GEPocrisy

I wrote an blog awhile ago about the benefits of enhanced CO2 levels in greenhouses.  Of course, the benefits aren't limited to greenhouses, but apply to the whole world.  Elevated levels of CO2 increase the growth and vigor of plants.  What's not to like about that, unless you are a malignant Malthusian misanthrope masquerading as an environmentalist?

Anyway, I was researching gas turbines for electricity production for my city and ran across this from GE's website:

It says exactly what I did about CO2 enrichment for greenhouses:

CO₂ fertilization is suitable for nearly all plant types.

OK, we are on the same page here.  GE's system also can provide heating and return electricity to the grid as well as enrich the CO2 in the greenhouse.

But, here is where it gets interesting.  Another page on GE's site has this:

Carbon Capture & Sequestration!!  We can't have those evil greenhouse gases escaping into the atmosphere, where they could do the same thing they do in a greenhouse, improve plant growth worldwide!  Oh! Horrors!  That could lead to more abundant life for plants, animals, and humans!

The establishment has to invent "global warming" to scare us about greenhouse gases, then when the weather doesn't cooperate, they change the boogie man to "climate change"!


But, don't forget that essentially all life on this planet is carbon based and that carbon starts out in the atmosphere at 340 ppm or 0.034%, where it is fixed into plant matter by photosynthesis.  The whole food chain is limited by the tiny amount of CO2 in the atmosphere!


Burn more fossil fuel!  The carbon released to the atmosphere is a gift to the entire world, rich and poor alike, whether you fly to Davos to meet with the cognoscenti or live in the slums of Rio!

Double Bonus Nuclear Field Trip

A recent business trip took me to Huntsville, Alabama where I used the opportunity to do a little sightseeing between work obligations.


I called ahead to arrange a lunch meeting with Kirk Sorensen and Kirk Dorius of Flibe Energy, promoters  and developers of the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR).


They gave me their address and luckily it was close to my business location.  I couldn't find the suite, but I knew I was close when I saw this license plate in the parking lot.

I didn't end up having time for lunch, but I was able to chat with both Kirks for over an hour.  Kirk Sorensen started Flibe Energy to commercially develop LFTRs.  He also has a FB page and website, both called Energy from Thorium.  I recommend both to educate yourself about the benefits of thorium power.

L to R: Kirk Dorius, The Author, Kirk Sorensen

Great poster on the isotopes of the periodic table

The other part of the field trip was a visit to Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant, which is about 35 miles West of Hunstville and North of Decatur on the Tennessee River.

Of course, I couldn't really take any better photos than these, but at least I saw it.  This is the plant that was forced to reduce power during the heat wave last summer because the Tennessee River was a tenth of a degree too hot near the cooling outlet of the plant.  I guess some feddle gummint regulation came into effect.  (Or maybe it was just a conspiracy to burn more coal {wink, wink clean coal}, since the TVA had to purchase power from somewhere, most likely not nuclear to makeup the shortfall.)

 

Price Point

I asked the following impertinent question to some colleagues at work:  Is there a price point for energy (reflected in the cost of gasoline, electricity, and natural gas) at which Americans will drop their resistance to nuclear power, suppress their irrational (I believe) fears and embrace nuclear power?  Or, is there a price at which Americans will demand access to abundant nuclear power, in spite of the studious anti-nuclear disinformation of entrenched self interests?


Here are the answers I got:

With the exception of one outlier, the answers ranged from 2.3 to 10 times the current retail price of gasoline, electricity, and natural gas.  (The prices will be adjusted in terms of constant 2012 dollars.)  


The outlier said that there is no price that will prompt Americans to accept nuclear power.  "Myth trumps logic," he said.  Let's hope he is wrong.

Job Creation and Economic Growth

In Alma Chapter 22 of the Book of Mormon, we read of the king of the Lamanites being taught by Ammon, the plan of Redemption, the Mission of Christ, his Resurrection and Atonement and eternal life.  Here is the Narrative:

 15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

 16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

 17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:

 18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.

So, the King is willing to give up all, even his kingdom and all his sins to know God and be raised unto eternal life, that most precious gift of all the gifts of God..

Contrast this to politicians and other talking heads.  They (we - in interest of full disclosure, I am a local politician, a city council member in my city.) say they are all interested in economic growth and job creation.  In fact, I have never heard a politician say they are anti-growth. (Last time I checked, Paul Ehrlich and other Malthusians, were not a politicians.)

So, I ask, what are politicians willing to give up in exchange for job creation and economic growth?  Anything?  Seriously, in spite of all rhetoric what are they willing to give up? Anything!?!?  The Delany Act, the Wagner Act, a cabinet level department, Sarbanes-Oxley, TSA, Obamacare, the Patriot Act, a single dollar of spending, their closely held Keynesian beliefs, QE1, QE2, TARP, a tax, a regulation, a snail darter, a single square inch of designated wilderness west of the Mississippi, a single page of the Federal Register, a single paragraph or single sentence of the Federal Register?  Anything?  Anything at all?

Are they even willing to give up their rhetoric?  I don't think so!  

The King was willing to give up all for the precious gift of eternal live.  Politicians, I believe are not sincere in the stated desire for job creation and economic growth because they are not willing to give up anything in exchange.  They want to keep their "kingdoms" and only jaw bone about job creation and economic growth.

Contactless Energy Transfer System #2

Looks like somebody at USU has been reading my blogs.  I wrote about contactless energy transfer over 2 and 1/2 years ago.  Wow, the USU Spin-out (spin out - doesn't that have negative connotations?) company seems to have figured out that "Battery limitations represent the largest roadblock to full-scale electric vehicle market adoption".  Imagine that?


The actual technology has been around for some time and is used in industrial settings.  I wonder if they will sent me a finders fee?

Cyclone of Fire

I saw this experiment at engineering day at the U and decided I had to try it myself.

The burner is a tin can with a corrugated cardboard wick, fueled with charcoal lighter.  An aluminum window screen, formed into a cylinder and supported by four wooden dowels, is supported on a plywood disc, which spins on a lazy susan bearing.


Apparently, the screen entrains air in a circular motion, which allows the flame to be fed more combustion air, which increases the flame height.


I'll do some investigating and post anything informative that I find.

Here is a close-up of a plasma electrolysis experiment that I conducted recently.  I won't bore you with the details, but if you are interested, Jean-Louis Naudin as written extensively about the subject.

BTW, the electrode is pure tungsten.