MRAA (ie MRAV) bashing

I know one... he runs the lunch shop where I often buy lunch... I have a
strong opinion that his chicken, chips and gravy are way better than the
generic chain versions if that's of any help


G-S

 

Sweden. There was a doco on SBS the other month on the subject -
comparing the scandinavian power generating solutions.

JL

 

A number of communities have objected to wind power farms on the basis of
noise pollution. I have inspected these farms in Southern California and
they do produce high levels of noise and would be quite objectionable if you
lived close to them. However in the right location they are very efficient I
note that 2 are installed at the inspection station at Border Village on the
Nullarbor and they paid for themselves within a few years.

Boxer

 

So what is your view... is noise pollution more harmful than greenhouse
gas pollution and which is the lesser of two evils?

I know what I would say...


G-S

 

A win-win situation should be possible, wind farms can be located in areas
of sparse population. A number of energy conservation protocols should be
implemented. I have been campaigning for a sustainable building code in
Queensland for years, Mandatory Solar Hot water in new homes, mandatory
insulation standards and building designs that minimise the need for
artificial heating and cooling in homes. Heat exchange modular units to
allow the recycling of heat generated by refrigeration units. Air
Conditioner units that use heat sinks. Mandatory on site treatment and
recycling of grey water and rain water.

Boxer

 

I take it brocolli was never served at your grandparents houses. I'm a
brussels sprouts person myself.

Theo

 

A University degree gives you a certificate to wave under the nose of a
gullible employer. It doesn't make you any smarter.

Theo

 

Yes, but it's dissent they jail you for.

Theo

 

You have a time-frame error there.

Theo

 

Ah, you've caught up to the 1970's!

Hammo

 

Trying to be a velvet hammer is difficult work.

Hammo

 

Happening in WA at the moment. The State Gov't want to put up windfarms,
greenies and locals object on the basis of uglifying the scenery on a beach
that no-one ever vistis.

Federal Environmental Minister weighs in on the side of the greenies!!!

State Gov't tells Fed minister, greenies, and locals to go **** themselves.
Sounded like a sensible outcome to me.

Theo

 

Of course there they would be competing in noise level with the diesel
generator that lives there, and which costs a shitload more to run per KW
than your local grid.

Theo

 

Both have environmental impact, having said that it seems to me we have
a large amount of open space that could very effectively be used for
power generation (wind and solar) with minimal impact on humans and
minimised impact on the environment. A couple of hundred of hectares of
the simpson desert populated with wind tower generators and solar panels
isn't going to upset many people, and most of the animals aren't going
to be too upset (birds hitting the props and dying is a big issue in
Europe apparently, dunno if it's practical to shield them, I'd hate to
see all the wedge tails being taken out by windmills). Providing a sun
free zone shielded by solar panels would have some sort ecological
affect although I've no idea what.

JL

 

In the USA there are five birds die by flying into windows for every one
shot by a hunter, apparently. Maybe we should ban windows.

Theo

 

I've costed Solar HWSs several times. Just not cost-effective. They need
replacing every ten years or so and cost an unbelievable amount of money.
You can buy a gas HWS and pay for all the gas for ten years and still be
$1000 in front of the cost of a Solar HWS. This is without factoring in the
cost of the booster power, or that you can't have a shower in the morning if
your partner had one last night.

We have that in WA now.

Try enforcing that in North Sydney or anywhere else where the ground isn't
just sand.

Theo

 

X-No-archive: yes

HEY!
You're not supposed to use my own contrivance back as an insult at me!
Bloody wog!

 

Of course, if you take into account that modern solar systems have a
20-25 year lifespan (mine has scheduled 5-yearly services at fairly
moderate cost) and the fact that boosting is really only required for
two or three months of the year (in Melb) and it can be done with
off-peak electricity, and the figures start falling the other way.

With a 300 litre tank, it takes quite a few long showers to empty the
tank. (You *do* use a water-saving shower head, don't you?)

Moike

 

I'll believe that lifespan when I see the warranty.

I don't want or need to. I use gas and rainwater.

Theo

 

There's not a whole lot of point in putting a power station of ANY kind
many hundreds of km away from where the power is going to be used -
even at high voltage, the power line losses to heat are excessive.
With solar in particular, you're much better off adopting a
decentralised approach and producing the electricity where it's going
to be used.

You also have to stop living in the fairyland of "I don't need much
electricity, just the fridge, the other fridge, the freezer, the
clothes dryer, the oven, the hot water heater, the 150cm plasma TV, the
500W stereo, the..."

My trip to the back-blocks of Fiji was a good illustration of exactly
how much useless crap we fill our lives with here. For the people in
Daku (the "demonstration village" for my small-scale solar lighting
project) having a 10W solar panel on the roof that would run a 15W
fluoro for 3 hours per night was about the greatest thing ever, because
it meant that they didn't have to spend 30% of their income on kerosene
for *lighting*.

As for the birds, an average wind *FARM* kills far fewer birds than the
average house cat. TV transmission towers record far higher bird kill
rates too, because they're mostly made from girders and are less
visible to fast-flying birds. They had some problems with the Altamont
Pass wind farm in the US because they sited some of the turbines on a
bird migration route, but once they moved them bird strikes ceased to
be a problem. The bird strike thing is a nice example of bollocks
trotted out by NIMBYs, nothing more.


BTH
(Damn you, why did you have to go winding me up like that?)