Comments on: VW to join Toyota, GM with 2010 plug-in Hybrid http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/ The Latest on Climate Science, Solutions, and Politics Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:55:19 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: MaineBob http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15955 MaineBob Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:49:29 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15955 Angry Dan posted on July 1st about the advantage of nuclear and said that Solar was too puny... check out the great progress and current usage of "Thermal Solar" for large scale electrical production. There are systems that use heated salts that can keep the plant running 24 hours a day. See this article from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_thermal_energy Scroll down to read about the larger scale projects and those currently deployed. Angry Dan posted on July 1st about the advantage of nuclear and said that Solar was too puny… check out the great progress and current usage of
“Thermal Solar” for large scale electrical production. There are systems that use heated salts that can keep the plant running 24 hours a day.
See this article from wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_thermal_energy
Scroll down to read about the larger scale projects and those currently deployed.

]]> By: ML http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15324 ML Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:47:27 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15324 The electric needs of our house are completely powered by Evergreen solar cells. We're absolutely pleased with how well they work. Scientific American recently published an article about how solar in the Southwest could provide power for the whole country with an investment of about one third of what the Iraq war has cost us (so far). If renewables were given a fraction of the subsidies that fossil fuel and nuclear receive, they would take off so fast it would make Exxon's CEO's head spin (and he knows it). The energy corporations have lots of dirty energy to sell and they don't want anything to stand in their way. Who owns all that coal, oil and uranium? The electric needs of our house are completely powered by Evergreen solar cells. We’re absolutely pleased with how well they work. Scientific American recently published an article about how solar in the Southwest could provide power for the whole country with an investment of about one third of what the Iraq war has cost us (so far). If renewables were given a fraction of the subsidies that fossil fuel and nuclear receive, they would take off so fast it would make Exxon’s CEO’s head spin (and he knows it). The energy corporations have lots of dirty energy to sell and they don’t want anything to stand in their way. Who owns all that coal, oil and uranium?

]]> By: KS Rose http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15323 KS Rose Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:47:24 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15323 I picture battery exchange stations where you swap out your battery for one that's already charged.. you wait and see. I picture battery exchange stations where you swap out your battery for one that’s already charged.. you wait and see.

]]> By: deas http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15322 deas Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:43:05 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15322 The key here is how a small country like Germany is know when it's time to jump in. The German government announced it will be helping to fund VW’s plug-in hybrid development program with 15 million euros. You have to wonder how our Car Manufacturing Co. can even compete. A small tax on the Oil executives would be a start for our country and our people. The key here is how a small country like Germany is know when it’s time to jump in. The German government announced it will be helping to fund VW’s plug-in hybrid development program with 15 million euros.
You have to wonder how our Car Manufacturing Co. can even compete. A small tax on the Oil executives would be a start for our country and our people.

]]> By: Brewster http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15310 Brewster Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:20:09 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15310 Saderman, sorry about the misspell on your name, and a great deal of pollution crept in on the spelling of that word too... Saderman, sorry about the misspell on your name, and a great deal of pollution crept in on the spelling of that word too…

]]> By: Brewster http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15309 Brewster Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:18:29 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15309 Pat, you just drive home... After 31 miles, the engine kicks in, and since it's running at peak efficiency charging the batteries rather than driving the car at variable speed, it'll get approx 50 mpg. That means, on the trip you just outlined you'll use gas for only half the trip, doubling your mileage - 100MPG! Sadeerman, you are correct. the new Plug-In Hybrids are not pollutopjn free, but they're a lot closer than what we have right now. Pat, you just drive home…

After 31 miles, the engine kicks in, and since it’s running at peak efficiency charging the batteries rather than driving the car at variable speed, it’ll get approx 50 mpg.

That means, on the trip you just outlined you’ll use gas for only half the trip, doubling your mileage – 100MPG!

Sadeerman, you are correct. the new Plug-In Hybrids are not pollutopjn free, but they’re a lot closer than what we have right now.

]]> By: Pat http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15303 Pat Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:30:04 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15303 31 miles? My nearest shopping town is 32 miles, how do I get home? 31 miles? My nearest shopping town is 32 miles, how do I get home?

