

  (Source: Recharge News)
Could help the Caribbean island become independent from imported energy







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RE: Good stuff
By HotFoot on 8/18/2010 1:40:19 PM , Rating: 3
A lot of the time I think perhaps we'd do well to build a massive geotherm plant near Yellowstone. There is so much energy in the ground there - perhaps tapping into it to make use of it would be better than waiting for the next super-volcano eruption. Heck, it could even be a preventative measure, if over time the geotherm plant takes enough energy out of the system.

RE: Good stuff
By FITCamaro on 8/18/2010 4:01:09 PM , Rating: 3
Believing that we have the ability to extract enough heat from the Earth to influence pressures inside the Earth is as foolish as believing that we have the ability to ruin the worlds climate with carbon dioxide.

RE: Good stuff
By quiksilvr on 8/18/2010 4:22:08 PM , Rating: 2
Agreed. Is the environment affected by our actions? Yes. And there have been fluctuations in weather climates. But is it enough to destabilize it or ruin it? Hell to the no. The Earth took things way more detrimental than us and it's still running strong.

But going back to your solar/wind comment, I agree that nuclear in the large scale sense is the way to go. But the main problem is public perception. We have been very careless in the past when it comes to nuclear energy (poorly storing waste, meltdown issues, etc.) and it is going to take time to push nuclear.

Is solar and wind inferior? Yes. Does it suck? Not as much. It all depends on the application. Rural areas would greatly benefit from a combination of solar, wind and even geothermal energy. This can not only save rural communities money, it can save a massive amount of maintenance costs (imagine having to deal with power lines those many miles away in the middle of nowhere? Not to mention upgrading them) and alot of time.

There are many applications for all these sources of alternative energy. That's why they exist.

RE: Good stuff

RE: Good stuff
By MikieTImT on 8/21/2010 4:51:39 AM , Rating: 2
The only problem with a geothermal plant in a national park would be to figure out how to transmit the power without having massive high-voltage lines on towers strung through the park. Not too many folks want to pay money to get back to nature just to have wires strung through all their breathtaking photos. It is a big park, though. I've spent a couple of weeks there on two different trips and barely got off the roads, so maybe a transmission line could be sited somewhere out of sight of the majority of patrons. Getting approval through the Sierra Club lawsuits to get any such project approved would be well nigh impossible, though.

