Since the first Gulf Oil Crisis in 1973 the congress has allocated in excess of 600 billion dollars a year in price supports for oil in order to keep energy costs to the consumer below the level of inflation. This is the reason why the United States, while having less than 15% of the worlds population is able to consume more oil resources than any nation on the planet, and do so for less money to the consumer than even China. These price supports have been added to the national debt each year, the balanced budget of the late 1990s did not mean we were out of debt, it was political speak for We are taking in more than we are spending. The projected pay-off for the national debt was well beyond 2020. The events of 911 have shown these same political figures that we can no longer support world leaders simply because they offer stability for their region, and our own gas tanks.

China is rapidly emerging as a world industrial leader and its demands upon the limited resources of carbon based fuels are steadily increasing. These carbon based fuels are the energy which the worlds temporary economy has been built upon. It was and still continues to be a temporary economy, and will remain as such until the time arrives when renewable resources are the only means used to continue this great economic wealth builder our predecessors devised. The sheer size of Chinas population will demand that the United States pay more for the energy we have all become so dependent upon, and compound this with the fact that we have a foreign trade deficit with China. Unaware by many, China has quietly assumed our lease of the Panama Canal which is the great shipping route for our imported oil from the Persian Gulf east of the Mississippi. At her whim, China may legally bar the Panama from US trade.

During the 1990s, the EPA effectively banned the use of coal for energy production which, in turn, raised the demand for Natural Gas. Many cities are now powering busses and other municipally owned vehicles with Natural Gas causing a further increase in demand for this cleaner burning yet, still limited supply of energy. And as demand rises, availability drops, and prices rise.

Pollutants called NOx (nitrites of oxygen), caused by improperly tuned automobiles and power generation plants, makes great amber haze over our skies, a haze we breath every minute of the day. While proper maintenance of automobiles and newer computerized methods for air-fuel delivery systems has improved these emissions, they cannot be fully eliminated as long as we continue to burn carbon based fuels. Nitrogen in the air becomes a part of biological matter mostly through the actions of bacteria and algae in a process known as nitrogen fixation. Legume plants such as clover, alfalfa, and soybeans form nodules on the roots where nitrogen fixing bacteria take nitrogen from the air and convert it into ammonia, NH3. The ammonia is further converted by other bacteria first into nitrite ions, NO2-, and then into nitrate ions, NO3-. Plants utilize the nitrate ions as a nutrient or fertilizer for growth. Nitrogen is incorporate in many amino acids which are further reacted to make proteins. In overloading interruption in the nitrogen cycle has long range effect upsetting the biosphere. When it settles into the water, it causes the overproduction of algae which in turn consumes excessive amounts of oxygen, choking out naturally occuring plant life. This then kills lake and river beads of all their life forms.

The cause of acid rain is sulfur released from burning hydrocarbons such as gasoline, coal, and to a lesser degree, natural gas. Sulfur dioxide is created in catalytic converters as a result of heat and air-fuel mixtures. As sulfur dioxide travels into the upper atmosphere it combines with sunlight in a low oxygen environment to create a mild sulfuric acid which precipitates to the earth in the form of rain. Entire forests and grasslands in the American and Canadian North East are destroyed for the sake of a few Congressional Lobbyist, who forced Detroit to use catalytic converters on their automobiles. The simpler and cleaner solution to the problem of hydrocarbon emissions was to follow the Japanese Example of placing spark plugs in the exhaust heads of automobile engines. Alas, one well placed Congressional Joker trumps four aces of common sense every time. Interestingly, at the time of the passage of this act, the spot market price of platinum was lower than that of gold.

Toxic Wastes from manufacturing are literally killing the planet.

Emerging contaminates, particularly fuel additives and pharmaceuticals are causing great numbers of fish, foul, frogs, and turtles to disappear. Run-off from rain soaked streets and fields move pesticides and other fuel contaminates as well as nitrate, nitrites, and nitrogen into lakes, streams, and even into potable water supplies. After the human liver has metabolized medications they are passed through the body in the urine and fecal matter. Emerging contaminates are so small that in many cases even reverse osmosis cannot remove them unless more drastic measures comprised of finer membranes are used. This is so costly, few places in the United States, let alone the developing countries, can afford to utilize the systems. It is no joke when we ask what happens when you mix Viagra and Estrogen Hormones into the water supply, mutated male fish that cannot reproduce because they are full of eggs!

