-
Join the MyBroadband community
South Africa’s biggest forum. Discuss, discover, and connect with thousands of members.
-
Question of the Day: Do you think you could pass a driver's licence test without any preparation?
The MYADSL green thread
- Thread starter BCO
- Start date
I'm not going to divulge the cost of the solar panel roof tiles we're looking to import, but it is only slightly more expensive than a standard roof of a house. We've been to have a look at a few similar projects in California, and what we saw convinced us that it is viable here. Bluecollar, though the cost is prohibitive with an existing house, we're building it in from the start. The tiles themselves are solar panels. Energy efficiency using this method is proven to work (in California the projects are generating enough electricity to sell back to the national grid).
The average square meters for the complex will equate to roughly 180 square meters - that's a surface area of 180 square meters of solar roof tile
So there's certainly no shortage of power to capture.
I don't really want to divulge too much more at this point as we are trying hard to get the product into South Africa and possibly even look at manufacturing it here, but I believe it's probably even more viable in SA, especially considering that South Africa enjoys pretty much year round sun for the most part.
The average square meters for the complex will equate to roughly 180 square meters - that's a surface area of 180 square meters of solar roof tile
So there's certainly no shortage of power to capture. I don't really want to divulge too much more at this point as we are trying hard to get the product into South Africa and possibly even look at manufacturing it here, but I believe it's probably even more viable in SA, especially considering that South Africa enjoys pretty much year round sun for the most part.
LoneGunman
Expert Member
re recycling - I can do no better than refer folks to Penn and Teller's excellent program on
Recycling, in their 'Bullsh*t' series.
All recycling does is make people 'feel good'. It generally doesn't reduce the cost of items,
and actually usually uses up MORE resources, to recycle objects and products.
(It's a physics thing. Like people who propose that hydrogen fuel cars are somehow
'better' than fossil fuel cars. They forget that it takes fossil fuels to get the hydrogen
in a suitable state to be placed in the car in the first place.
All it does is hide the still increasing energy loss from the consumer. Second Law of
Thermodynamics - in essence, all energy goes from usable, to unusable.
So using extra energy to create hydrogen fuel cells to supposedly decrease fossil
fuels, will and is still causing a loss of fossil fuels. A loss of finite fossil fuels.
In the same way, 'recycling' causes an increase in garbage, as well as requires more
humans to sort and organize the various items, before expending even MORE fossil fuel
to take them to one or another bright spark's clever 'recycling plant' dedicated to
retrieving ingredients to use in other new products.
Technically, the sanest thing to do to slow down the overall energy loss, is to dig a
deep hole, and throw the garbage away. Put no new steps in place, which require
and cause more transport vehicles to be needed, more machines to be needed, more
factories to be built, more humans to run the various 'recycling' machines (and thus
more fuel needed to get the new staff to and from work) - you see what I mean?
In order to 're-use' again an already finite quantity of energy that's been used up
once, requires far more energy INPUT to achieve - and if anything, the energy
wastage and loss increases exponentially, the more bright spark ideas are created,
to 're-use' products and objects.
All of that said, I'm a BIG fan of solar power, and hydroelectric power - both requiring a onetime
'energy loss' (of finances) followed by ultimately, a genuinely self sustaining and useful contributor
to citizens. Being 'green' doesn't mean you need to be a hippie, or live by candle light, or forgo any of
the cool stuff of the 21st century.
SA has huge quantities of free energy, pouring down all day every day, for most of the year. So good luck
to those looking to come up with a simple way to grab that energy and harness it for everyone. Hope BobbyMac
gets it off the ground, one way or the other. Gonna probably have to fight the ruling vested interests in a big way,
to get it done.
Recycling, in their 'Bullsh*t' series.
All recycling does is make people 'feel good'. It generally doesn't reduce the cost of items,
and actually usually uses up MORE resources, to recycle objects and products.
(It's a physics thing. Like people who propose that hydrogen fuel cars are somehow
'better' than fossil fuel cars. They forget that it takes fossil fuels to get the hydrogen
in a suitable state to be placed in the car in the first place.
