The Oil Drum | DrumBeat: July 26, 2006

259 comments on DrumBeat: July 26, 2006

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tate423 on July 26, 2006 - 8:38am

Global Warming anyone? The food supply shall suffer...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEAD_LIVESTOCK?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAUL T&CTIME=2006-07-26-03-19-01

The declarations allow dead livestock to be dumped in landfills - something usually outlawed because of health risks.

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Sunspot on July 26, 2006 - 8:55am

Yuck. Dead cows in landfills.

And let's say it here at TOD:
Global Warming has killed 56 people in California.
Happy motoring!

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step back on July 26, 2006 - 10:46am

Did you see that side article (San Jose Merc) about how demand is going to outstrip electrical supply by 2008?

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tate423 on July 26, 2006 - 11:00am

And they didn't think that could happen for like anothe 2-3 yrs right? Why aren't people trying to change this, rather than bitch about it though?

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Twilight on July 26, 2006 - 11:30am

Put more dead cows in the landfills and take the methane for use in generating electricity!

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Don in Colorado on July 26, 2006 - 11:48am

Where I live in western Colorado, dead cows are composted by the county and used as soil fertilizer.

This is because the regional rendering plant went out of business a few years ago, and we were forced to do something environmentally creative for a change.

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GreyZone on July 26, 2006 - 11:46am

For at least part of it they have little choice. California had 29 million people in 1990 but 33 million in 2000 and is expected to hit 38 million in 2010. Even if per capita consumption remains the same that's a 31% growth in total consumption over 20 years, and California has not exactly been quick to add new generating capacity. In order to lower demand they would have to add constant conservation gains greater than the rate of growth, forever - an obviously impossible situation - or they have to stop population growth.

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Jon Kutz on July 26, 2006 - 2:46pm

I came across something could possibly help, but -----

My hot water heater is getting older and I started to think about a replacement (rural Minnesota) and I got to thinking about our discussion of Heat Pumps and got to wondering if anyone had ever made a heat pump water heater? A quick "google" gave me the answer. Yes, but they were expensive. There was a gov effort to help develop one that would be affordable. Would use half or less of the electricity used by a standard electric water heater to heat the same amount of water. It would provide dehumidifing in the basement as a "free" side benefit.
With the high (and going higher) price of propane I sure would expend the extra bucks (up to double the price of a standard water heater) to go with a heat pump water heater. I am currently persuing info on availability, prices and COP.
More info here:
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/btc/apps/hotwater.html

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Rajiv on July 26, 2006 - 5:15pm

You may also be interested in using "EcoCute"

More details here

Since 1999, a heat pump based on CO2 technology has been providing a Norwegian company with many advantages:
* 22 kW heating capacity
* 5.5 measured co-efficiency of performance (COP)
* 80-90 C water temperature
* Economic payback of invested money in less than three years

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Wharf Rat on July 28, 2006 - 4:59am

Tankless water heaters...

http://www.tanklesswaterheatersdirect.com/shop/tanklesswaterheaters/aquastar/aquastarindex.htm

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Kevembuangga on July 28, 2006 - 6:01am

Ever tried to have a shower with a tankless water heater?
Good luck!
You will find out...

(OK, I'll spare you the anguish: no way it can properly regulate the temp mitigation)

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Wharf Rat on July 28, 2006 - 2:22pm

I have one.

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tstreet on July 27, 2006 - 1:31pm

Keep wrenching up the price of elecricity for heavy users,like they are doing. At some point, maybe people will move. Also, require that all new homes have PV, passive solar, and solar thermal. We have a crisis that will only exacerbate a bigger crisis if we give into those who want to expand supply with fossil fuels.

Any centralized supply increases should be wind/hydro/maybe nuclear/solar based.

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westexas on July 26, 2006 - 6:52pm

Of course, I think that 2008 is when Richard Duncan predicted rolling blackouts.

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259 comments on DrumBeat: July 26, 2006

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