Arguably, it is generally accepted that the foreign and domestic policies of the Ronald Regan Administration won the cold war. Outside of limited military force, the greatest weapon used to win the cold war was Finance. At the end of World War Two, the Russians, followed closely by the Japanese, had the worlds larges gold reserves. In response, during the late 1960s and early 1970s the Congress removed the United States currency from its gold reserves opting to have the federal reserve base the economy off the gross domestic product; or literally, the expected sweat off the backs of the American workforce for the following year. This was the first step. The second would be to militarily outspend the Soviets while they were bogged down in Afghanistan. While the soviets were still dealing in vacuum tube technologies, a ban on exports of IC Chip technology was emplaced, the Federal Reserve dropped the interest rates and supercharged a our own lagging economy. We would never have brought that war to a conclusion if it werent for the forces of free market finances. This then demonstrates the problem of a temporary economy based upon limited carbon based fuels. Without a robust economy we cannot operate the manufacturing base of the arsenal of the republic. Without an unlimited supply of energy, we have no economy.

It has been noted that Nuclear Power is an estimated twenty percent of our entire electrical power supply. The question of nuclear power isn't how much they are supplying, rather, at what cost is it to our progeny to have radioactive materials to dispose of whose isotopic half-life will surely outlive mankind itself? True enough, depleted uranium is used in armor-piercing munitions and in enhanced armor protection for some Abrams tanks and is also used in civilian industry, primarily for stabilizers in airplanes and boats. But at what costs? In ten years, the returning veterans of Gulf War Two will certainly let us know what the long term effects of this form of radiation exposure will be. When it comes to the technical issues, what folly is it for a societys future when they are depending upon a process of electrical generation which requires a degree in Nuclear Physics to understand how it operates beyond the means of the common person? Hydrogen is the most plentiful of all the elements in the universe, and anyone with the technological know-how of a moon shiner can produce enough energy for their family by simply converting the materials they flush down the toilet.

Solar Chimney:

In the US Army, as a young Engineer, I learned the acronym K.I.S.S. Not the rock band Kiss, rather; Keep It Simple Stupid. Present company excluded, the Uniformed Army Corps of Engineers was made up of people from varying backgrounds, some were highly educated, and others were simply motivated to teamwork. Some people had a knack for what was termed Field Expedience, which is akin to Yankee Engineering. The ability to use the materials on hand to do a job, and to implement it in such a way that if the person who may have to replace you can do so in a more easy transition; it was simple enough to understand how it works and how to operate it. Idiot proof is another term often used describe the principle.

The chimney effect is a principle which even the common ant and termite understand and use when building their homes. For centuries we have used Grain Silos to dry grains and prevent the build up of methane and hydrogen gasses which can cause spontaneous combustion. Spontaneous combustion begins when a combustible object is heated to its ignition temperature by a slow oxidation process. Oxidation is a chemical reaction involving the oxygen in the air around us gradually raising the inside temperature of something to the point at which a fire starts.

A grain silo allows built up gasses to vent without worry of rain or high humidity causing the grains to sprout or rot. Having the grains tightly packed into the round structure allows the right amount of gasses to react and keep the inside of the tube, the silo, at a higher temperature than the ambient air outside. Because temperature and pressure rise together at a constant rate, as in a pressure cooker, this temperature difference causes a pressure differential, or vacuum, to occur between the air inside compared to the air outside of the silo. As hot air rises, it creates a vacuume. Nature abhors a vacuum, and will always try to equalize the pressure inside the silo to that which is outside; constantly refilling the tube, the silo, with cooler, dryer air. This principle is known as the Chimney Effect, the same principle used to create a draft for a fireplace or wood/coal burning stove.

If we attach to the bottom of our tube a circular plate of glass with a hole big enough for our tube to fit into, and raise the two off the ground for a sufficient stand off to allow just the right amount of air to enter our tube/plate system, the sun will collect heat below the tube and store it in the ground. We now have a Solar Chimney where the earth below acts as a heat sink, or heat battery; constantly storing excessive solar energy in the earth to be used to create a high rate of relatively constant upward airflow.