All it does is hide the still increasing energy loss from the consumer. Second Law of
Thermodynamics - in essence, all energy goes from usable, to unusable.
So using extra energy to create hydrogen fuel cells to supposedly decrease fossil
fuels, will and is still causing a loss of fossil fuels. A loss of finite fossil fuels.
In the same way, 'recycling' causes an increase in garbage, as well as requires more
humans to sort and organize the various items, before expending even MORE fossil fuel
to take them to one or another bright spark's clever 'recycling plant' dedicated to
retrieving ingredients to use in other new products.
Technically, the sanest thing to do to slow down the overall energy loss, is to dig a
deep hole, and throw the garbage away. Put no new steps in place, which require
and cause more transport vehicles to be needed, more machines to be needed, more
factories to be built, more humans to run the various 'recycling' machines (and thus
more fuel needed to get the new staff to and from work) - you see what I mean?
In order to 're-use' again an already finite quantity of energy that's been used up
once, requires far more energy INPUT to achieve - and if anything, the energy
wastage and loss increases exponentially, the more bright spark ideas are created,
to 're-use' products and objects.
All of that said, I'm a BIG fan of solar power, and hydroelectric power - both requiring a onetime
'energy loss' (of finances) followed by ultimately, a genuinely self sustaining and useful contributor
to citizens. Being 'green' doesn't mean you need to be a hippie, or live by candle light, or forgo any of
the cool stuff of the 21st century.
SA has huge quantities of free energy, pouring down all day every day, for most of the year. So good luck
to those looking to come up with a simple way to grab that energy and harness it for everyone. Hope BobbyMac
gets it off the ground, one way or the other. Gonna probably have to fight the ruling vested interests in a big way,
to get it done.
Last edited:
Hm.... there's a very sexy new eBike on the market. /me is very tempted indeed to get one.
http://www.greencars.za.net/?p=65
http://www.greencars.za.net/?p=65
LoneGunman
Expert Member
More useful fun Green news. Especially for those lucky folks in the Cape living near nuclear reactors. :
"Childhood leukaemia rates 'higher near nuclear plants'
SIMON BAKER
RATES of leukaemia are higher in children and young people living near nuclear plants, a review of several studies has concluded.
Death rates for children aged nine and under were up to 24 per cent higher, depending on how near they lived to nuclear facilities, the report said.."
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1122522007
"Childhood leukaemia rates 'higher near nuclear plants'
SIMON BAKER
RATES of leukaemia are higher in children and young people living near nuclear plants, a review of several studies has concluded.
Death rates for children aged nine and under were up to 24 per cent higher, depending on how near they lived to nuclear facilities, the report said.."
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1122522007
Xarog
Honorary Master
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2006
- Messages
- 19,038
- Reaction score
- 175
I recycle my greenies (snot), does that count?So how many of you greenies recycle? Cans, bottles, paper, etc . . .
Oh, no no no.
It may cost more energy, but it cannot cost more natural resources.
That doesn't matter. How much energy are we getting from the sun at any given moment? Almost All non-nuclear energy can basically be traced back to energy from the sun that has been stored in various forms. The only other exception is geothermal vents, which to my knowledge, we aren't using yet.
The real question is, in using that energy, what changes are we causing to the the earth? It may indeed be more expensive, energy wise, to drive around in hydrogen cars, but on the other hand, not reversing 60 million years or so of carbon storage seems like a good thing to me.
Yeah, and when the sun finally starts to die out, we may have to start worrying about that on a practical level.
Only if fossil fuels are being used in the creation of the hydrogen cells. I think you misunderstand the Second Law. It's talking about entropy, which is a general force in the universe. Entropy is not some magical effect that causes fossil fuels to evaporate into nothingness - it refers only to the fact that it's nearly impossible to capture all the energy when an exothermic reaction occurs.
We have a practically unlimited source of energy (the sun). Our natural resources, on the other hand, are definately very limited by comparison. Priority should be given to preserving our natural resources.
