Comments on: Screw the Spotted Owl http://adamschwabe.com/2008/05/20/screw-the-spotted-owl/ Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:18:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Charlie Bader http://adamschwabe.com/2008/05/20/screw-the-spotted-owl/#comment-39212 Charlie Bader Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:26:32 +0000 http://adamschwabe.com/?p=543#comment-39212 While I agree with the tree farm landfill, nuclear power and chinese windmill arguments, I couldn't believe that it took more energy to heat the same space as to cool it. Further investigation reveals that they were comparing A/C cooling to ELECTRIC heating. Nobody uses electric heat up north anymore. It is too expensive. From a thermodynamic perspective, electric heat is highly irreversible. Compare using waste heat from a nuclear power plant in a cogeneration scheme to heat an urban apartment building and you will see that heating is much more efficient (and carbon zero) than suburban AC powered by coal fired power plants. Even distrubuted cogeneration (using waste heat from a small engine/generator to heat an apartment building) is more carbon responsible than a heat pump by itself. When it comes to technology, it's all in the way that you use it. Alex Steffen conveniently excludes the math which he used to reach his conclusions. Is it true that in our culture of ignorance very few people consider the facts? While I agree with the tree farm landfill, nuclear power and chinese windmill arguments, I couldn’t believe that it took more energy to heat the same space as to cool it. Further investigation reveals that they were comparing A/C cooling to ELECTRIC heating. Nobody uses electric heat up north anymore. It is too expensive. From a thermodynamic perspective, electric heat is highly irreversible. Compare using waste heat from a nuclear power plant in a cogeneration scheme to heat an urban apartment building and you will see that heating is much more efficient (and carbon zero) than suburban AC powered by coal fired power plants. Even distrubuted cogeneration (using waste heat from a small engine/generator to heat an apartment building) is more carbon responsible than a heat pump by itself. When it comes to technology, it’s all in the way that you use it.

Alex Steffen conveniently excludes the math which he used to reach his conclusions. Is it true that in our culture of ignorance very few people consider the facts?

]]> By: Ana http://adamschwabe.com/2008/05/20/screw-the-spotted-owl/#comment-29665 Ana Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:52:52 +0000 http://adamschwabe.com/?p=543#comment-29665 Hi Adam! My name is Ana, I live in Sao Paulo, Brazil and I am a Wired subscriber. I just received my edition with the cover you put your blog however, even with my english knowledge I am still wondering what "Screw the Spotted Owl" means! Hope you can explain to me! Thank you! Hi Adam! My name is Ana, I live in Sao Paulo, Brazil and I am a Wired subscriber. I just received my edition with the cover you put your blog however, even with my english knowledge I am still wondering what “Screw the Spotted Owl” means! Hope you can explain to me! Thank you!

]]>