I work for Acro Energy. We install solar panels systems. If you are interested, I can refer you to an energy consultant that can work to generate a customized system for your home, thus eliminating much of your dependency on the grid. You are welcome to email me at ntorres@acroenergy.com.
If we let the population run out of control we're going to struggle to feed them at all, let alone using organic methods or preserving the environment. Using tidal energy means additional powerlines, because the energy is coming a different area, but at least the number of sites will be limited and the output will be consistent. Onshore wind means even more pylons because the grid has to cope with dispersed sites, randomly varying power production and the need for (probably gas fired) backups.
Yes. It is feasible assumed we are doing together and do it right.
http://ca.search.yahoo.com/search?p=Is%2...
Not a chance in you know where.
I love the idea of a world without pesticides, industrial chicken factories, genetically modified crops and animals; a world where we only buy local produce except for the things that don't naturally grow in our region (like coffee and vanilla, but what's wrong with greenhouses?)
It would be great if everyone could be off-grid; solar, wind, hydro-electric or some homegrown wood alcohol-fired generator or some amalgamation thereof powering our homes and industries, and high-voltage powerlines would be a thing remembered only in old photo albums (or PhotoBuckets).
But is it possible? The Green Revolution made much larger crop yields possible with the use of pesticides to control losses, and for all I know the weather in the Corn Belt is being synthetically controlled to further reduce environmental havoc. Now GM crops go one step further with built-in resistances to all kinds of insect- and weather-related threats. As a result, populations in the United States exploded in the 20th century. Can organic farming really keep up with the demand for food?
And when it comes to energy, I'd love to see coal-fired power plants become a thing of the past, but will that mean places like hospitals will only be able to operate (pun intended) when the sun is shining? I'd hate to be told my ruptured appendix will have to stay in until the cloud cover lifts or the wind picks up.
Of course there are places that will have more solar energy than they can use, and possibly they can use transmission lines already in place to route energy to where the demand is. So maybe power lines are here to stay... but will this change the way we use energy? Will there be times when I can't just flip on my TV, air con, computer? I think Americans are not ready to put up with a system, even if it is means a healthier planet for future generations, that deprives us of the few comforts that, in our minds, set us apart from third world countries.
