Comments for UtterPower.com http://www.utterpower.com Alternative Energy Solutions Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:30:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Comment on Pension Fund Raids, as a DIYer, you know about cause and effect, watch as it happens! by CHRIS http://www.utterpower.com/new-pension-fund-raids/comment-page-1/#comment-8031 CHRIS Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:30:07 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=4186#comment-8031 I cannot be convinced they are not doing this on purpose. Its been planned for decades. It may be wise to spend what money we have getting a bit more self sufficient. I cannot be convinced they are not doing this on purpose. Its been planned for decades. It may be wise to spend what money we have getting a bit more self sufficient.

]]> Comment on Alamosa HCPV, How the DOE set the terms for the game. by Bill Knighton http://www.utterpower.com/alamosa-hcpv-how-the-doe-set-the-terms-for-the-game/comment-page-1/#comment-7994 Bill Knighton Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:59:00 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=4167#comment-7994 It makes me wonder about the tens of billions that have been spent on fusion research. I mean if this is the same process that funds it and there is a reputable and large physics community validating the process then where would be the feedback that moderates it? Financial failure plays no role since nobody is trying to make any money. And net energy production is always 10-15 years away. And then what if it did work perfectly? A new fission plant is 9 billion dollars and rising even though they've had them commercially for 50 years. Would a new fusion plant be a few hundred billion maybe? Round it off and make it an even trillion. I think trillion is the new billion anyway. The pentagon says maintenance on the 2 or 3 thousand joint strike fighters will top 1 trillion so let's say there were actually enough of these fusion plants built to fix our co2 emmisions. What would maintence be on 2 or 3 thousand? It makes me wonder about the tens of billions that have been spent on fusion research. I mean if this is the same process that funds it and there is a reputable and large physics community validating the process then where would be the feedback that moderates it? Financial failure plays no role since nobody is trying to make any money. And net energy production is always 10-15 years away. And then what if it did work perfectly? A new fission plant is 9 billion dollars and rising even though they’ve had them commercially for 50 years. Would a new fusion plant be a few hundred billion maybe? Round it off and make it an even trillion. I think trillion is the new billion anyway. The pentagon says maintenance on the 2 or 3 thousand joint strike fighters will top 1 trillion so let’s say there were actually enough of these fusion plants built to fix our co2 emmisions. What would maintence be on 2 or 3 thousand?

]]> Comment on Alamosa HCPV, How the DOE set the terms for the game. by Elden http://www.utterpower.com/alamosa-hcpv-how-the-doe-set-the-terms-for-the-game/comment-page-1/#comment-7993 Elden Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:45:46 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=4167#comment-7993 The plot thickens.......http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/30/more-solyndra-style-failure-obama-tied-amonix-inc-lays-off-most-of-company/ The plot thickens…….http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/30/more-solyndra-style-failure-obama-tied-amonix-inc-lays-off-most-of-company/

]]> Comment on 1/26/2012 The Next Solyndra? Amonix by George B. http://www.utterpower.com/1262012-the-next-solyndra-amonix/comment-page-1/#comment-7902 George B. Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:50:29 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=4113#comment-7902 Keep reading Comments Elden, I hear that Amonix or the Alamosa project no matter how insane it was, has a loan of 90 million underwritten by the US Government, so we're on the hook again. Keep reading Comments Elden, I hear that Amonix or the Alamosa project no matter how insane it was, has a loan of 90 million underwritten by the US Government, so we’re on the hook again.

]]> Comment on 1/26/2012 The Next Solyndra? Amonix by George B. http://www.utterpower.com/1262012-the-next-solyndra-amonix/comment-page-1/#comment-7901 George B. Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:44:35 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=4113#comment-7901 It's starting to make sense now. It's been rumored that the U.S. Goverment underwrote loans to Amonix and or for the Alamosa Project! Since the US Taxpayer is the dupe again, there's really little concern about whether any aspect of this project is viable or not, a lot fo people likely got rich doing what they did, and you get to hold the bag. I'm sure many of us can now understand just how helpless the Russian People felt as their Government forced them to do crazy things during the cold war years. This is absolutely the same thing, perhaps the real difference is the Russian people knew they were getting screwed, and about half the American people are too dumb to figure it out. Remember, your Government has no money, they must take it from you before they can hand it to the Cons who engineer stupid stuff like the Alamosa install. This may be the loan for this VERY expensive install: https://lpo.energy.gov/?projects=cogentrix-of-alamosa-llc It’s starting to make sense now. It’s been rumored that the U.S. Goverment underwrote loans to Amonix and or for the Alamosa Project! Since the US Taxpayer is the dupe again, there’s really little concern about whether any aspect of this project is viable or not, a lot fo people likely got rich doing what they did, and you get to hold the bag.

