The Green economy Just Doesn't Work

Jccarlton · Post by **Jccarlton** » Fri May 21, 2010 1:38 am

Can we be smart and not do this:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/spains-gre ... epage=true

Skipjack · Post by **Skipjack** » Fri May 21, 2010 8:42 am

Uhm, the Spanish economy was already crap without the green economy crap that they introduced (I agree with you on that, btw).
They should have a little less siestas a few more work hours a day.

Helius · Post by **Helius** » Fri May 21, 2010 4:51 pm

Is whether it will work or not really the dynamic driving the move toward a "green" economy? Does anyone believe that production of energy is a goal in this drive?

Tom Ligon · Post by **Tom Ligon** » Fri May 21, 2010 8:13 pm

I'm fully in favor of green initiatives, as long as by green you mean "making money".

All these alternative energy ideas can make power. The question is, can they make money? If not, they are not economically viable. Where someone can come up with a means of making electricity on a large scale that is competitive with or superior to polluting forms, then we have a winner.

As examples, may I hold up Tesla's exploitation of Niagra Falls, and the use of fission power.

Neither are darlings of The Greens, but they are definitely green.

My interest in the Polywell is the hope and suspicion that it will turn out to be very green.

Skipjack · Post by **Skipjack** » Fri May 21, 2010 10:12 pm

One of the positive effects of alternative energy sources is that they releave us from the dependency of arabic nations. I would rather feed that money to a local company, than to an arab sheikhs.
Of course this can only go so far. If things get too expensive then, the advantage is lost.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Sat May 22, 2010 12:32 pm

One of the positive effects of alternative energy sources is that they releave us from the dependency of arabic nations. I would rather feed that money to a local company, than to an arab sheikhs.

The people who buy from the Arabs have a competitive advantage. Your economy moves there. Assuming a 5:1 advantage Arab oil vs Green oil.

Skipjack · Post by **Skipjack** » Sat May 22, 2010 3:47 pm

The people who buy from the Arabs have a competitive advantage. Your economy moves there. Assuming a 5:1 advantage Arab oil vs Green oil.

Agreed, it is not feasible at the moment and in that case it does not make sense to use it. That is what I said in the rest of my post, if you read that.
That is why we have to do research to reduce the price on whatever replacements for oil we can come up with. If they go below a certain level, even if they are slightly more expensive than the Arab oil, there will be an economic advantage to use those.

Soylent · Post by **Soylent** » Sat May 29, 2010 8:55 pm

Not even plants like green; that's why they're green, it's the photons they don't want.

I prefer blue energy(blue as in the cerenkov radiation from a nuclear reactor and blue as in hydropower).

WizWom · Post by **WizWom** » Sun May 30, 2010 6:48 pm

"Money" is just a measure of effort. Usually, the more money, the more expensive the resources to make it, in addition to higher labor.

More resources means, usually, more fossil fuels needed to get them.

That is, "green" technologies front-load the fossil use and environmental impact.