There is no such thing as renewable energy. Prove me wrong.

[fstroupe]

This whole "renewable energy", "green jobs", etc, is a bunch of BS. There is no such thing. It is merely a plot to grow the American government.



Prove me wrong.

[fuhr52]

To say that oil, gas and coal are a finite commodity would suggest we live on a dieing and/ or dead planet. The volcanic activity indicates the planet continues to evolve and is very much alive. I think it's great to look at alternative forms of energy but free markets should be driving that research not government and special interest mandates, based on junk science or politics.

[croute]

Solar, water & wind energy aren't renewable?

[kerb]

My father currently not only has no electric bill, but sells excess power back to his electric company.

I'd say that proves you wrong.

I'm doing the same thing (solar/water/wind) myself before long.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

[JohnD13]

To say that oil, gas and coal are a finite commodity would suggest we live on a dieing and/ or dead planet. The volcanic activity indicates the planet continues to evolve and is very much alive. I think it's great to look at alternative forms of energy but free markets should be driving that research not government and special interest mandates, based on junk science or politics.

There is an interesting group of theories that state that oil is renewable. Google abiotic oil. There are some interesting ideas on the idea that the earth generates or regenerates oil. I haven't formed a decision on this, but it is interesting.

[HoJo]

Maybe what he's trying to say is it's not free. You still need to buy and maintain the equipment and replace it when it wears out. Even solar panels don't last forever. As they say, nothing in life is free.

[BluesStringer]

My father currently not only has no electric bill, but sells excess power back to his electric company.

I'd say that proves you wrong.

I'm doing the same thing (solar/water/wind) myself before long.

I've got two small solar generators (that I built myself), but I'd be interested to know how your father eliminated his electric bill altogether, and turned whatever system(s) he's using into a revenue stream. I've heard of things like that, but not sure if it's regional or local, or if the power utilities themselves organize and manage them. Fill us in here, or drop me a PM if you don't want to go too far off-topic.

As far as the OP, I'm not positive, but my guess is that fstroupe was getting at the notion that government mandating the use of what they consider sustainable or renewable energy is a bunch of BS, and if he is saying that, I'd agree. I would dearly love to go off the grid entirely, and continue to work in that direction with solar, and want to add a small windmill out back, mostly for privacy reasons, close second for reducing the bill(s) reasons, but not for "green" reasons at all. Not that I *like* "dirty" energy, but artificially reducing the amount of available energy on the basis that it is dirty, is counter-productive to say the least. Give us the energy and let the entrepreneurs and private researchers figure out how to make it cheaper, more abundant and cleaner.

I'd be going for the self-sustaining "agenda" whether or not the government liked my choices for energy-producing technology. But if the best, cheapest and most self-sustaining technology was also dirtier than solar and/or wind, I'd probably use it. Doesn't matter though, because solar and wind are the only technologies that can work efficiently here, and it doesn't get much cleaner than that.

But yeah, if I'm reading between fstroupe's lines right, keep the government out of my personal decisions, and out of industries' decisions. Not gonna happen, but I like a fantasy-thread every now and again.

Blues

[BC1]

My wife defines renewable energy like this...

She asks "want to go to the mall?" Nahh, I didn't sleep well last night.
She asks "want to go to lunch?" Nahhh, I'm beat.
Friend calls, "I got two Yankee tickets, you up for it?" Pick me up at 6:00.

[Squarebeer]

We do have to make products to 'utilize' those renewable engery sources! So of course the 'renewable energy' is such but maybe someone is stuck on the building of wind turbines, solar panels and ect as being not 100 percent renewable. We have a contract with a wind turbine on property and I really don't care how, what or anything else as long at the checks keep coming.

When we purchase some land I hope to have a combination of solar, wind power and anything else I don't know about.

[Nightmare45]

All current renewable energy requires mostly non renewable energy to produce, ships no longer sale on the wind, no electric trucks transport across country, and electric trains don't move goods, your cotton takes oil to produce. Atom powers a very small part of this country. Will this ever change? Most likely not in my or my sons life. Can you live off the grid yes, but you will be locking yourself into an old world existance, horse buggy. Had I had the best electric car in the world today I would have had to take three days to do the work I did in one today.