I’m sure many of us can now understand just how helpless the Russian People felt as their Government forced them to do crazy things during the cold war years. This is absolutely the same thing, perhaps the real difference is the Russian people knew they were getting screwed, and about half the American people are too dumb to figure it out. Remember, your Government has no money, they must take it from you before they can hand it to the Cons who engineer stupid stuff like the Alamosa install.

This may be the loan for this VERY expensive install: https://lpo.energy.gov/?projects=cogentrix-of-alamosa-llc

]]> Comment on 1/26/2012 The Next Solyndra? Amonix by George B. http://www.utterpower.com/1262012-the-next-solyndra-amonix/comment-page-1/#comment-7895 George B. Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:29:51 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=4113#comment-7895 Hello Darren Hill! Good to hear from you, I'm hoping you are happy and well. For others who might read your post, I'll just remind folks that the real learning comes when you grab the chalk and work out the economics in front of the class, they'll keep you honest. As an equipment dealer and Installer in Northland, I know YOU are usually asked to give veritable evidence that your designs provide the best economic benefit to your customers. I have learned over the years to seek hands on advice from people like yourself and to get my own hands on the equipment when possible. There's little chance I'd take the advice of an Investment Fund Manager as to what type of solar system to buy. The one link I provided in the comments pretty well defines the technology that propelled Amonix into the limelight, apparently there’s a concentrator layer in front of those panels creating a claimed 26 percent efficiency, I didn't take time to read if this was an increase per square area, or defined in some other way, but we both understand that with a $250,000 tracker, it wasn't cheapest per KWH! AND we need recall that our Fund Manager specifically mentioned that Amonix was the leader in efficiency in their targeted markets, I will quote: "Amonix CPV systems have emerged as the lowest cost solar technology for sunny and dry environments," said Ben Kortlang, Partner of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers". Sunny and dry usually equates to desert, or areas where the cost of land is normally a minor part of the installation cost, so who cares if your system uses a percentage more square area per Kilo Watt Hour, and certainly not at Alamosa. Perhaps one of the more interesting questions... will this Alamosa site employ the team of maintenance personnel, parts, trucks, lifts, and other equipment necessary to keep these trackers running as part of the plan? It appears the Mayor of Alamosa thinks the layoffs at Amonix are temporary. I figure if Amonix made the decision to pay $250,000 for the trackers, and sell them for $200,000 to their Customer, then there’s likely other problems that will surface, but hey, I’m just a bone head that is guided by a basic need to know the most important bit of hard data, the real cost per Kilo Watt Hour over the realistic life of the equipment including maintenance and up keep. I have told a story about a certain Dr. Francisco Rodriguez-Sanchez in Mexico who wrote an incredibly brilliant summary of how important it is to produce products that provide a ‘veritable’ return on investment for the stake holders. ‘Seb’, as his friends call him went to lay out how this evidence was to be measured in the research he was doing in Mali. I need put that story up for all of us to keep in mind, but I think some of our elected officals need take note of the concept ASAP. Hello Darren Hill!
Good to hear from you, I’m hoping you are happy and well. For others who might read your post, I’ll just remind folks that the real learning comes when you grab the chalk and work out the economics in front of the class, they’ll keep you honest. As an equipment dealer and Installer in Northland, I know YOU are usually asked to give veritable evidence that your designs provide the best economic benefit to your customers. I have learned over the years to seek hands on advice from people like yourself and to get my own hands on the equipment when possible. There’s little chance I’d take the advice of an Investment Fund Manager as to what type of solar system to buy. The one link I provided in the comments pretty well defines the technology that propelled Amonix into the limelight, apparently there’s a concentrator layer in front of those panels creating a claimed 26 percent efficiency, I didn’t take time to read if this was an increase per square area, or defined in some other way, but we both understand that with a $250,000 tracker, it wasn’t cheapest per KWH! AND we need recall that our Fund Manager specifically mentioned that Amonix was the leader in efficiency in their targeted markets, I will quote: “Amonix CPV systems have emerged as the lowest cost solar technology for sunny and dry environments,” said Ben Kortlang, Partner of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers”. Sunny and dry usually equates to desert, or areas where the cost of land is normally a minor part of the installation cost, so who cares if your system uses a percentage more square area per Kilo Watt Hour, and certainly not at Alamosa.

