FW: Globalization of electricity [RE-wrenches]

[Michael Welch, Home Power]

The problem I see with this proposal (other than it is fairly off-topic and I will soon be asking that we leave it behind) is that it still will have to rely on either a corporate (most likely) or government-like structure to operate and maintain it. It will tend to encourage large-scale power plants along the backbone of the system rather than small scale distributed energy systems. It would foster third-world dependence on multinational corporations. Of course, that is exactly what Al Gore and his corporate globalization cronies would like to see.

Any lip service to the contrary would likely be just that. Once the backbone is in, just TRY to get the big corps. to leave their dirty new power plants off it. All you installing dealers would end up working for wages for Siemens, Bechtel, Shell, and other multinational contractors. We will be changing the name of our magazine to Global Power magazine.

Eric Smiley wrote at 12:20 PM 10/18/2001 -0700:
  

>>Forecasts are that in the year 2000, energy demands will be the
>equivalent of
>>14 billion barrels of crude oil per year. To meet this requirement, 800
>km
>>square of solar cells would be needed, assuming a conversion efficiency
>of
>>10%.
>
>Wow, 800 km square of solar cells! Installing 800 million 100 watt PV
>modules (or 80 000 MW of PV) will keep a lot of wrenches busy.
>
>But I had to ask myself, "Is it feasible?"
>
>Well, if we assume the growth in PV manufacturing continues at 30% per
>year. It will only take about 17 or 18 years to reach 80 GW of installed
>PV. A tad optimistic perhaps?
>
>If we assume only 10% growth, it still takes less than 40 years.
>And 5% growth gives us less than 70 years.
>And 3% still gives less than 90 years.
>
>I hope my math is correct
>
>Thanks Joel,maybe we can change the world.
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Eric Smiley
>Project Leader - BCIT Technology Centre
>NE25-3700 Willingdon Ave. Burnaby, BC V5G 3H2
>ph: (604)432-8657  esmiley at bcit.ca  www.tc.bcit.ca
>
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Michael Welch
  
------------------------
"Time is the greatest teacher. Unfortunately it kills all its students"
			Hector Berlioz
        
Michael Welch, michael.welch at homepower.com www.homepower.com
     Managing Editor, Home Power magazine
     Office Coordinator, Redwood Alliance
     (Not HP mag numbers) 707-822-7884 fax: 707-822-3481

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