User talk:Jimmiller5417
Hi Jimmiller5417, welcome to SourceWatch. While we encourage people to add referenced information to the articles, we avoid including promotional material and pitches for products. As your post was not a link to an article on biomass, but a pitch for funding a project I have deleted it. If you have any further queries, feel free to drop me a line by posting a note at the foot of my talk page. best wishes, --Bob Burton 19:56, 28 July 2009 (EDT)
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RESPONSE
Dear Bob,
You really do not understand your job. You should encourage the folks who are trying to solve global warming projects by applying for funding from DOE, USDA, and others. Funding the matching funds requirement is critical to obtaining an award. With the award, we can push the envelope to achieve energy without or with only minute GHG emissions.
The reason my post was unrelated to an article on biomass, is because the Solar Furnace CHP does not involve biomass. So, if you want to advance the science and engineering for alternative energy, then please post this article:
The LRES/SCSHTLTEBSTPDRSCHP-GHG+COWFLOP System
Dear Folks at the Whitehouse and beyond:
We, in the great hinterland of America, sit on our haunches and wonder what really is happening at the Whitehouse and beyond. I think I have finally figured it out, at least, the energy side. What DOE, USDA, -- almost the entire Obama Administration – is trying to do by throwing billions of dollars at the foreign oil problem, is to re-invent the past, make little or no change in the electrical generation capacity infrastructure (production and distribution), in order to live happily ever after. By catering to the oil, coal and biomass industries, the votes in Congress are thus obtained for massive bail-outs of these soon-to-be-obsolete industries. Boy, how that really makes my day – throwing good money after bad, using Las Vegas odds (Jimmy the Greek would be pleased).
There are really only three large sources of non-fossil energy, each with their sets of problems and promises:
Atomic energy has massive waste disposal problems, high infrastructure cost, massive regulatory hurdles and not all that cheap when figuring in the decom of the old production units. Needless to say, atomic power is not the most popular source of mass energy, despite what the French think. Also, these plants have siting problems and do nothing to reduce the need for massive “smart” or “dumb” national electrical grids. Lastly, Atomic Energy is not really “renewable”.
Next, we have wind, wave and geothermal, all of which are great improvements over atomic energy. Again, these solutions require massive investments, siting problems, huge base load facilities and, again, do nothing to reduce the need for massive “smart” or “dumb” national electrical grids.
Then we have solar energy, which is clean, widely distributed around the Earth, does not involve GHG and is, in the long run, the only massive source of energy for the next five billion years before the Sun starts dimming. I call solar energy “Locavore Energy” because it is locally produced and consumed. Take PV on the home roof – the electrical energy runs a very short distance to the converter in the basement or garage or old closet. We are really talking “Locavore Energy” with PV, notwithstanding the approximate $10,000 per kW/hr capital cost. Then there is “concentrated solar power” (CSP), which so far is confined to huge plants, in the deserts, which suck up what little water there is and then send the electrical energy over miles of transmission lines, which waste about 50% of the energy getting from A to B. Also, they have to be careful not to run over the endangered Desert Tortoise. See: http://www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/ivanpah/documents/others/2009-07-11_Kevin_Emmerich+Laura_Cunningham_Basin+Range_Watch_Comments_TN-52380.PDF
I would like to suggest a simple, (well, not all that simple) Locavore Energy Solution (LES): THE SOLAR FURNACE CHP SYSTEM. Not to compliment myself, I predict that this solution will be adopted around the Earth where the Sun shines most of the time during the day. Simply put, the system consists of Solar Collectors (SCS), Heat Transfer Liquid (HTL), and a Thermal Energy Battery (TEB). The combination stores HTL in the TEB produced from the SCS. One might call it the SCSHTLTEB system. The SCS is a set of eight parabolic reflectors inside eight cases or troughs which are gelcasts of air-entrained ceramic, about four inches thick. Each case or trough has a “lid” of two panes of thermal glass through which the Sun's radiant heat strikes the parabolic reflector, bounces and penetrates the two inch stainless steel tube (Receiver) filled with HTL. Each trough is a foot wide, a foot deep and three feet long. You follow me so far?
The SCS are nested in a frame which is mounted on a SunTracker Platform (STP). Now we have the SCSHTLTEBSTP system. The SunTracker tracks the Sun and in bad weather, turns the edge of the SCS array into the storm wind. The TEB is a tank holding, say 5000 gallons of HTL, at about 450 – 500 degrees F. This mass and heat is enough to carry most full loads until the Sun shines again. Now for the kicker: the Applications.
