Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Geoffrey B. Small

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Geoffrey B. Small
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2007
    • 618

    Then, there is Germany's phenomenal progress...

    Across Germany many communities and small towns have discovered that they don't need big utility or energy companies at all any more. For example, Ursula Sladek, is a housewife who powered a green revolution. A former teacher with no formal business qualifications, Ursula Sladek now cuts an unusual figure as the head of a major electricity company. But then her company, the Schonau Power Supply (EWS) -- based in the hills of a remote German town -- is not your typical electricity supplier. Founded by Sladek and a few friends in 1991, to protest and fight the building of nuclear plants around them, EWS is a citizen-owned co-operative that powers 120,000 homes across Germany, using only sustainable energy supplies...
    A former teacher with no formal business qualifications, Ursula Sladek cuts an unusual figure as the head of a major electricity company.


    Then there is Wildpoldsried, a small town in Germany that now creates its own 4 million euro surplus by having committed to renewable energies. It produces 321 percent more energy than it needs and is generating $5.7 million in annual revenue — a remarkable accomplishment for a modest farming community that has been able to invest in new municipal infrastructure without going into debt...


    There is also Germany's Sonnenschiff solar city, which produces 4 times more energy than it consumes…. http://inhabitat.com/sonnenschiff-so...ergy-it-needs/

    And Juhnde is another town becoming fully energy autonomous using biomass… http://discovermagazine.com/photos/1...german-village



    Indeed, it is this incredible grass-roots democratization potential of renewable energies that so threatens and terrifies the existing established energy oligarchies (much of which are based upon American energy companies and their extensive use of US military power to preserve and maintain their interests), which is driving their war against them being used on a worldwide level that could veritably save the planet and our species from extinction. But inspite of their efforts, the revolution goes on- aided by the lowering costs, increased efficiencies and productivity, and quicker startup capabilities of renewables.

    Yet one more example is in Australia, where a new study from Bloomberg has just concluded that even unsubsidized renewables are now cheaper than coal and gas… http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/rene...ustralia-62268

    And in Spain, over the last three months wind farms produced more electricity than any other power source in Spain for the first time. The performance means wind energy exceeded output from both nuclear and coal-fired power stations and represents more than a quarter of Spain's total power generation… http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...y-record-spain

    The city on New York, CUNY and the Department of Energy are using tools lto encourage solar installation and ease the grid's burden. Solar panels on NYC's available rooftop areas can provide up to 49% of the city's electricity needs...
    View the latest business news about the world’s top companies, and explore articles on global markets, finance, tech, and the innovations driving us forward.


    Solar was already found to be cheaper than nuclear back in 2010 in a landmark study by Duke University that was meekly covered (with a flurry of protest from the nuclear lobby) in the New York Times. Nevertheless, inspire of the apologetic "corrections and addendums added later after nuclear industry pressure on the newspaper, the piece known as "the Historic Crossover" pointed out key trends in costs of nuclear vs. solar power, that are proving to be true more and more over time. References here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/bu...ht-renuke.html
    Historic Crossover addtional story:


    And the price of solar panels is projected to drop even further- down to $1 in 2013. An Ernst & Young analysis report forecasts suggests that falling solar and rising fossil fuel prices could make large-scale installations cost-competitive without any government support within a decade...
    Ernst & Young analysis suggests that falling solar and rising fossil fuel prices could make large-scale installations cost-competitive without government support within a decade


    And lets not forget efficiency

    A recent study in London concluded that some 70 percent of the world's energy consumption could be saved simply with better designed housing and buildings. I repeat 70 percent of our energy consumption in the world is being wasted now. In general, up to 75% of the electricity used in the U.S. today could be saved with efficiency measures that cost less than the electricity itself. The same holds true for home-owners, leaky ducts have remained an invisible energy culprit for years. In fact, researchers at the US Department of Energy and their consortium, Residential Energy Efficient Distribution Systems (REEDS) have found that duct efficiency may be as low as 50-70%. The US Department of Energy has stated that there is potential for energy saving in the magnitude of 90 Billion kWh by increasing home energy efficiency. see... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficient_energy_use

    So, if you want to make the world safe from environmental energy-related catastrophes, save money and create jobs, get efficient. For example, for half the cost of replacing one single nuclear power plant, we can retrofit 1.6 million U.S. homes for energy efficiency saving the equivalent amount energy of what the new nuke plant would produce (when and if it finally got on line) AND create 220,000 new jobs - that's 90 times more jobs than you'd get from a power plant replacement. (source EnergySavvy.com)

    And then there is "Garbage Warrior" Architect Micheal Reynold's incredible Earthship technology work over the past 4 decades that is now able to build and offer incredibly-efficient totally-sustainable buildings that radically reduce energy and resource consumption to an unprecedented historical level. Total annual utility costs per year for one of his buildings are less than a 100 dollars. I repeat less than a 100 bucks a year in utilities. Quite simply, if we build a billion of them in the next 5 years, we would solve most of the world's problems. I believe he is the true designer of this new century bar none, and I provide a stack of links on his amazing work and career here...