Wind Turbine Farms Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 @ 06:32:58 PST Topic: News Associated Press LOS ANGELES - City officials have pledged $162 million to build 80 wind turbines in the Mojave Desert in hopes they will produce energy for more than 100,000 homes. The turbines, each taller than a 15-story building, will be installed on about 22,000 acres on ridges 12 miles north of Mojave, north of Los Angeles. They are expected to be on line in about 18 months. City officials said the Pine Tree Wind Project is the first of several attempts to end the reliance on fossil fuels and use more of what is commonly known as "clean energy." "This project is really a win-win for everybody," Mayor James Hahn said. "It will reduce our cost of purchasing natural gas, eliminate over 200,000 tons of pollutants into the air here in Los Angeles and it really is a project that says to everybody that we believe in renewable energy. It works. It's efficient. It's reliable. And as long as the wind keeps blowing, the turbines will keep spinning." The city's Water and Power Board expects to vote on the plan Tuesday. The project also is subject to approval by the City Council. The project is part of the city's "Green Power" program, which was introduced four years ago. Since that time, an audit by the City Controller shows the Department of Water and Power has spent about $120 million to promote the project but had put little toward converting to green power. The Pine Tree project would nearly double the percentage of clean energy to about 4 percent. The plan comes during a budget crisis for Los Angeles, but Hahn said the city has the money to build the facility without raising rates for its energy customers.

For all the wishful thinking and salesmanship, sadly this project, if brought to fruition, will be doomed to failure. Intensive studies in Europe and the United States has shown that Air Density is too critical of a factor to locate wind generators in the desert. If Death Valley had relatively constant humidity levels of 60% there would be enough air density to propel the blades with enough force to run these units efficiently.

However, with a solar chimney, we have a contained climate where inward bound air is compressed while being heated, trapping what precious little moisture there is in the desert air inside its chambers. Also, if it is found that heavier air densities are needed to cause the turbines inside to run more efficiently, the humidity can be adjusted to the exact level to cause maximum output from the turbines.

SES Solar Dish Stirling

With nearly 15 years of research and Government Grants in excess of $50million a year, the elaborate systems known as; Solar Dish Stirling is another method which will generate high output electrical current. However, it has many drawbacks which have, as of yet, unforeseen consequences both economically as well as ecologically. Looking more like back yard satellite dishes of the 70s and 80s, these highly polished mirrored dishes incorporate an efficient steam engine where the horn is normally located in a communications satellite dish. The expected deployments do not take into account that literally hundreds of acres of land must be dedicated in order to plant these multiple dish systems. Also, cloudy weather affects output, as well as a total lack of solar energy which happens once every twenty four hours. When we add to this the elaborate computerized mechanical tracking systems to keep each of several dishes pointed directly at the sun during day light hours, labor and parts, replacement parts, dishes that are sand blasted by the winds, the system is far too complicated to effectively deploy and certainly they do not meet the basic requirements set down by K.I.S.S. as they are anything but simple to set up or operate. Add to this the danger of pilots having their vision blocked by excessive solar rays reflected off the dishes, and you can see that these dish farms would have to be far away from all commercial glide paths.

The Solar Chimney Power Plant

The Solar Chimney Power Plant offers the most comprehensive solution to all the problems noted with other Green Energy Systems. First they are relatively simple to design, build, and operate. On overcast days and during the night, there is always more heat inside the chimney than there is outside, the ground below acts as a solar heat battery storing up excessive energy produced in the day, and using it at night. And there are no expensive or complicated Computerized Solar Tracking devices needed to catch optimum direct solar heat.

Instead of pointing turbine fans into the wind, the turbine is, essentially pointed toward the ground inside the chimney. Instead of massive expanses of land needed to deploy wind turbine farms, several turbine generators can be stacked inside each solar chimney.
Message edited on: 04/12/2005 06:17

Ok... Thanks for the heads up... Have you submitted this to the Inventors forums...?

Looks like it is coming along. Can't wait until you have the animation complete. I would love to see it. I read through it and didn't see anything glaring. I seemed to flow ok. I didn't do a thorough read however. BTW foleypro...he is posting this for feedback on the writing for a project he is working on.

I'm a tad concerned with the amount quoted from the Associate Press. Their stories are copyrighted...I hope you have gotten permission to use the story at length.

Don't need it under fair use. The article is used in whole, with proper credits given. What I am using this for is not for profit, in the sense I am trying to persuade an audience of interested engineers, political figures, and the media.

When it comes to issues such as these, I have used a principle in the past which has served me well, "'tis easier to gain forgiveness, than it is permission."

Thanx for the heads up and I appreciate your critique and concerns.

Want edits? I'd be glad to do a technical check over on your material if you'd like :) How you want them? Just posted here or through IM? David L. Writer's Coord.

Hey Dave! What ever is easiest for you. Heck, for that matter, you can just email them to me through the site here (MS-Word if you have it). Which ever you feel most comfortable with.

Joe - Rhino Coord

Kewl! Alright, I'll take a look over this and make edits and shoot it back to you probably some time tomorrow if that's alright :) David L.