There are many, off-the-self- applications which can transform the heat into other forms of energy: electricity, hot and cold water, refrigeration, steam, and rotational horsepower, commonly referred to as Combined Heat and Power (CHP). We now have the SCSHTLTEBSTPCHP System. If you count the fact that the system does not produce GHG (-GHG for “negative GHG”), then we have the SCSHTLTEBSTPCHP-GHG, which ought to make most Washington bureaucrats happy with the name alone, and worthy of funding.
Which brings me to the main topic – funding. The Federal bureaucrats in charge at the operational level have marching orders: spend huge amounts of money, fast, in as many Congressional Districts as possible, on old, obsolete technology (i.e. “Clean Coal” -- no such thing), Atomic Energy, high mileage internal combustion engines, and wind machines isolated from the grid (Pickens Plan). Such goals are not only silly, but stupid, not thought-out and will ensure the de-election of President Obama in 2012. If there are any Democrats listening, your chances of maintain your current majority in Congress is doomed in 2012 when the Republacrats or the Demacans regain their power seats in Congress. I can hear their campaign song: “All I want for Christmas is our Thirteen Trillion Back”.
So, what to do? First of all, put out an FOA which has no requirements other than name, rank and serial number with no matching requirements. Do not condition it along the lines of the DOE's Unsolicited Proposal schema which can instantly kill any application which is “similar” to any FOA, past, present or future. So many FOA's have been issued so that there is little or no ground left upon which an innovative application can stand and avoid the “similar FOA” appkiller. Again, the bureaucrats have created a very convenient shield around their job performance – just say no, and they don't have to do any real work.
Surprise! You might have guessed that I, James E. Miller, a humble recovering attorney and ag engineer, would have thought through the Locavore Energy Solution (LES) mentioned above. We now have the LES/SCSHTLTEBSTPCHP-GHG solution. Oh, I almost forgot, we are also working on getting funding for the Drum Roll Steamer CHP System™ (Richard Hundley, inventor) or DRSCHP. This system uses any cellulose to produce syngas, steam, rotational horsepower and biochar. The latter can be infused with BioOil from the pyrolysis operation to make pellets or briquettes of clean(er) burning BioCoalLite™. Alternatively, the biochar can be infused with nutrient (compost tea or black liquor from dairy cow flop lagoon) (Agrichar), then worked into the soil which during the next crop season, will yield up to eight times the normal yield than if seeds were sown in plain dirt. How? Micro-organisms like to sit down to eat, and “Feed the soil – the stomach of the plant”.
So, there you have it – the long term, best solution to our energy and food needs using the Locavore Renewable Energy System (LRES), the solution to the proper use of cow flop, and the solution to our coming Peak Food Crisis. Finally, we have LRES/SCSHTLTEBSTPDRSCHP-GHG+COWFLOP. Now, let's get real; get some funding for the LRES/SCSHTLTEBSTPDRSCHP-GHG+COWFLOP™ System [ http://algaloildiesel.wetpaint.com/page/DAIRY+PRODUCTION+OF+SYNGAS+AND+BIOCHAR ] and start enjoying the Sun, breeze, and food while relaxing in our lawn chairs watching the Sunset, with a glass of orange or pineapple flavored ice tea at ready.
Jim Miller jimmiller5417@yahoo.com August 3, 2009 Copyrighted under GNU, 2009, James E. Miller. Permission is given to SourceWatch to publish.
