<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title><![CDATA[Comments for entry "Name that Windmill" at Dilbert.com Blog]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/77]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Regular thoughts and updates from Dilbert.com]]></description>
<language><![CDATA[en-us]]></language>
<generator><![CDATA[VPI.Net MyBlogAbout]]></generator>
<managingEditor><![CDATA[]]></managingEditor>
<webMaster><![CDATA[]]></webMaster>
<ttl><![CDATA[5]]></ttl>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from AnotherAlex]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/11029]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Would you feel less compelled to do good to the world by building an energy efficient home,  if you managed to figure out a way to tremendously improve the world by a different path?

Like, for example, if you came up with condoms that Feel Better Than Sex (tm), and made them available for (almost) free, to anyone, anywhere in the world.]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[SunPMCDTE_Rstst]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/11029]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from simonhac]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8748]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[scott, community owned wind farms do exist. there are many in europe (especially denmark, germany and the UK), some in the US, and i'm involved with australia's first. i think community owned wind projects fit your criteria.

please stop by our website to check it out -- perhaps you'll even consider investing?
 
   hepburnwind.com.au

i have solar panels on my roof, but and i'm amazed that a $4000 share of a wind farm will generate as much power as an average house needs. compare that with the cost of a solar array required to power your house.
]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[WedPMCDTE_Rthth]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8748]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from jkeck55]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8518]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Wind and solar canreduce fossil fuel consumption but not eliminate it.  They are not acceptable for Base load generation becaus ethey are not reliable or stable so some sort of energy storage would be required.  And that is a huge leap.  At this point nuclear fission is the only viable alternative but maybe fusion in the future though the conditions required for fusion seem to be a bit difficult to manage to me.  All this renewable energy initiative stuff is a bunch of crap people do to make them selves feel better about themselves and what they do.]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[FriPMCDTE_Rstst]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8518]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from jenny_herendeen2002]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8428]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[here's my idea for working on getting the 99.99% of the public involved.
have some fund set up for the purpose of picking one house in a neighborhood - maybe do a poll to look into which occupants talk to the their neighbors the most and which neighbor all the othe neighbors admire the most (let's call them The Jones Household).....get The Jones set up with solar and get the whole neighborhood, or at least a few of them working towards keeping up with The Jones'.

and get someone to make the solar panels prettier]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[ThuAMCDTE_Rstst]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8428]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from cartmancakes]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8235]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[www.solarcity.com...  Let's you lease a solar panel for your home for $85 a month.  They're only in CA and the Phoenix metro, which is where I am.  They want you to have a credit score of 720 , which I think I'm on the line.  But kudos to affordable ($0 down)  solar panels!  :)  The $85 a month will pay for itself very quickly as I run $350 a month right now on my A/C in the summertime!]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[MonPMCDTE_Rthth]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8235]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from jz269]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8210]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Many years ago I got an officially licensed Dilbert mug from a co-worker to help comply with an optional &quot;no foam/paper coffee cups&quot; policy we had in our office. (It also helped define the attitude needed for the position.)

Now I find the recipient of said license funds is putting solar panels on his house!!

A win-win for the environment!!!

But seriously, we need early adopters who can afford technologies to help drive costs down.]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[MonAMCDTE_Rthth]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8210]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from erewhon]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8082]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Have you considered micro-generation from wind power - your own personal windmill on your house?...

Expensive, and not likely to recoup the cost vs. buying your electricity off the grid, but may offer a contribution to your power consumption (if you have lots of wind!)
]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[FriAMCDTE_Rthth]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/8082]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from Merc1]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7933]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[I think the whole thing'll go a lot faster once we get BIG OIL MEN out of the top spots in government.]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[WedPMCDTE_Rrdrd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7933]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from grinwell]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7879]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Scott,

If I understand what you're looking for, it already exists for some industries.  They're called royalty trusts and basically are shell companies that throw off profits to its shareholders every month.  

If you want to own a piece of an oil well or a coal mine, you can do it--just google royalty trusts.

Unfortunately, I think the problem is that none of these wind companies are making consistent money yet.]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[WedAMCDTE_Rrdrd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7879]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from Pettitt]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7836]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[That's who we build windmills in Denmark.
a few years ago a groupof windmills went up near me, and everybody got a letter saying that they could by shares in this windmillpark, and that it would take so and so many years before the investment would start earning a profit.
so the ideer works.

http://www.wulffmorgenthaler.com/]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TuePMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7836]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from ExoStreaM]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7835]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Dear Scott,

Here's one company you might consider investing in. They deal primarily in wind turbines. Apparently, investors can purchase a wind turbine and have it installed. Once electricity is being generated, the investor gets a cut from the profits earned from selling the electricity. I would love to invest in this company and buy myself a wind turbine but as it is, I'm too poor to own one. I'm sure someone of significant wealth like yourself would be able to contribute to the green effort by investing in this company.

www.suzlon.com

Do check it out.

Cheers,
Steve]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TuePMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7835]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from treekyte]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7830]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Hey!

It's much too easy to be pessimistic about the US's energy future, as is obvious just from the comments on this post... However, Germany, as well as some other European countries, have put into place legislation called feed-in tariffs (known as &quot;renewable energy payments,&quot; REPs, in the US) which have caused huge growth in renewable energy generation. I really like REPs because instead of making the government subsidize RE or forcing utilities to generate only a certain percentage of RE, REPs encourage entrepreneurship, and open up the energy generation market, which is overall a very closed market right now.