Perhaps one of the more interesting questions… will this Alamosa site employ the team of maintenance personnel, parts, trucks, lifts, and other equipment necessary to keep these trackers running as part of the plan? It appears the Mayor of Alamosa thinks the layoffs at Amonix are temporary. I figure if Amonix made the decision to pay $250,000 for the trackers, and sell them for $200,000 to their Customer, then there’s likely other problems that will surface, but hey, I’m just a bone head that is guided by a basic need to know the most important bit of hard data, the real cost per Kilo Watt Hour over the realistic life of the equipment including maintenance and up keep.

I have told a story about a certain Dr. Francisco Rodriguez-Sanchez in Mexico who wrote an incredibly brilliant summary of how important it is to produce products that provide a ‘veritable’ return on investment for the stake holders. ‘Seb’, as his friends call him went to lay out how this evidence was to be measured in the research he was doing in Mali. I need put that story up for all of us to keep in mind, but I think some of our elected officals need take note of the concept ASAP.

]]> Comment on 1/26/2012 The Next Solyndra? Amonix by Darren Hill http://www.utterpower.com/1262012-the-next-solyndra-amonix/comment-page-1/#comment-7890 Darren Hill Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:01:12 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=4113#comment-7890 I agree with your comments re trackers George why build a mechanical liability and complexity into some thing as reliable as a solar array? If you want more power just add more (now relatively cheap) P.V. panels and move on. Cost benefit analysis shows for a home system shows for the price of a tracker and its foundations you can add enough panels to a static array for near if not the same performance and best of all its KISS. I cant imagine a large commercial array such as these would be any different, maybe there are some economies of scale that have a bearing on it? I would be surprised. The only time a tracker is warranted, I feel, is when there are space constrictions I agree with your comments re trackers George
why build a mechanical liability and complexity into some thing as reliable as a solar array?
If you want more power just add more (now relatively cheap) P.V. panels and move on.
Cost benefit analysis shows for a home system shows for the price of a tracker and its foundations you can add enough panels to a static array for near if not the same performance and best of all its KISS. I cant imagine a large commercial array such as these would be any different, maybe there are some economies of scale that have a bearing on it? I would be surprised. The only time a tracker is warranted, I feel, is when there are space constrictions

]]> Comment on 1/26/2012 The Next Solyndra? Amonix by George B. http://www.utterpower.com/1262012-the-next-solyndra-amonix/comment-page-1/#comment-7888 George B. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:08:04 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=4113#comment-7888 Here's one about the Amonix magic! http://optics.org/indepth/2/8/1 Here’s one about the Amonix magic!
http://optics.org/indepth/2/8/1

]]> Comment on What you need to know about small engines and ethanol blended fuels. by Michael http://www.utterpower.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-small-engines-and-ethanol-blended-fuels/comment-page-1/#comment-7887 Michael Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:50:32 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=2007#comment-7887 How can I convert a small petrol generator to ethanol without any problem.pls I need way out. How can I convert a small petrol generator to ethanol without any problem.pls I need way out.

]]> Comment on 1/26/2012 The Next Solyndra? Amonix by Elden http://www.utterpower.com/1262012-the-next-solyndra-amonix/comment-page-1/#comment-7886 Elden Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:24:09 +0000 http://www.utterpower.com/?p=4113#comment-7886 Breaking news this a.m. Ener1 filed chapter 11 after receiving $118 million in gov't subsidies. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/27/parent-obama-backed-battery-maker-goes-bankrupt/ How many more lousy business decisions will be made before we wake up? I'm afraid California will be "too big to fail" and will have to be bailed out by the Federal Government. I'm glad I moved out of there, but you and I will likely pay the bills. Breaking news this a.m. Ener1 filed chapter 11 after receiving $118 million in gov’t subsidies. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/27/parent-obama-backed-battery-maker-goes-bankrupt/
How many more lousy business decisions will be made before we wake up? I’m afraid California will be “too big to fail” and will have to be bailed out by the Federal Government. I’m glad I moved out of there, but you and I will likely pay the bills.

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