If it’s green it’s good right?
Simple Green
All things are FEASIBLE inside the Simple Green Mind. Above, 3/4 Ton PU recharging in order to deliver organic veggies to market.
Here’s an email I received recently, if you have any sense of reality, you’ll be embarrassed for the guy, but perhaps we ourselves are missing the fact that about half the people on the planet are as illiterate as it pertains to energy. As I’ve said before, the main problem is they vote for the impossible.
Email follows:
Subject: Air compressors for power generation
Message: Dt 3rd Sept, 2011
Sir,
Excellent work indeed !
At ICET (Institute of Clean Energy Technologies ), we are interested in developing a Power Generation System to output 3 to 4 kw of elec power, the genset to be driven by an air compressor. The Compressor will be driven by thermal energy from SUN or kinetic energy from WIND.
We are very interested in your CHP engine of LG series. Pl give us as much of detail as possible including the Indian source of supply for your experimentation.
We shall also be happy to work together with you for a
product which will be of extensive use in the third world.
Regards.
Awaiting your response,
B S Mxxxx, Chief Coordinator, ICET.
————————————–
My Analysis:
This man is not stupid, but he has become blinded by the messages of Elected Officials who will sell their souls to stay in power.
He’s read right past the whole idea of why we discuss importing an air compressor. He also has not taken even a moment to draw out his proposed power solution and inventory the losses.
Furthermore, we referenced air compressor, not air motor, but let’s consider anything to do with air power. Past engineers have taken us to the moon and back, they have documented and proven about everything possible one can do with an internal combustion engine, and this guy thinks they over looked air power?
For those who made it through Eight Grade Science Class with a passing grade, we understand that compressing a gas generates a LOT of heat, we also know when we attempt to take it out of storage, we need add a LOT of heat to get any serious work out of the gas. It all spells huge losses. In the past, dirt cheap energy has allowed us to use air tools, but there is NOTHING energy-efficient about them.
So let’s see, he wants to use an expensive solar panel to drive an air compressor to drive an air motor, to drive a generator to make electricity? Ahhh.. wasn’t he ( or couldn’t he) getting electricity out of the solar panel? did he ever stop to think all he did was add severe and crippling losses to the design, not to mention expense?
Reality is people have the same delusions when it comes to finance and money, it’s not because they are stupid, it’s because they don’t want to let go of the impossible dream.
You’ll hear people talk with anger in their voice, “these Politicians just need to compromise”. Are these people Just as naive and thoughtless as this man who writes me? How did they miss the fact that we have come to a TEE in the road? How did they miss the fact that we only need look across the Atlantic to see the same conversation is going on there?
We’ll just print money, we’ll just put everybody to work for the government. We’ll run industry off solar and wind turbines. Government will give everyone a sugar tit.
Close your eyes and imagine the billions of BTUs necessary to fire even one blast furnace at a steel plant. With out cost effective energy millions will die, and it will happen in Africa, India and other parts of the third world first. North America (Canada included) helps to feed the world, and the only way they have achieved this is because cost effective energy has been available. The present Administration is committed to changing this, because their supporters are demanding it!
If the Gang Greenies achieve their goal, not one of them will shed a tear for the millions that lose their lives.. after all; these are inferior people in Africa and beyond.. and every Greenie knows they are little more than a burden on the planet right?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090726215616AAt5m8e
GB
I like the part about greenies considering third worlders inferior because I think that does infect their thinking and they have no idea whatsoever. Just look at the way they inflate the education bubble. They think everyone is supposed to work in a government office or insurance or whatever. Anything but a factory. Those are sweatshops and they are for working trash who like guns and country music. And for foreigners too. Also watch how they complain about supposed chineese slave labor on their way to the apple store. What chance do you think a steel mill would have locating in an American city with a reasonably healthy economy? As long as greenies are throwing around words like sweatshop and discouraging actual work for their children, while still engaging in typical consumption of foreign made goods they are guilty of all kinds of rascism.
Going Green?
I can only give my take on this since I am a plumber and relate it to a way all may understand.
Many people have the mis conception that going green with home heating or hot water will save them money. On the contrary its often the opposite.
