Poop Power?

[WillP]

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/05/06/manure-power050506.html
:hippie:
innovative and cool

[WillP]

Oh come on! How can noone think this is cool!!

[toman]

I like poop. :bandit:

[treehugger]

I was involved in the building of one of these but a little different...this one took methane off a landfill.

Same principle, though.

I wish they would make more of these.

There's a type of power plant called a cogeneration plant that "recycles" wasted steam to another use. We built one that used waste steam to heat greenhouses.

I like the methane ones, however.

Power plants are actually one of my pet peeves. So many people...eesh I get tongue tied just thinking about it.

Sometimes it sucks to know just what goes on in these....

We REALLY, REALLY need to start using more hydro and wind power. We are on a one way course to destruction.

Believe it or not it's gotten WORSE not having coal ones be popular. They are coming up with far better ways of filtering out the emissions from coal burning power plants. There's baghouses and very very sophisticated filtering systems that do a pretty decent job of getting the mercury byproducts of coal burning. The flyash can be recycled. You can actually even get countertop material made from it. It's often used in running tracks, asphalt, and other byproducts.

We are moving toward natural gas fired power plants. Big huge boilers that burn natural gas that creates steam to turn the turbines. I have been inside a few of these. It boggles the mind how much natural gas these things burn.

The one just installed at the university has a 36 inch diameter HIGH pressure natural gas line feeding it. One minute of this thing firing, would heat my entire house for a year.

And this is considered to be a SMALL one..

So this thing is gobbling up natural gas like a giant monster and our home heating prices are doubling and tripling and we're having more and more dependency on foreign oil and .....

We cannot continue on this path.

Natural gas is a byproduct of the oil industries. It's natural gas that forms on top of the oil fields. It's piped out nationwide to fuel these power plants.

What is going to happen when all this is depleted????

Hydro and wind power is the way to go. I really wish they would put more effort into creating more of these kinds of power plants.

Kath

[WillP]

Treehugger, I couldn’t agree more. I don’t think governments will take advantage of the full potential of wind and hydroelectric until they are forced to. Hydroelectric plants damage the environment as well though.

[treehugger]

Well, hydro power could be considered to harm the environment because a dam is required.

BUT....many of the lakes created by these dams are healthy lakes. They support a large variety of fish, water birds, and other animals.

It does, however, affect wetlands and swamps.

It's WAY better than natural gas or coal fired turbines, though. The lesser of two evils, I'd have to say.

Kath

[WillP]

It's WAY better than natural gas or coal fired turbines, though. The lesser of two evils, I'd have to say.
Kath
I agree, the best solution IMO would be to just have less power. People don’t need a light on in every room in the house or a 60 degree house in the middle of the summer, its idealistic and will never happen but the truth.

Solar and wind all the way... and poop :D

[feral]

I can see where you guys want more wind and hydro power, but do you guys actually have any idea of the havoc that the structures required (dams and wind mills) wreak on all the different ecosystems?

I live in Idaho, and we built three dams on the same river, this seemed like a great idea because it provided a lot of clean energy plus a way for boats to get to the ocean. What we didn't know, however, was that Salmon use that river to get to the lakes and streams where they spwan. The dams completely decimated their populations.

Wind mills seem to be a miracle, untill you realize how many birds are killed when they flock through the wind farms.

I think we should just do away with electricity, it just makes people lazy.

[WillP]

I can see where you guys want more wind and hydro power, but do you guys actually have any idea of the havoc that the structures required (dams and wind mills) wreak on all the different ecosystems?

I live in Idaho, and we built three dams on the same river, this seemed like a great idea because it provided a lot of clean energy plus a way for boats to get to the ocean. What we didn't know, however, was that Salmon use that river to get to the lakes and streams where they spwan. The dams completely decimated their populations.

Wind mills seem to be a miracle, untill you realize how many birds are killed when they flock through the wind farms.

I think we should just do away with electricity, it just makes people lazy.
The salmon is what i was refering to. I had no idea about the wind power though. So solar or nothing?

[feral]

Meh, solar throws off as many acres as it covers. The ground it is built on is used to being hit by the sun, and with the colectors there, they reflect/absorb a huge percentage of that sunlight, so it is no longer as hot on the ground. Plus it adds a lot of ground cover that could provide shelter for animals, wether this is a good or bad thing, I don't know.

[unclejoe]

The major problem with wind generators within the current paradigm of vertical sails and horizontal air movement requires them to be placed in areas of unimpeded airflow, usually in rural locations. This requires power lines to be built, airspace restrictions, and environmental problems.

Perhaps an adjustment of perspective: horizontal sails and vertical air movement.

Using natural draft of an upright cylinder (an old grain silo or industrial smokestack) with wind generators mounted for horizontal movement, stacked, should be able to generate power using the natural draft w/o major environmental concern or existing wind conditions.

A simple heat source (a passive solar water heater tank inside the structure or use some of the power to generate hydrogen gas to burn) at the base could be used to increase the natural draft.

Electric power generation and hydrogen production in the same facility!!

Many modern office buildings have large ventilation shafts that could be converted to this purpose. Emergency power needs could be satisfied w/o large cumbersome (petrol fueled) conventional generators. Any excess wattage generated could be reverse metered, lowering the building's electrical utility cost.

[feral]

Those are wonderfull ideas unclejoe, the only problem would be getting the buisnesses to listen.

[Azrael]

I think we should just do away with electricity, it just makes people lazy.

Hmmmmm enticing idea from an avid PC user hehe :p

It's interesting that genetic engineering - The pet hate of environmental community may possibly find the best solution to this problem :)

Replication is the way forward
Live long and prosper :hippie:

[unclejoe]

good point, feral. there was an article in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Section yesterday that i think you may find interesting. it addresses two of your concerns, solar panels covering the ground and getting business types to opt in. the article is an example of a phenomenon i've observed and espouse that i call 'enlightened self interest' or ESI.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/02/WIGF7CVGFO1.DTL&type=printable

[feral]

Thanks for the article UncleJoe!!! Always good to hear of organic farming, even if it comes with news of earth hurting clean power.

peace & Love :hippie:

[unclejoe]

feral, check the first photo of the article. the solar photovoltaic panels are installed on a previously built stucture.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?m=/c/pictures/2005/06/02/wi_shafer_6.jpg&f=/c/a/2005/06/02/WIGF7CVGFO1.DTL&type=printable

[feral]

wow, that is a wonderful idea! Now If we could do that to every building we would be set.

[angymnast247]

reguarding the solar power on rooftops, wouldnt it be great if we could just use all of the land taken up by our current power plants and build solar power plants or panals here? We would be recycling the land we have already destroyed. ;)
peace and love
~alyssa

[shellbug]

We're in the planning stage of building an earthship.....rainwater collection/filtering/reuse, solar electric, wood masonry heat (live in the wooded boonies, sorry) and home produced methane gas(poo power!!!) for cooking (and maybe refrigeration). Still have to work out all the details, but separately, all of the above systems seem doable. I hate utility bills, and them and insurance are the only thing that really seems to eat away at my freedom these days...

Peace and happy pooing!!!!

Shelly

[unclejoe]

shellbug, i'd reccomend you check out the Last Updated Whole Earth Catalog. it gives a lot of information for what you've described and should prove to be an excellent starting point. most decent libraries have copies of it.