Protests over wind power farms

[Throckmorton]

Geothermal should be viable in Hawaii.

I don't know if you can use an active volcano for geothermal energy

 

[werepossum]

I don't know if you can use an active volcano for geothermal energy

LOL Hawaii is missing a great chance to lead the world in free air steam turbines. Not to mention REALLY high temperature heat pumps.

 

[ericlp]

I don't know if you can use an active volcano for geothermal energy

yes you can and they are already doing it. The problem is the lava changes direction a lot in an Active volcano. That it's a big risk. Get too close and the lava will rupture and take over the plant. Go too far away and it won't be hot enough to generate much steam. So, your just have to guess and hope for the best. It's not that easy. Since no one knows when or where the new vent will start erupting. Or where the lava will even go!

http://www.punageothermalventure.co...brates-15-years-of-geothermal-power-in-hawaii

 

[Brainonska511]

smart meters my @ss.. you mean to tell me the power companies don't know when people are using the most power. How stupid. Like a gas station not knowing how much fuel they sell

Of course they know when people use the most power. They aren't stupid. The ideal case for smart meters comes from being able to actually charge different rates at different times based on actual cost to produce the power during peak and non-peak times. With dumb meters that just read total amount into a home, you only see overall usage and can only be charged for overall usage, giving consumers no real incentive to offset their electricity use to off-peak times.

 

[Fern]

I assume they had an agreement to sell the power back to the grid or something, I can't imagine a single school using 1-1.5 MW.

And waggy, I just meant that the legal costs were what made it dumb. If there were no crazies in the world I think it's a fine choice.

Yes.

In many states, when you put up you're own solar panel etc you don't actually use the power you generate. It goes on the grid and the power co. has to pay you for it. You use your power just as before. They credit your bill for the power you generated, you or them will cut a check for the difference.

Fern

 

[Zivic]

Of course they know when people use the most power. They aren't stupid. The ideal case for smart meters comes from being able to actually charge different rates at different times based on actual cost to produce the power during peak and non-peak times. With dumb meters that just read total amount into a home, you only see overall usage and can only be charged for overall usage, giving consumers no real incentive to offset their electricity use to off-peak times.

basically if my schedule doesn't correspond with the low rate times, they can jack me around. ... bunch of BS if you ask me