Cycling Forums - View Single Post - "Humans 'very likely' making earth warmer" is wrong

02-04-2007, 08:32 PM

Bill Baka <bbaka@comcast.net> wrote:

>Mark Hickey wrote:
>> Bill Baka <bbaka@comcast.net> wrote:

>>> You don't want to even try to cut down on coal/oil burning plants?
>>
>> Sure, but not by using more resources to build solar panels that won't
>> return the energy (much less the cost) for many years to come.
>
>And it is OK to waste that same Silicon to make tons of
>games/gadgets/cell phones!

First, since silicon is essentially sand, I'm not worried about
running out of it any time soon. Second, photocells use a lot more
than the itty bitty little microscopic junctions in most semiconductor
devices (where a single die the size of a small solar panel might
contain hundreds of microprocessor chips). Third, that doesn't
address the amount of energy and resources necessary to build that
solar panel (or the expense, which is really the issue).

>>> Signs of a hard core Repuglican are starting to show.
>>
>> If by that you mean "pragmatic and practical, rooted firmly in
>> reality", yup. The fact I agree with others that the solar panels are
>> no solution at this point is inarguable.
>
>They are not a single, foolproof solution, but we had better start
>somewhere.

Ahhhhh, the "do something, anything" approach to solving our problems.
No thanks.

>>> I have a 5" solar panel that powers my portable AM/FM/Shortwave radio
>>> quite nicely. That was a small effort on my part to obtain the
>>> mini-panel to power the radio, even up to LOUD, and I never have to
>>> worry about buying batteries and adding to the dumps overflowing mess of
>>> disposables.
>>
>> Or you can simply use a radio that's plugged into the wall and
>> probably consume no more than a few cents worth of electricity a month
>> to power that portable radio (even at very loud volumes). Try funding
>> a solar panel on that (after looking up "opportuntity cost" and
>> understanding the concept, which may be a "Republican thing", of
>> course, since it's not subject to debate or spin).
>
>It would be very hard to find a plug in at the park my grandkids like to
>go to, and I am opposed to disposable batteries.

So do what I did - buy a radio with a crank. Doesn't require leaving
it in the sun all day, and can be recharged any time you like with
just a bit of finger/wrist exercise.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

02-04-2007, 08:32 PM	#183 (permalink)
Mark Hickey Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Do not feed the Dinosaur! Bill Baka <bbaka@comcast.net> wrote: >Mark Hickey wrote: >> Bill Baka <bbaka@comcast.net> wrote: >>> You don't want to even try to cut down on coal/oil burning plants? >> >> Sure, but not by using more resources to build solar panels that won't >> return the energy (much less the cost) for many years to come. > >And it is OK to waste that same Silicon to make tons of >games/gadgets/cell phones! First, since silicon is essentially sand, I'm not worried about running out of it any time soon. Second, photocells use a lot more than the itty bitty little microscopic junctions in most semiconductor devices (where a single die the size of a small solar panel might contain hundreds of microprocessor chips). Third, that doesn't address the amount of energy and resources necessary to build that solar panel (or the expense, which is really the issue). >>> Signs of a hard core Repuglican are starting to show. >> >> If by that you mean "pragmatic and practical, rooted firmly in >> reality", yup. The fact I agree with others that the solar panels are >> no solution at this point is inarguable. > >They are not a single, foolproof solution, but we had better start >somewhere. Ahhhhh, the "do something, anything" approach to solving our problems. No thanks. >>> I have a 5" solar panel that powers my portable AM/FM/Shortwave radio >>> quite nicely. That was a small effort on my part to obtain the >>> mini-panel to power the radio, even up to LOUD, and I never have to >>> worry about buying batteries and adding to the dumps overflowing mess of >>> disposables. >> >> Or you can simply use a radio that's plugged into the wall and >> probably consume no more than a few cents worth of electricity a month >> to power that portable radio (even at very loud volumes). Try funding >> a solar panel on that (after looking up "opportuntity cost" and >> understanding the concept, which may be a "Republican thing", of >> course, since it's not subject to debate or spin). > >It would be very hard to find a plug in at the park my grandkids like to >go to, and I am opposed to disposable batteries. So do what I did - buy a radio with a crank. Doesn't require leaving it in the sun all day, and can be recharged any time you like with just a bit of finger/wrist exercise. Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $795 ti frame