Anyhow, I won't rant too much about it here, but I would encourage you to read more about it- the best place to go is the nonprofit group pushing for REP legislation in the US: the Alliance for Renewable Energy. Here's the basic breakdown of REPs, in their words: http://www.allianceforrenewableenergy.org/what-are-reps.html . 

REPs are not as well-known in the US as they should be, sadly... They provide a new way of looking at this issue, mixing capitalism and environmentalism in a way I find quite inspiring!]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TuePMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7830]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from SlowMovingTarget]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7827]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Wind power...  It's a lot of hot air: http://www.aweo.org/ProblemWithWind.html

We might as well call it biofuel part deux.  One highlight: the power grid has no storage, so any power contributed by wind mills must be supplemented at 90% with conventional power for when the wind isn't blowing, or when the wind is blowing too hard (which damages the windmill).

Solar is far better as a point solution.  Nuclear is the only technology that actually makes sense as a replacement.  Other than that, we'll have to develop something new (fusion).]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TuePMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7827]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from modernist]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7820]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Contact EcoAmerica - they're working on the 99.9% of people who think global warming is a spectator sport. I love the idea of naming a windmill. www.ecoamerica.com]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TuePMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7820]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from Roby Bang]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7806]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Since you were talking about investing in windmills, it made me think that someone could create an Alternative Energy Stock Market where you would invest money in existing alt energy devices and ones invented by entrepreneurs. This way, no one needs to wait for a rich investor to invest money, because the 99.9% bystanders would be involved and have the incentive to profit. The inventors would get backing to continue their product.  Everybody wins!]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TueAMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7806]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from Roby Bang]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7805]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Since you were talking about investing in windmills, it made me think that someone could create an Alternative Energy Stock Market where you would invest money in existing alt energy devices and ones invented by entrepreneurs. This way, no one needs to wait for a rich investor to invest money, because the 99.9% bystanders would be involved and have the incentive to profit. The inventors would get backing to continue their product.  Everybody wins!]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TueAMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7805]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from Roby Bang]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7803]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Since you were talking about investing in windmills, it made me think that someone could create an Alternative Energy Stock Market where you would invest money in existing alt energy devices and ones invented by entrepreneurs. This way, no one needs to wait for a rich investor to invest money, because the 99.9% bystanders would be involved and have the incentive to profit. The inventors would get backing to continue their product.  Everybody wins!]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TueAMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7803]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from Roby Bang]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7802]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Since you were talking about investing in windmills, it made me think that someone could create an Alternative Energy Stock Market where you would invest money in existing alt energy devices and ones invented by entrepreneurs. This way, no one needs to wait for a rich investor to invest money, because the 99.9% bystanders would be involved and have the incentive to profit. The inventors would get backing to continue their product.  Everybody wins!]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TueAMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7802]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from pamisso]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7785]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Good discussion...with lack of federal leadership (agree with DDFM), we need visible leadership and it can come from anywhere and everywhere...T Boone Pickens is just one such source.  We all need to change the way we live and be willing, for some period of time, to invest (pay more than we might) in the new direction.  Scott, here's a solution to your investment wish:  www.marquisswindpower.com]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TueAMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7785]]></guid>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comment  from Compuoddity]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7781]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[From an environmental perspective, you'd have to get people caring.  And you'd have to make them smart. 

&quot;We're running out of oil!  And it costs to much!  And it's bad for the environment!  What do we do????&quot;

&quot;Find more spots to drill oil?&quot;

I personally think oil is the lubricant for the earth's plates and draining it is causing all these earthquakes.  Maybe we could scare them with that?

I too would love to do solar.  Can't afford it.  My family composts, has an organic garden in the backyard, tries not to drive stupid distances (4 !$%*! is not a long walk except in really bad weather), I've been adding insulation, planting trees, putting in rain barrels, etc.  The neighbor across the way can't be bothered to properly dispose of his engine oil.  Unless the storm drain in front of his house goes to some recycling center I'm not aware of.

The ten year thing MIGHT happen.  The answer really is like every other &quot;thing&quot;.  You need to convince people they want it, starting with the uber-rich and working down.  Find one company selling solar and boost them into the everyday market.  BP Solar might be good.  As it filters down the classes, the prices drop as demand increases, R&amp;D gets more money, and soon you have a single solar panel you can buy at Home Depot for 100$ that will power your entire block.  OK, let's say a simple 10000 for your home (not unreasonable - the local &quot;fence&quot; company wanted that much for 300 linear feet).  Then you need to provide incentive to the people.  For most, you would think just the monthly energy savings would be enough.  But instead I think you have to go with the fear factor (if a tornado comes and wipes out the power company, you still have TV!) and tax breaks.  Cause the whole death and taxes cliche seems to resonate with people.]]></description>
<pubDate><![CDATA[TueAMCDTE_Rndnd]]></pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/7781]]></guid>
</item>
<pubDate><![CDATA[WedPMCSTE_Rstst]]></pubDate>
<lastBuildDate><![CDATA[WedPMCSTE_Rstst]]></lastBuildDate></channel></rss>
