[TheForge] now Japanese nuke plants OT: POL:

[Andrew Vida]

Rowland Smuck wrote:
> I am in favor of using any energy source that is wasted if we don't use 
> it, my favorite is ocean wave technology, steam from deep wells, 
> lightning etc, any ideas???

	I agree... at least in principle.  The one question I hold is whether 
the massive use of, say, geothermal energy would have an adverse impact 
on the environment when looked at as a thermodynamic system.  I have as 
yet to encounter my first example in contradiction to the old adage 
"there are no free lunches".  Everything we do has a consequence, mostly 
insignificant, but not always and they are not always readily 
detectable.  "Hidden costs" as it were.  Even so, it may not mean 
anything catastrophic, particularly if we are willing to accept the 
price of the side effects and their unintended consequences.

	Geothermal is probably a great technology in terms of the heat source. 
  It seems, however, that our understanding of thermodynamics remains 
poor.  Consider steam power - you are cruising along if you can suck 8% 
of the energy out and put it to work.  That is deplorable from the 
efficiency standpoint.  From reliability, it can be excellent, however. 
  About a year ago IBM (I think) announced a quantum advance in 
thermoelectric (Peltier) technology, boosting efficiency from about 4% 
to just over 20.  This is huge - if the efficiency of TEDs can be raised 
to above 70%, we could take a large bite out of our energy woes.

	Generally speaking, our practical understanding of energy systems is 
appallingly  deficient.  Well, either that or entropy has really got us 
screwed.