a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen that can be harnessed to produce electricity. Since the only by-product is water, the process is completely non-polluting. The efficiency of power generation is also high because the process converts the chemical energy in the fuel (hydrogen) directly into electricity. The heat generated by the reaction can also be used to heat water. This combination raises total thermal efficiency above 80%. In addition to cutting fuel bills, the CO2 emissions of an FC are 30-40% lower compared with the combination of gas and electric power.

Here's another :

FUEL CELLS FOR THE HOME
Energy of the Future Could Be Available Next Year (July 23, 2003)
http://web-japan.org/trends/science/sci030723.html

I don't know the current status of the system in Japan. It costs something like $6000 after the subsidy.

CarloSW2