    New Mexico residents are trying to a break free from Los Alamos’ nuclear legacy by creating more environmentally sound ways of living. At the forefront of this struggle is renegade architect Michael Reynolds, creator of radically sustainable living options through a process called “Earthship Biotecture.” Reynolds’ solar homes are created from natural and recycled materials, including aluminum cans, plastic bottles and used tires. These off-the-grid homes minimize their reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels by harnessing their energy from the sun and wind turbines. In Taos, New Mexico, Reynolds gives us a tour of one of the sustainable-living homes he created. [includes rush transcript]


    Sundance Film Movie trailer
    The epic story of radical Earthship eco architect Michael Reynolds, and his fight to build off-the-grid self-sufficient communities.


    Sundance Movie full-length
    Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.


    Earthship Global Model: Radically Sustainable Buildings.
    Earthship Webinars happening weekly:https://earthshipbiotecture.com/earthship-archive/webinars/Super Sustainable Buildings via Thermal Dynamics & Passive Sol...


    Earthship Biotecture on the Weather Channel
    Episode 128: "Alternative Homes"Original Air Date: 2007-08-25Take a tour through a unique community in Taos, New Mexico. It features eco-friendly homes that ...


    Tour of the amazing Phoenix Earthship
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTnqb...ayer_embedded#!

    Earthships 101 part I
    Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & i...


    Walk through an Earthship
    Luxury off grid living. The temperature outside plunged to -20 degrees, but the home stayed comfortably between 60-70 degrees the entire week.



    So if we combine renewable energy expansion seriously with efficiency technologies: you and I and our families and all their offspring for generations to come are all set to live well and live sustainably on this planet for the next thousand years... if the oil, gas, nuke, media and paid politician interests don't prevent us from doing so.

    Comment

    • Geoffrey B. Small
      Senior Member
      • Nov 2007
      • 618

      And finally, I think we also need to address the fact that nuclear energy is not at all carbon-free...

      From the mining to the processing to the transport of the fuel to the cleanup and decommissioning of plants, enormous amounts of energy are required and carbon emitted to make the total nuclear chain happen. This is constantly omitted by media and industry from the public's awareness. The nuclear CO2 lie is what it is. It is not at all "carbon-free." A full life cycle analysis (LCA) carried out by Jan Willem Storm van Leeuwen and Philip Smith came to the following result: Electricity from atomic energy emits 90 to 140 g CO2 per kWh of electricity produced. [NOTE: Solar power, water power and wind power: emit only 10 - 40g CO2 per kWh] And a lot depends on the mining and grade of ore used to get the Uranium. The relatively high range of uncertainty is due to the different grade of ores used. It depends on how rich the ores are that are used to obtain the Uranium. For poor ores, the higher value applies and for rich ores, the lower value applies. This leads to an key issue: The world-wide reserves for Uranium are a very limited resource (ever wonder why we are backing the french military war in Mali all of a sudden? Mali has large reserves of Uranium). It is estimated to last for about 50 to 70 years with the current demand. If additional nuclear reactors are built, the supply will last correspondingly shorter. The higher the demand for Uranium, the more and more poor ores will have to be processed. This however will lead to a CO2 balance for atomic power which gets worse and worse over time. Storm and Smith came to the conclusion, that between the years 2050 (if additional nuclear power stations are built) and 2075 (no additional nuclear reactors) the "CO2 emissions of electricity from atomic energy will be higher as the same electricity produced by a gas burning plant. So, nuclear energy can definitely not be the solution to mitigate the effects of global warming." article here: http://timeforchange.org/co2-emissio...ns-electricity


