Comments on: Japan’s Hot Springs Could Be a Significant Source of Geothermal Energy

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:22:00 +0000

You overlook storage, Terry.

I’m posting this from a computer running off solar power generated earlier today and stored in batteries.

I’ll be able to keep my lights on all night long if I want to.

Baseload is a old concept that is being discarded. The real issue is providing electricity when it is needed.

We don’t need “always on” gen sources such as coal, nuclear or geothermal. We need a combination of “use it as it’s made”, storage, dispatchable supply, load shifting, and backup generation.

By: Terry Hallinan

Terry Hallinan — Sat, 12 May 2012 00:33:00 +0000

If the entire land of the earth was covered with solar panels, they still could not turn on the light at night. Daytime lighting is fine but it is even better at night.

Baseload energy from geothermal and biomass and even more feeble sources such as tidal currents are baseload (alway on) power. That is what we really need to replace the awful nukes and fossil fuels.

Best, Terry

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:52:00 +0000

Phobia – a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational. (Wiki)

Are the Japanese phobic or, perhaps, having now experienced nuclear meltdowns, are they choosing a rational, protective path away from nuclear energy?

The cost might be a small increase in greenhouse gas emission for a few years while they work to replace increased fossil fuel use with safe renewable energy.

Even a 15% rise in greenhouse gas will leave Japan producing less than half as much CO2 per person per year as the US and other high producers.

By: Bill_Woods

Bill_Woods — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:57:00 +0000

“The second effect is the electricity shortage that comes with that, and the third is the potential increase in greenhouse gas emissions as Japan tries to make up that shortage by burning fossil fuels.”

Potential? It’s already happening. Hopefully the Japanese will get over their nuke-ophobia before too much damage is done.

With the loss of nuclear energy, the Ministry of Environment projects that Japan will produce about 15 percent more greenhouse gas emissions this fiscal year than it did in 1990, the baseline year for measuring progress in reducing emissions. In fiscal 2010, Japan’s actual emissions were close to 1990 levels.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/as-japan-swings-away-from-nuclear-power-higher-oil-dependency-erases-greenhouse-gas-gains/2012/05/04/gIQA90Cc0T_story.html

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:10:00 +0000

It’s a good hunk of the ~50GW of installed nuclear that the Japanese citizens want to permanently shut down.

By: Ross

Ross — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:46:00 +0000

Those solar and wind GW values are what’s currently installed, so there must be massive growth potential there considering what Germany is achieving.

By: SteveW_GCA

SteveW_GCA — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:44:00 +0000

How does the 23.47 gigawatt figure compare to total power consumption in Japan? Sounds impressive as a stand-alone number, but what does it look like in the context of current use totals?