joe's Comments

Let's be honest. Whether it's in Congress, Bali or California's effort to limit vehicle greenhouse emissions the game is not going well for our side. And time to respond is short, probably even shorter than we now know.
Of course momentum is building, and there are any many dedicated people on our side. But will it be enough, and soon enough to make any real difference?

I've just spent an afternoon at the State Fair of Texas, (the first for me in some twenty years) where I found myself wandering thru several large buildings filled with new 2008 autos and trucks. I saw only one hybrid vehicle, no electric ones, and a sea of SUVs and oversized trucks. Many of the SUVs stickers showed no more than fifteen miles per gallon city driving.(these were mid-sized vehicles). Many of the trucks such as the F250 and F350 and Hummers do not even show mileage. One sticker said it was not necessary.
In twenty years if anything conditions have deteriorated. On a day when the price of oil reached $89. a barrel, literally hundreds of smiling potential customers were fawning over a sea of global warming nightmares. Not a single complaint was heard.
If, as I believe myself,conservation must go hand in hand with new energy effective technologies, the hour is indeed late. All our efforts over all these years may be no more than a drop in the bucket. Sobering isn't it.

I live in the Dallas, Tx. area and have been using 100% wind plan for almost two years. The house is all electric and a typical suburban design, faces south, and has good cross ventilation . The first year averaged about $.1850 per KWH and included a very hot summer in 2006. My house is approx. 1765 sq.', has a three ton 13 SEER A/C and heat system, R30 plus insulation in ceiling, dble pane windows, solar screens on west side of house, well ventilated attic, large shading trees on property, and we are comfortable with thermostat settings of 78 degrees in summer. The first year cost me about $250. more than TXU's coal produced electricity. I figured that was a small price to pay. The second year I have negotiated $.167 per KWH for a one year contract. I managed to buy a used thermal solar hot water system , and have also purchased 60 watts of photovoltiac cells which I expect to couple with several deep cell batteries and maybe LED lighting.

Next, I am waiting to buy a plug-in hybrid vehicle and figure out how to partially recharge it with solar. The transition has not been very painful. And, I feel to be actually doing something about global warming other than just running my mouth.

This is a good article.
The events currently playing out here in Texas involving TXU and other utilities feature some of our most prominent national players, and will undoubtly impact energy generation choices worldwide.
We have entered a critical period for real change to began. Actually it makes a lot of sense that serious change might begin here in Texas. And, if it can work here, certainly it can work on the national and international level.
Of course, there is no guarantee of anything other than business as usual coming out of all this heady stuff we are experiencing here in Texas now. But,currently this is, in my opinion, ground zero for the promise of meaningful change in the way we generate and use electricity worldwide. Together we can change. It is possible.









We are after all the energy State

My heart goes out to Albert Gore. He is a World Treasure.

His message in my opinion is this: The science is in, the time to act is now; working together, as impossible as it seems to be,We can make a difference. This is the message of a Uniter.
Here in the state of Texas, the home of course of the President, and the Nation's #1 greenhouse pollutor, we are in the midst of changes that most of us would never have imagined just six months ago. Google it: TXU Energy, Texas coal fired power plants, etc. The Texas legislature is currently awash with bills which if enacted would transform our State from it's current pitiful situation to a World leader in energy transformation. How has this happened? It happened in my opinion because people from all sides came together with corporations, ngos, and every stripe of coalitions. If this can happen in Texas in can happen in the U.S. Congress. And it will.

In order for that to happen it will be necessary for us all to lay aside our differences and work together for common cause.
Mr Gore is at his best in the agenda he has laid out for Congress. Give it your support. Working together we can change. It is possible.

We would all be wise to pay heed to Mr. Brown on the subject of ethanol production from corn. After all this very type of topic is his forte, and he has been at it quite a while. Also, he has an excellent track record of ferreting out the truth . Just ask the Chinese; they know.
And, this is a very timely topic, as we know the President is going to address the ethanol issue on Tuesday of next week. Much is at stake here, as is so often the case.

Good article. I'd like to point out that Texas is not just the number one producer of wind generated electricity. It is also the number one producer of greenhouse gases, and leads just about every other category of air pollution in the U.S. as well.
Currently, thanks in large part to the fast tracking of the process by Gov. Rick Perry, utilities are poised to build (16) new old technology coal fired power plants in Texas starting in 2007. It will take more than a few windmills to overcome that.

THIS BILL IS NOT THE ANSWER.

Try again. And this time try a little harder, will you?
Thanks in advance.

GO SOLAR. GO PHEV'S.

High value efficiency and renewable energy.
Take your places please; dig in your heels , and get ready for the real thing. The moments of truth approaches. On the one side a sustainable future awaits. On the other..... .
Now is the best time to take a stand. Be willing to sacrifice . Remember Jesus' example: get your own house in order, and become political.
The body public is about to speak, and the roar will echo forward for generations to come.

Thank God for Lester L. Brown and the critical insight and analysis he and those working with him have provided to such a wide audience for so many years.
Once again as in so many other areas his insight has been instrumental in guiding us forward toward a world where PHEVs,large and smaller
scale wind generated electricity, and solar technologies can begin to lift us out of our fossil fuel stupor.l
For me, living in north Texas, changing over to wind generated electricity was as simple as changing energy providers. Yes, it's costing me one and a half cent more per kilowatt hour. And yes, I have become more decerning in my energy usage. High efficiency lighting and appliances plus insulation, shading, ventilation, and energy waste all factor into my thinking a little more now. And yes I will add photovoltaic panels in the next few years to help in recharging the PHEV I plan to buy as soon as the car manufacturers figure it out and start rolling them off the assembly lines.

An excellent article by a very well qualified author on a timely subject. Finally, we are beginning to see the outlines of real possible solutions to transportation.
Our present situation is essentially stalemated and an abomination. We must move forward. Time is of the essence.
GO PHEVS. GO RENEWABLES. Your time is NOW.

Scott got it right of course. This is a person who has labored for years and years in RE. And he is clearly inside the Beltway savvy. Don't you know it must break his heart that this Energy bill was the best that was able to emerge out of the Republican controlled Congress of 2005. Yes, thank God for the crumbs. May that they might yet feed the masses. And prey to God that we awaken from our stupor before the future is lost on our watch.