At 07:50 PM 12/20/01 -0800, Robert J. Bradbury wrote:
>On Thu, 20 Dec 2001, Doug Jones wrote:
>
> > Microwaves beamed in from elsewhere are less disruptive than any other
> > source of zero-entropy energy; heat engines on Earth's surface release
> > more waste heat than they produce electricity, and ground solar
> > dramatically lowers the albedo in the regions affected. Rectennas can
> > have a neutral impact on global thermal balance if they are painted
> > white.
>
>Doug, it wasn't the rectennas I was concerned with it was the waste heat
>from the use of the electricity. Cities already generate their own
>local weather patterns due to the fact their temperatures are higher
>than surrounding land.
Much better having just the waste heat from the USE of power, rather than
the waste heat from generation, also. Something like 40% of the fuel energy
is wasted before any electricity is produced - even with nuclear plants.
This alone should allow growth of power use without adding to the present
burden. This is of course not a long-term solution, but would help in the
interim. The loss of all those pollution and greenhouse gas sources cannot
hurt. It would give us some breathing room while we plan for the great
migrations outward.
Chuck Kuecker
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