To quote P&T : Bullsh!t
Energy loss is irrelevant. If you can prove, on the other hand, that entropy applies to recycling goods in the form of an overall loss of materials, though, you may have a point.
It's not about energy, it's about preserving natural resources.
Thank [insert deity of choice] we have a nice Sun in our neighbourhood, huh?
Finally, something we can agree on (more or less).
Yup.
Here's a nifty idea. Pee-cycling.
Ok, this is pretty much still vapor, but if we could start seeing these in the next few years, it would be mega-awesome.
Maglev Wind Turbines
Maglev Wind Turbines
Praeses
Executive Member
42.8% solar cell efficiency
Me wants!
Me wants!
Debbie
Banned
Lets get outta here
Global Warming has been a hot topic in the news of late.
I just feel that there are some things that need to be said about our use of natural resources. Firstly, until 90% of the adult world wide population are properly educated we will always have a shortage of resources. An idiot will always waste. With our current population growth rate we will run out off resources soon, maybe not in my lifetime but its going to get very bad in my childrens lifetime.
We need to start looking elsewhere. The universe is a big place, there are lots of resources out there and manufacturing space thats literaly endless.
There people looking for their own space, a place to call home where no one else tells you what you can and can't do.
There are international organisations and standards inplace.
We have the technology even though it is in the hands of corporations who would hold it back for financial benefit.
We can't all stay here for very much longer, we need to start moving out, we need to start building our factories off world, we need to start use in the resources availible to us in our soloar system and we need to start doing it as one speices, one planet, one race. Mankind, Humans, Earthlings, Terrans! That is who we are, and the universe is ours for the taking.
Global Warming has been a hot topic in the news of late.
I just feel that there are some things that need to be said about our use of natural resources. Firstly, until 90% of the adult world wide population are properly educated we will always have a shortage of resources. An idiot will always waste. With our current population growth rate we will run out off resources soon, maybe not in my lifetime but its going to get very bad in my childrens lifetime.
We need to start looking elsewhere. The universe is a big place, there are lots of resources out there and manufacturing space thats literaly endless.
There people looking for their own space, a place to call home where no one else tells you what you can and can't do.
There are international organisations and standards inplace.
We have the technology even though it is in the hands of corporations who would hold it back for financial benefit.
We can't all stay here for very much longer, we need to start moving out, we need to start building our factories off world, we need to start use in the resources availible to us in our soloar system and we need to start doing it as one speices, one planet, one race. Mankind, Humans, Earthlings, Terrans! That is who we are, and the universe is ours for the taking.
Lycanthrope
Honorary Master
I sense a StarCraft addict near >.>
*Gets the Zerg ready for an onslaught!*
*Gets the Zerg ready for an onslaught!*
Praeses
Executive Member
Zergling rush ftw.
Space is a tad too expensive and impractical currently and will only become practical if places like NASA get the required funding, of which the opposite currently is in effect; they had a budget-cut not too long ago if I'm not mistaken (probably due to war).
NASA smasa
If we sit around and wait for NASA(L) to get their act together then mankind will rot on this rock. In the original space race they went the wrong way!
The Russians were packing their backs for Mars while the Americans where perfoming publicity stunts like hitting golf balls and driving around on their moon buggy!
Their are only two reasons to go to the moon:
1> Mine resouces
2> Astronomical Observations
Space Expolration and Industrialisation cannot be left up to GB and his cronies.
The only profitable way to do this is privately, if left up to government organisations it will always be expensive. Let them regulate the industry instead of being the industry.
If we sit around and wait for NASA(L) to get their act together then mankind will rot on this rock. In the original space race they went the wrong way!
The Russians were packing their backs for Mars while the Americans where perfoming publicity stunts like hitting golf balls and driving around on their moon buggy!
Their are only two reasons to go to the moon:
1> Mine resouces
2> Astronomical Observations
Space Expolration and Industrialisation cannot be left up to GB and his cronies.
The only profitable way to do this is privately, if left up to government organisations it will always be expensive. Let them regulate the industry instead of being the industry.
