Quote:What I don't get is why your average person wants to believe that Global Warming isn't real so badly.  A switch to a renewable energy source would be a good thing for so many reasons.  Including the jobs that it creates, as well as the lower prices.  Reliance on foreign oil, and oil at all is a problem, regardless of whether you believe in Global Warming or not.  A more efficient source of energy would serve the average person in so many ways.

 

First off, so-called renewable energy is not really renewable. Solar panels have to be replaced every 15 years, and maintained regularly. Windmills are just as bad; try finding a working windmill over 10 years old that hasn't essentially been completely rebuilt.


 

http://notrickszone.com/2011/07/04/weed-...years-old/

 

Solar and wind are also costly, from 2-4 times the cost of coal (even worse compared to natural gas). And that doesn't even include the fact that because they are intermittent they have to be backed up by normal (fossil fuel) plants running at at least half-power continuously. They are also
 more damaging to the environment. Google Chinese Neodymium Mining.' Neodymium is necessary for the magnets in the windmill generators. And windmills kill endangered eagles and bats. In the US there is only one legal way to kill a bald eagle, by using a windmill.

 

While foreign oil is a valid concern, oil is not even a consideration in this discussion. 'Renewables' do not replace oil. You can't drive a car on solar or wind power. You can use them to recharge an electric ($50K or more) car but the energy density of batteries is far below that of gasoline, and solar is useless if you want to recharge at night. I'm all for research in improved battery technology, but let's not waste money taken by force from hard working people on electric cars until the battery problem is solved first.

 

While we're on the topic of foreign oil imports, the Department of Energy was created in the late '70s with one goal, to make the US self sufficient in energy. After 35 years of failure, isn't it time to close it down?

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