tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1608489854219717594.post2895633862898088006..comments2024-02-22T03:41:19.892-05:00Comments on Vodka & Equations: [Old MacDonald Had a Farm] EROEINMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818709669688421239noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1608489854219717594.post-75156084750228755642013-02-09T22:18:37.362-05:002013-02-09T22:18:37.362-05:00I really liked that one. Put flesh on some bones I...I really liked that one. Put flesh on some bones I've been wondering about for a while. I think a worthy post in the future might be hydroelectricity. A lot of people don't like it and for probably valid reasons. On the other hand there's probably a good way to do it too.<br />In terms of solar, 6.8 is low but it's not bad I'd say. It's nearly a sixfold return on your investment and they're ridiculously easy to use. All the invested energy happens at the beginning and then they just sit there. Despite having a low EROI they're probably the most user-friendly thing we have.<br />In addition there are some other forms of solar power generation that are interesting. After some googling I've found out I'm talking about solar thermal energy. I saw a successful application (on TV) in Spain where they use a field of reflectors to heat steam for a turbine that looked quite promising. My favourite, though it seems to have disappeared, was a massive inverted glass funnel in Australia. The air under the glass was heated, like in a greenhouse, and then rushed up through the narrow opening. The air exited through a turbine at the peak and re-entered the system through vents at the bottom around the sides.<br />There are many small return methods of gathering renewable energy. I don't think it's terrible to use small return gathering sources, it just means you need a lot of sources. The transition will screw with the economy for a while but probably won't be the end of the world. I don't think we actually need as much energy as we consume anyway.Seamus O'Mallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05072560561242401387noreply@blogger.com