Ol’ Rudy disappeared under mysterious circumstances,but thanks for bringing that up,I believe that was the original design parameters.
According to my Ken,there are combustion turbines in existence that can eat coal dust,what happened to that car engine GM was working on that could use coal dust for fuel?
Doug Mayer:
Thank you for taking the time to provide that input.
@asemaster
I agree. Sorry if I got a bit jumpy there, I was having a bad day yesterday. I shouldn’t have jumped on you like that about your vehicle choice. BTW…I LOVE Lincoln Town cars.
I love the concept of hydro electric, In Tennesee the TVPPA has stored water facilities, they use their hydro generators at night to pump up huge reservoirs when demand for electricity is low and during peak demand during the day they use the contents of the reservoirs to generate power since the hydro dams could not keep up during the peak. Its a very clever concept.
I envision a topic area that “swallows up” the off topic comments of others. Just put a button on the bottom of the reply page in any other topic and either the poster or @edaquila can move it over to the B.S. holding pen. Then, anyone else is free to reply to it in that “pen”. The original topic can continue for those who stay on topic. Perhaps like a mailbox, the “holding pen” of off topic posts can be set to only hold the last 25 plus .comments so that it doesn’t become too burdensome. Then, off topic debates at least don’t become like family arguments where you rehash something that happened two years ago. I’ll suggest this strategy to my wife for us, 
just before she tells me to make my own dinner.
BTW, we have just created the “holding pen” of off topic comments with the "Carolyn please " thread.
Hydroelectric is great, but there are problems. Most, if not all, rivers that can be dammed to provide electricity have been dammed already. Killing fish by removing their access to upstream spawning grounds reduces food availability. Yes, fish ladders can help. But they will not allow all fish swimming upstream to make it that normally would if the river was not dammed. There are also water rights issues for those downstream of the dam that want to use the water.
The TVA’s dams on the Tennessee River seem to have a net positive effect on the region. I am not aware of any negative effects from the dams on fish or wildlife while the economics of flood control, navigation and recreation are significant.
How many fish species went up river for the ocean to the river(s) dammed by the TVA? I was thinking specifically about salmon that spawn way upstream and are much less able or unable to reach those spawning grounds in the Northeast and Northwest. One of the responses is to farm salmon since the natural population has decreased so much. Maybe it is worth it to address the problem this way. Electric power certainly is very important.
coal mining practices are of more concern to me than are the problems with emissions from burning coal. I m confident we could clean up the emissions if we really tried. coal mining decimates valuable ecosystems
our roof tops are begging for solar collectors. I can hear them when I wear my tinfoil hat.
My neighbor heard those voices, too. He put solar cells on his roof. At the time, he estimated that it would take about 15 years to pay for the system. But he doesn’t buy electricity on sunny days,and actually sells electricity to the power company on those days. There are 213 days with sun or partial sun in Central Maryland. Most of the time, he is not paying for much electricity.
its not like us to waste space. I m surprised that no clever roofing material manufacturer has tried to market an integrated product that serves as a roofing material and solar collector. just slapping collectors on an existing roof isn t the best way to go. you end up compromising the integrity of the roof and getting an installation job that may not be sturdy.
does your friend store any electricity?
I think he does have some storage capability. He sells whatever he doesn’t use and can’t store.
Solar shingles are on the market now, and have been since 2005. They are about the same price as bolt on systems. A Dow Powerhouse system will set you back a little over $20,000 on average before tax breaks. If you have an all electric house, that can pay off quickly. I have gas heat so it isn’t quite as fast. I do plan to start looking into it soon since my shingles are 16 years old.
I have just perfected a device based on the “power conditioner” that plugs into the cigarette lighter of a car and smooths out the electrical power to make the car run more efficiently. My device, the clean amp filter, plugs into an electrical outlet and then your sensitive electronic equipment is plugged into this device. Since the power on the grid that supplies your house has power generated hydro-electrically, by wind power, by a nuclear plant and by coal, my device filters out those dirty amperes generated by coal fired plants that might carbon up your sensitive electronic devices.
I am presently seeking an 800 number and time on late night television. The price will be $19.95 plus shipping and handling. Those that respond within the first two weeks will receive a second clean amp filter device to filter out those dirty coal generate amperes at no additional cost except for a second shipping and handling fee.
I see this dam discussion has moved on, and the moderation stuff is getting a roof reception. I have to coal it as I see it, and close this one.