So lets say you have a hotwater boiler you would like to replace. Your fuel bill for the year is say $1000, just to make an even #. You need to decide on a regular cast iron boiler, or one of the new 98% eff. condensating boilers.
Well I will use myself as an example. I have a close to 30 yr cast iron boiler in my home. Its virtually maintainence free. Atomospheric vent, standing pilot. Lets say 80% eff when new. Even if a boiler degrades in eff, usually a proper cleaning of the fin tube will restore the combustion efficiency to like new. Thats a whole story in itself.
But any way I decide to change my boiler. The first thing all homes need to do to save energy is perform a heatloss of the home. Most boilers/heating equiptment is oversized for the home. Sizing of the boiler is only for the coldest day of the year. All other days the boiler is technically oversized.
So I can get a exact replacement with no bells and whistles, standing pilot, ect for around $1300 plus install lets say $3000. Of course I would install myself but just stating averages.
Now I price and research 98% eff boilers. The theroy with those boilers is low temp and constant circulation. Most have two or three circs compared to one as in the basic boiler. Also the heat exchangers are often aluminum or steel. Life expectancy they say is 15 yrs. I say less with water quality being what it is today, you really need to be spot on. Also these boilers modulate. That means the gas valves adjust to outside temps. To control this you need an array of complicated electronics.
So this boiler alone is $3500 bucks. Lets add labor to this. You need new near boiler piping because of the design of these boilers. Lets say $9000 installed. Note that new flue pipe needs special install also because its condensating its often PVC.
So Me as average homeowner say, I want to go green. Lets go with the 98% eff boiler.
So here is the breakdown IMO.
You paid 3 times more for the green boiler. You need to calculate how much you will save on fuel to recoup the cost. I calculate. If we base it on eff and averages my $1000 gas bill gets reduces to $800 I will see it will take 15 yrs to recoup the cost.
But wait!!! 15 yrs? What is the maintainance on these aluminum 98% eff boilers? In 15 yrs most likly a new heat exchanger may be needed. Wow $800 bucks there. Let add that on. Wait! There is a yearly cleaning process that needs to be completed. Its a kit that needs to be bought. Comes with gaskets and a inhibiter to keep water quality optimal. Thats $80 bucks a year. Lets add that to the cost of ownership.
And last but not least. Lets run our two circulators 16 hours a day. Lets use a conservative wattage these pumps run at. .71 amps each X 2 @ 120 volts = 170 watts. 170 watts X 16 hours = about 2700 watts a day. With my rate of 17 cents a Kw thats about 45 cent a day or an additional $13 a month.
So all your savings on this high eff green tech boiler has just flown the coup. I did the acutual calc of all #’s and in reality you end up paying much more to go green.
What fails on the basic cast iron boiler? Posibly a $5 thermocouple or a $50 aquastat. There aint much else can go wrong. Gas valves are very resilient and hardly ever fail.
Breakdown 98% boiler.
Saves $200 a year in gas. $16 a month.
Cost.
Electric $13 a month.
Maintainence $6 month.
New exchanger and PCB replacment over the life of the unit 15 yrs. is about $8 a month.
Higher cost of install and additional $6000 Over 15 yrs thats $33 a month.
Cost $60 to run this appliance a month – the $16 in savings = $44 additional $ a month to run this over the cast unit. lets put in a fudge factor of $5 for the cast iron usage and repair, and dont forget the $900 rebate. Over 15 yrs thats $5
Total $29 extra a month to go green…… Yeah!!!!.
I typed this fast and it may be a mess but thats my general theroy.
Feel free to edit this as you wish.
Mike. NJ
Funny thing Mike, my hunting partner and I discussed some of these same issues! he’s been designing homes for 40 years.. the return on investment for this stuff is is often NOT for the home owner! In many of these high efficiency systems, it’s highly probable that a malfunction will occur and lower your efficiency below the tried and true equipment as you mention! There’s nothing wrong with this stuff as long as the home owner buys it himself. When we are forced to subsidize it, that’s when I get upset.
Thanks for a good post!
GB