      For another example, let's look at the fuel cycle... the Paducah uranium enrichment plant in Kentucky which formerly made nuclear bomb material and now makes lower-grade nuclear fuel for reactors, produces a larger carbon footprint than the output from the largest coal plant in North America (in fact it requires 2 coal-fired power plants full-time to keep it running), yet some people out there still think that nuclear power is carbon free. The gaseous diffusion plant covers 750 acres (300 ha) of a 3,425 acre (1,386 ha) site. The four process buildings cover 74 acres (30 ha), and consume a peak electrical demand of a whopping 3,040 megawatts. How's that for a carbon footprint? The greenhouse gases produced here are 1500 times more damaging than regular CO2s. The plant also produces 93% of the CFC 114 produced in the United States that has been damaging the ozone layer for over a century. CFC's are 9800 times more global warming per pound than carbon. So while a nuclear power plant may not emit carbon from its nuclear fission-based reaction operations, the fuel required to achieve the fission reaction offers a completely different story. More here…







      So that is my position. We do not need nuclear or fossil fuels any more- just accelerated implementation of renewables and efficiency. Everything about it is win-win. The only problem is that we are all being held back by a small minority of vested interests (very big companies) who are still making a lot of money by keeping us trapped in early 20th century infrastructure, economy and technologies with the help of government, military and media power that they can buy at the drop of a hat. Remember, Exxon alone reports net income of as much as 10 billion dollars a quarter and has replaced Apple again as the world's biggest corporation. So we are on our own to solve the problem using whatever means we have available. I have tried to provide as many sources as possible for your reference. Hope this is helpful. Meantime, am trying to post up Persuade pieces soon in between getting deliveries out to our worldwide accounts.

      Thanks again for your post and best of luck with your new design projects.


      Best wishes,


      Geoffrey








      .

      Comment

      • Chinorlz
        Senior Member
        • Sep 2006
        • 6422

        Geoffrey,

        Thank you so much for the extremely well written response. It really sheds like not only on the subject but also helps me see your work in a different way.

        You are certainly right in regards to the need to transition to more eco-friendly energy sources. It is unfortunate that evolution in that sense is inevitably artificially slowed by those that have vested interest in things staying the way they are currently. The same ideas apply to cars and how many miles per gallon can be achieved, but the increase in gas efficiency has been quite slow and many speculate that there is some hold-back by oil companies and corporations. True or false, I'm not sure but it certainly makes one think about things a little more.

        All the best my friend and looking forward to your continued work!
        www.AlbertHuangMD.com - Digital Portfolio Of Projects & Designs

        Merz (5/22/09):"i'm a firm believer that the ultimate prevailing logic in design is 'does shit look sick as fuck' "

        Comment

        • Geoffrey B. Small
          Senior Member
          • Nov 2007
          • 618

          Thanks so much Albert and same to you, new stuff coming up...

          Comment

          • Geoffrey B. Small
            Senior Member
            • Nov 2007
            • 618

            New Works for Persuade in Bilbao Part III Special pieces for a special place










            Last edited by Geoffrey B. Small; 03-21-2013, 04:56 AM.

            Comment

            • Geoffrey B. Small
              Senior Member
              • Nov 2007
              • 618

              New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)










              Last edited by Geoffrey B. Small; 03-21-2013, 05:14 AM.

              Comment

              • Geoffrey B. Small
                Senior Member
                • Nov 2007
                • 618

                New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)










                Comment

                • Geoffrey B. Small
                  Senior Member
                  • Nov 2007
                  • 618

                  New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)









                  Last edited by Geoffrey B. Small; 03-21-2013, 05:14 AM.

                  Comment

                  • Geoffrey B. Small
                    Senior Member
                    • Nov 2007
                    • 618

                    New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)









                    Comment

                    • Geoffrey B. Small
                      Senior Member
                      • Nov 2007
                      • 618

                      New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)










                      Comment

                      • Geoffrey B. Small
                        Senior Member
                        • Nov 2007
                        • 618

                        New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)














                        Sorry, we have some work to deal with in the workrooms and need to take a quick break from posting.
                        Thanks for your patience. Will be back with more pieces coming up soon...

                        Comment

                        • Geoffrey B. Small
                          Senior Member
                          • Nov 2007
                          • 618

                          New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)

                          OK we're back and posting again, thank you for your patience...










                          Comment

                          • Geoffrey B. Small
                            Senior Member
                            • Nov 2007
                            • 618

                            New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)









                            Comment

                            • Geoffrey B. Small
                              Senior Member
                              • Nov 2007
                              • 618

                              New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)









                              Comment

                              • Geoffrey B. Small
                                Senior Member
                                • Nov 2007
                                • 618

                                New Works for Persuade Part III: Special pieces for a special place (continued)








                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X
                                😀
                                🥰
                                🤢
                                😎
                                😡
                                👍
                                👎