How Do You Save the World?

first I think the world is not to be save but the world need to improve his techniques , Whit solution that are available now . the world is not dying and the planet is not totally sick . And human is more and more in the way of knowing what to cure . With new science , human and especially the way the invented things .

second, the ways to save the world is by saving your self . because if you do an action toward' good manner you will save the world . why is that have to do with anything it's because no one is going to kill the planet and no one want's to kill his immediate environment . so there it is one good move by your self affect the other too.

do have to tell every one what to do no . but still is it's a good question but out of reach for me . just do the wright thing . On earth it's simple eat vegetarian , don't kill anybody and recycle . and don't be a criminal . So ill be rich too .

I remember reading in a science magazine, some 10 years ago, that a field of solar panels, smaller than the state of Rhode Island, could power the entire United States. I don't know how true that was, but I think there was more truth to it than exaggeration.

The problem I see is that we are SO reliant on oil and the business of it, that to switch from that to a newer source of energy would destroy the economy, at least for a time.

Streen wrote: I remember reading in a science magazine, some 10 years ago, that a field of solar panels, smaller than the state of Rhode Island, could power the entire United States. I don't know how true that was, but I think there was more truth to it than exaggeration.

While not technically inaccurate, this doesn't even remotely touch on the biggest issues of solar power: infrastructure, energy storage, and the cost (material and environmental) of creating the actual cells. Disregarding for a moment even the first and last, the middle one is the biggest stumper right now, as we have no reliable way of storing energy long-term, certainly not on the level needed.

The general problem I've found when talking to people about this (not that I'm saying anyone here intended this mind, you, I'm talking about discussions I've had off-site), is that there's very little conception of what actually goes into the design and creation, and management, of energy networks. A spot as large as a small State could provide a heck of a lot of power - but obviously it would need to be spread out over the entire US. It would need to be efficient enough then to provide a consistent level of power, and it would need to be able to store a massive reserve of power for periods of time where access to the sun is limited - therefore the infrastructure as a whole would need to be able to switch the operating load at any given time.

Now, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, IBM has developed a new type of cooling system for solar cells (based off of cooling systems for quantum computing) which could pave the way for solar cells to actually draw in enough power to replace a coal plant - but that still leaves us sorting out the actual infrastructure, not to mention the storage issue. And all of this is completely ignoring the environmental factors - the creation of solar cells is not exactly green .

Now all that said, I think that solar power is the most likely avenue for the future of energy worldwide - there will come a time when we've fracked all we can frack, and I'd like to see a solid power infrastructure in place before that happens! It's just a discussion that's more complicated than some environmental organizations want you to believe. What they're not wrong about however is that the lack of government funding for research into the topic is what's creating the biggest hurdle towards solar energy. We hear the politicians talking a lot about "becoming energy self-sufficient", but all that really means is that they're trying to make new methods of importing oil sound palatable. True self-sufficiency isn't actually something that just about any corporate interest wants to see, as that upsets the whole apple cart, so to speak.

Still, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll see an even greater interest in solar technology emerging soon. Certainly things like the Tesla electric car go a long way towards proving to the public that a reliance upon oil is a reliance we can rid ourselves of in relatively short order.

The solar conversation is a huge one out here in Southern California. Because we have sun most of the year and we have the reputation of being a liberal hippie state, there has been a big push for solar solutions in the last 5 years. So far, most of the success has come from private solar companies putting panels on homeowners roofs that tie into the existing electrical grid. Instead of using the panels to power the house, the panels supply power to the power infrastructure of the entire grid. Essentially, the power company credits the homeowner's normal electric bill for the amount of electricity generated by the panels. I know a lot of people who have monthly electric bills of about $10 now, when they used to be around $100. In fact, a lot of housing developers are building entire communities with solar pre-installed on the houses and the new owners don't even get a choice.

It is a good start, but as Locksley mentioned, it still relies on the existing power grid to effectively store any unused electricity and provide power when the panels do not have sufficient sunlight.

Are there any hazards associated with batteries: charged with solar, their storage, manufacture or disposal?

I'm no electrician, so my understanding is pretty limited.

What I do know from my limited knowledge of chemistry is that electric charges are created by mechanical energy (hydro-electric generators in dams), thermal energy (steam powered generators, coal generators), and chemical reactions (batteries).

Because batteries rely on chemical reactions often involving lead, lithium, or other potentially harmful chemicals in acid form, there seems to be some difficulty with disposal. Otherwise I would think they are the most logical solution for storing electricity generated by solar. The part I don't know is how large or numerous those batteries would have to be to make it efficient.

I do not know the enviromental issues of batteries but I do know one batteries impact may be small but if we have millions of them in millions of homes then it could be just as big a problem as any other energy source? I guessing.

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Tao Te Ching 29 :

Do you want to improve the world?
I don't think it can be done. The world is sacred.
It can't be improved.
If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it. There is a time for being ahead,
a time for being behind;
a time for being in motion,
a time for being at rest;
a time for being vigorous,
a time for being exhausted;
a time for being safe,
a time for being in danger. The Master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle.


Tao Te Ching 30 :

Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men
doesn't try to force issues
or defeat enemies by force of arms.
For every force there is a counterforce.
Violence, even well intentioned,
always rebounds upon oneself. The Master does his job
and then stops.
He understands that the universe
is forever out of control,
and that trying to dominate events
goes against the current of the Tao.
Because he believes in himself,
he doesn't try to convince others.
Because he is content with himself,
he doesn't need others' approval.
Because he accepts himself,
the whole world accepts him.

I believe that changing the world is possible, but we must first change the human condition,the human way of thinking and this can take decades. Our we ready for change or are we just simply fated to fail? I hope that we will charge, we must if we are to survive.