[ExI] Small scale solar payback time (was Re: Planetary defense)

[spike]

>... On Behalf Of Damien Sullivan
...
On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 08:53:51AM +0200, Eugen Leitl wrote:

> I don't see environmentalists here hating on solar wind and geothermal. 
> If yours do (really?), they're obviously fake environmentalists.

>...Well, wind picks up some concern about bird kills, and big solar
projects in national monuments like the Mojave might get some opposition.
And there's always NIMBYism, though that's not really environmentalism.

-xx- Damien X-)


Indeed?  NIMBYism is the realest form of environmentalism, the kind that has
the most political muscle behind it.  I see that as the best argument for
solar coal to octane installations.  You can put it waaaay the hell and gone
out in the middle of where it will not bother anyone.  We don't need to
build long transmission lines, and can use existing highways to transport
the resultant liquid fuels to the money.

We have all this existing infrastructure for burning octane, so like it or
not, octane must come from somewhere for a long time to come.  For all its
faults, the stuff does have its advantages for transportation and industrial
uses.  We are good at using it.  We can put PVs on rooftops to help start a
long transition to mostly electric transportation and domestic HVAC.  Food
production will be petrochemical based for a long time to come.  I can
imagine solar powered coal to octane and coal to Diesel being big players in
the next decade.

spike