tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580682852993585427.post3180756670263186758..comments2023-10-23T12:32:16.375-05:00Comments on Real Energy: Facile FablesChris Dudleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14124764472206647347noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580682852993585427.post-79156060222790572092007-07-26T11:06:00.000-05:002007-07-26T11:06:00.000-05:00Welcome and please read on. You'll see that I'm v...Welcome and please read on. You'll see that I'm very pro-business. The places where I am critical are situations where the playing field is made uneven by corporate structure. <BR/><BR/>I think you'll notice that I do not critisize military use of nuclear power. The waste produced there can be unmade without straining our energy budget. It makes a lot of sense to seperate what we are defending from how we defend it. There are strong reasons to make more managable logistics a part of defence while at the same time not spoiling what is being defended with overwhelming amounts of nuclear waste. These problems make civilian nuclear power very expensive, and much more expensive than renewables. However, corporate structures, which manage to shift off the responsibility for insuring against accidents and dealing with the waste disposal on to the public, create market distortions which keep nuclear power prices artifically low and thus impede adoption of renewables. A similar thing happens when we defend golobal energy security rather than seek energy independence to assuage corporate interests. In may ways, corporate business is no longer business but rather political manipulation and patronage. <BR/><BR/>I feel physics is very helpful in understanding energy issues, but what has surprised me is how much biology I've needed to learn. I have never fully appreciated how facinating the subject is. When I read about the quantum treatment of <A HREF="http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/04/quantum_photosy.html" REL="nofollow">photosynthesis</A>, my standard prejudices are reenforced: It's all physics anyway. But then I look into the energy potential for using slime molds and I get a <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loren_Eiseley" REL="nofollow">Loren Eisely</A> moment. What turns out to be the biggest energy issue is that we must fit in with the ecosystem and where our energy use causes damage, we need to make changes.Chris Dudleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14124764472206647347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580682852993585427.post-53028447103725328392007-07-25T22:33:00.000-05:002007-07-25T22:33:00.000-05:00Too bad you are a green.Because if you thought in ...Too bad you are a green.<BR/><BR/>Because if you thought in terms of profit what you want would be easier to accomplish.<BR/><BR/>Think of the illegal drug market (I'm against prohibition), you can't stop it because it is profitable.<BR/><BR/>The only way to advance renewables (I'm Naval Nuke Qualified and yet the thought of all those neutrons and plutonium running lose does not make me a happy camper) is to make them cheaper than the alternatives. <BR/><BR/>With your physics background you ought to be able to pitch in.<BR/><BR/>Feel free to contact me. Power and Control is my main blog.M. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.com