]]> By: Saderman http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15301 Saderman Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:15:36 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15301 I love the idea. I recently installed two Skystream Wind Turbines and haven't regretted it! It is wonderful to see the meter go backwards. And, with something like the Chevy Volt or any other all electric vehicle, I can plug into my wind generated power. All green and, since they're paid for already, free!! Of course there is the carbon cost to manufacture them. There is no way to escape the burden of manufacturing costs and pollution. Laws of Thermodynamics tells us you can't get something for nothing!! I love the idea. I recently installed two Skystream Wind Turbines and haven’t regretted it! It is wonderful to see the meter go backwards. And, with something like the Chevy Volt or any other all electric vehicle, I can plug into my wind generated power. All green and, since they’re paid for already, free!! Of course there is the carbon cost to manufacture them. There is no way to escape the burden of manufacturing costs and pollution. Laws of Thermodynamics tells us you can’t get something for nothing!!

]]> By: stop killing our wilderness http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15299 stop killing our wilderness Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:11:48 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15299 Rob Scott, flashbacks to the early 70s are fun, but that doesn't make them true. Average embedded energy for PV is less than 2 years in "payback," with a lifecycle of 20-25 years on the panels. Propaganda, urban myths and half-truths are rampant in this arena of renewable power because Big Energy has finally met its match - ubiquitous point of use clean power generation with no new power plants and no new transmission for them to hold monopolies on. Once we get a fair compensation scheme like Feed-In Tariffs and the right to amortize our capital costs across the grid, like utilities do, everyone will have a power station at their home and office. This terrifies them, so they tell people like you what a scam it is. I work on this issue every day, and some of the key players in our groups are global warming deniers, but they don't deny the environmental devastation of Big Energy (including Big Solar and Big Wind), nor the consumer advantages to distributed energy, so they would say the same thing I just did. Rob Scott, flashbacks to the early 70s are fun, but that doesn’t make them true. Average embedded energy for PV is less than 2 years in “payback,” with a lifecycle of 20-25 years on the panels. Propaganda, urban myths and half-truths are rampant in this arena of renewable power because Big Energy has finally met its match – ubiquitous point of use clean power generation with no new power plants and no new transmission for them to hold monopolies on. Once we get a fair compensation scheme like Feed-In Tariffs and the right to amortize our capital costs across the grid, like utilities do, everyone will have a power station at their home and office. This terrifies them, so they tell people like you what a scam it is. I work on this issue every day, and some of the key players in our groups are global warming deniers, but they don’t deny the environmental devastation of Big Energy (including Big Solar and Big Wind), nor the consumer advantages to distributed energy, so they would say the same thing I just did.

]]> By: Angry Dan http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15295 Angry Dan Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:38:59 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/28/vw-to-join-toyota-gm-with-2010-plug-in-hybrid/#comment-15295 I'm all for an all-electric vehicle. (Though VW's new diesel hybrid is making me drool more.. a Jetta TDI with integrated drive train that gets 69 mpg, and biodiesel is available a mere 4 blocks from my house.. yowza.) But environmentalists may need to do something they never expected: Embrace nuclear power. Forget Three Mile Island. While the US stopped building reactors back in the 80s, the rest of the world moved on to innovate. Breeder reactors and pebble reactors are much safer (more expensive too, but worth the money). And compared to coal, nuclear energy has a much higher yield and is, yes, greener. You have to understand that all energy sources have trade-offs regarding yield (wind is too variable, solar too puny right now), impact on the environment (solar cell manufacturing produces quite a few environmental toxins, "clean coal" is a marketing myth, and there will always be some waste with nuclear), scalability (wind has some problems here), and deployment (a nuclear reactor takes at least 10 years to build properly) . Nuclear energy is simply the least awful. I’m all for an all-electric vehicle. (Though VW’s new diesel hybrid is making me drool more.. a Jetta TDI with integrated drive train that gets 69 mpg, and biodiesel is available a mere 4 blocks from my house.. yowza.) But environmentalists may need to do something they never expected: Embrace nuclear power.

Forget Three Mile Island. While the US stopped building reactors back in the 80s, the rest of the world moved on to innovate. Breeder reactors and pebble reactors are much safer (more expensive too, but worth the money). And compared to coal, nuclear energy has a much higher yield and is, yes, greener.

You have to understand that all energy sources have trade-offs regarding yield (wind is too variable, solar too puny right now), impact on the environment (solar cell manufacturing produces quite a few environmental toxins, “clean coal” is a marketing myth, and there will always be some waste with nuclear), scalability (wind has some problems here), and deployment (a nuclear reactor takes at least 10 years to build properly) .

Nuclear energy is simply the least awful.

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