* * * * *
                                        
                                     Power
                                        
I came across a blurb about a new type of battery [1] that may be used in the
national power grid. And I hope it works out (and I'm bearish on this),
because power generation is not a trivial thing, as Steven Den Beste lays out
in a series of articles he wrote a few years ago (and are well worth reading
to get a sense of the immense scale of power generation here in the States):

* Carb on Emissions [2]
* Ene rgy Dependence [3]
* More on Energy Dependence [4]
* More Practical Problems [5]
* Obscure Energy Sources [6]
* Biomass [7]
* It's so sensible, it must be fatally flawed [8] (and it is, as Steven Den
  Beste shows)

As Steve says:

> If any proposed energy source can't be scaled up to generate 10 gigawatts
> average (1% of that), it won't be large enough to make any significant
> difference in the grand scheme of things even if it works and is really,
> really cool and clever and innovative and nifty.
> 

“Obscure Energy Sources [9]”

Even though these were written about five years ago, it's still nuclear power
that has the best chance of weaning us off expensive carbon-based fuels as a
power source.

[1] http://instapundit.com/archives2/006897.php
[2] http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2002/07/Carbonemissions.shtml
[3] http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2002/09/Energydependence.shtml
[4] http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2002/09/Moreonenergydependence.shtml
[5] http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2002/09/Morepracticalproblems.shtml
[6] http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2002/09/Obscureenergysources.shtml
[7] http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2003/06/Biomass.shtml
[8] http://www.grotto11.com/blog/archive/1136255410.shtml
[9] http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2002/09/Obscureenergysources.shtml

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

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