Response
Hi Jim,
SourceWatch is a place where anyone is welcome to create or contribute to articles on topics related to the mission of the Center for Media and Democracy. However, the standard for SourceWatch articles is that they are fair, accurate and referenced. As such, they are intended to be fact-based and not opinion articles. I would encourage you to contribute your opinion column to a publication that covers such topics and then it could be relevant to link to in relevant SourceWatch articles. But as it is, it doesn't fit with the role of SourceWatch. I'm sorry about that but if we publish your opinion column as an article, then lots of others will want to do the same too, which is hardly the point of SourceWatch. best wishes, --Bob Burton 00:45, 20 August 2009 (EDT)
Bob Burton
bob@sourcewatch.org
Dear Bob,
On 8/20/2009 at 12:45 a.m., you replied to my response. My comments are nested in blue:
Hi Jim, SourceWatch is a place where anyone is welcome to create or contribute to articles on topics related to the mission of the Center for Media and Democracy. My article, The LRES/SCSHTLTEBSTPDRSCHP-GHG+COWFLOP System, fits that mission statement. However, the standard for SourceWatch articles is that they are fair, accurate and referenced. The article complies with this guideline. As such, they are intended to be fact-based [Most of the article is heavy on science and engineering dealing with Locavore Renewable Energy] and not opinion articles [is the label, “opinion” your “kiss of death”?]. CMD is all about opinion and how it is shaped in the real world. The Daily Spin is 90% “opinion”; how do you square your “kiss of death” guideline with the opinions expressed in The Daily Spin? It appears your use of “opinion” is an oxymoron in the context of CMD, The Daily Spin and SourceWatch. I would encourage you to contribute your opinion column to a publication that covers such topics and then it could be relevant to link to in relevant SourceWatch articles. But as it is, it doesn't fit with the role of SourceWatch. Sure it does but you do not understand the technology, its potential impact on civilization and the focus of the bureaucrats on obsolete technology – a political problem. I'm sorry about that but if we publish your opinion column as an article, [No, you are not sorry; you simply take exception to how I attempted to poke fun at the bureaucrats and the Obama Administration.] then lots of others will want to do the same too, which is hardly the point of SourceWatch. Below is a different version of our technology without any attempt to inject any humor. Please run this article in either SourceWatch or The Daily Spin, or both; if you need citations, they will nearly double the length of the article. Jim Miller
best wishes, --Bob Burton 00:45, 20 August 2009 (EDT)
SUMMARY - SOLAR FURNACE CHP SYSTEM
Over the next 5 billions years before the Sun begins to dim, it will produce unfathomable amounts of solar energy. A tiny fraction of that solar energy will reach the surface of the Earth. Yet, this tiny fraction is enough to supply all of the energy needs, properly harnessed and distributed, to sustain our growing global population in a pollution-free environment. How is this possible? (read on) and is it probable? (Yes) Consider that the solar energy is responsible for plant growth, wind, waves, hydro-electric power, river power and direct conversion to electricity and for direct heat. A Solar Furnace CHP System consists of four major elements: A solar energy collector on a Sun tracker electro-mechanical system, a Thermal Energy Battery, and an application, such as a Combined Heat and Power unit which can produce rotational horsepower. There are many other applications for industrial and human use of the latent heat stored in the Thermal Energy Storage Unit. Here's the problems the Solar Furnace CHP System has solved (on paper): Matching load to supply. The storage of a hot liquid in the TEB, greatly in excess of the anticipated load over time, will allow for uninterrupted use by the applications. Critical backup should always be provided such as for hospitals, communication centers and other essential services. The TEB can provide most of that backup, since heat can be generated and parsed into the TEB from a variety of sources (electric heat, liquid fueled heaters, geothermal heat, heat from biomass combustion). The supply of heat from the TEB allows for matching to a variable load. “Free” energy. The use of solar radiance to heat the transfer liquid is the lowest cost source of energy, even considering the amortization of equipment and operational expenses. Low cost. The low cost of the Solar Furnace CHP System relative to large central plants, makes the unit affordable by a much larger customer base. Distributed energy. The primary benefit is derived from the ability to size a system for a wide variety of different applications, loads, and locations. The Solar Furnace CHP System's electrical generation can operate in stand-alone mode or networked locally or nationally. A significant savings of energy lost over the transmission lines, due to heat radiation, can be realized by locating many smaller plants at the point of application and the avoidance of huge, centralized facilities. Heat collection, storage and transfer. The use of a heat transfer liquid allows for two levels of heat. The collectors will be able, on a sunny day, to heat the liquid up to 600 degrees F. This liquid will be pumped to the TEB which is a large tank, heavily insulated and containing a heat exchanger. The tank takes its input from the solar collectors at the maximum temperature (not to exceed 600 degrees F), which incoming liquid heats the liquid in the TEB. These units will be marketed to farms, greenhouse operations, dairies, food processing and packaging plants, industrial plants and institutions which can accommodate the Sun Collectors and tracker system. The anticipated payback time will be between two and ten years, depending on the applications employed. Contact information: Jim Miller, President, Mutual Aid Society of America, Inc.; 103 Methodist St., Cecilia, KY 42724 Email: jimmiller5417@yahoo.com
Response to Jim
Dear Jim, thanks for your note. However, your material really doesn't fit with the role of SourceWatch or the Center for Media and Democracy Spin of the Day (which are brief posts on topics in the news). AS I suggested before, I think your best approach is to find a news outlet or website where your proposal makes for a more comfortable fit.--Bob Burton 20:43, 23 August 2009 (EDT)
