[NMLUG] Why so many Linux distros?

[havoc at harrisdev.com (havoc)]

Brian Rodgers wrote:
> I think Lee has a very good point. " Coal-burning power plants could be 
> made to be MUCH less polluting if
> they would just switch to fluidized bed furnaces using limestone media.
> The technology is appallingly simple and has been available since the
> 1920s.
> 
> Let's focus on burning carbon neutral biomass more efficiently.
> Wood heaters that burn all the fuel, is going to be one of my experiments.
> Also I am currently working on waste veggie oil furnaces.
> Gasification of biomass also has a bright future.
> Our local community college is starting a renewable energy department 
> which I am proud to say I will be part of. We have list member Matt 
> Bowie to thank for this great Web Page at the school.
> http://www.luna.edu
> Brian Rodgers

With my background in Chemical Engineering, I'm into mass balances.

Seems to me that any carbon we get in carbon fuels is carbon that was 
concentrated in plant biomass and then further concentrated by the 
geological process of heat and compression over time. Therefore, it's 
just a much longer cycle than the comparatively short cycle of growing 
crops and turning them into fuels.

Another interesting feature of the huge ethanol industry is that ethanol 
product results in a net increase in emissions. It takes about 1.3 
gallons of petroleum fuels to produce one gallon of ethanol, and 
billions of taxpayer dollars. (http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=8260)

Of course, you're not talking about ethanol, it's just one of my 
favorite poster boy examples.

biodeisel is really interesting. From what little I've seen, it's 
terribly toxic, terribly corrosive and extremely expensive (I seem to 
remember that it cost in the range of $10.00/gallon to produce?). It 
also appears to be every bit as interesting and fun as home brewed beer.

Wind energy is expensive and extremely maintenance intensive... and 
kills bats. Lots of bats. go figure. I expect to see environmental 
activists fighting environmental activists over wind farms soon.

I just don't see a lot of problem releasing the sulfur and carbon from 
petroleum and coal reserves so that it can go back into new plants. No 
good reason to let perfectly good renewable energy source go to waste 
just because it's old.

.... something about Linux based control systems in there somewhere....
-- 
http://www.RealizationSystems.com/ -- start communicating
http://www.GalacticSlacker.com/ -- read it and weep