I’d like to think of my family’s budget as a pot of money. When it comes time to pay the mortgage, you pull some out and it becomes a slice of the overall pie of expenses. The same thing for gasoline, groceries, insurance, and anything else you pay on a monthly basis. Lately, it seems everybody wants a bigger slice of your pie, but you still have only that same pot of money to pull from.
Electricity is promising to be a budget breaker if approved. Another $34.00 per 1000 KWH will be added to a typical bill. I do not know anyone that uses only a thousand killowatt hours monthly. What would be the cost reality for someone that regularly sees a two hundred fifty plus bill? It is staggering to imagine that kind of electric cost increase that rolls off the lips of Progress Energy CEO Jeff Lyash. He calls it the new energy reality.
Unless I’m missing something, there has not been anything but small cost of living increases in the wages of small town America. How are we supposed to pay for these necessities? Should we all have a generator to run several hours a day? Maybe we should go back to refrigerators that utilize blocks of ice to cool our food items, and candles to light our homes in the evening. There will not be any video games to run or televisions to watch, so maybe we all will get a chance to talk to our families again. You remember them, that small knit group that occupies the same housing as you do. We won’t have to use that expensive washer and dryer any more; we’ll use a hand washing scrub board and hang our clothes out on a clothesline to dry. I for one will no longer have to be frustrated by a computer and can go back to typing on a manual typewriter.
Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Or is it? Maybe this will be the new reality for Jeff Lyash.
Did you know that a new two year old state law says that Progress Energy's nuclear projects can start billing you years in advance for projects that are years out from completion. That's right! You and I are subsidizing Progress Energy's 17 billion dollar nuclear plant. Somehow that just does not seem right.
What if the project is cancelled at any given time?, maybe it runs afoul with regulatory organizations due to any number of circumstances,... they would still be collecting our money every month for who knows how long. Starting in March you could see a nine dollar monthly increase to help pay for the projects licensing and site preparation fees not to mention interest costs when and if construction finally begins. What are your ideas and comments?
Biofuels are they a help or Hinderance?
June 24, 2008
Ethanol use is increasing thanks to congress passing legislation that gives a 51 cent federal tax incentive. This incentive is pushing 36 billion gallons of Bio-fuel a year by 2022. Is it helping or is it just escalating an existing problem with corn based fuel. So far the facts say.
1. Ethanol with a blend of 90 percent gasoline will reduce your mileage per gallon by 3 percent
2.Jim Smith, president of the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association says it will to some degree. It lowers a barrel of gasoline $21.00 more than it does today
Twenty five percent of todays corn crop in the United States is fed into the ethanol market. With rising costs of corn and all the products that it makes, are we really ahead of the game? If Dow chemicals raised their prices across the board about 20 percent this past month, could corn prices do the same... and how many products will that affect in the grocery stores? Flooding in the mid-west will no doubt affect staples that we buy. Any thoughts... please post.
Energy independent America is needed!
June 21, 2008
An energy independent america is a nation that controls their future. Much has been said about drilling for untapped oil reserves in the gulf of mexico and Alaskan protected wilderness. While there is a need to insure there will be affordable, and plentiful supply of reserves, we also have a commitment to exploring alternate sources of energy.
It could take ten years to research and fully implement fuel from drilling in these areas once congress gives an OK. This is admirable but at the same time we could make immediate changes in fuel consumption by requiring accelerated mandates to auto manufacturers to improve miles per gallon for all vehicle classes. The technology is there already and has been used in some automobile classes but has not been required for SUVs and Trucks. If vehicles could be allowed to get 40-50 miles per gallon, then we have immediate relief from fossil fuels and greenhouse emissions. It is right that the Republican nominee John McCain look for increased domestic production in our country with additional well fields but we should also keep our eye to the road by looking at short time fixes rather than long term goals only. Our country should follow others that are already developing other energy sources. The United States has never really developed an energy policy. It is time we did before the world passes us by. An article regarding the hydrogen car developed and redefined by Toyota is shown below. The former big auto makers should take note quickly. (posted June 21, 08)
By Nate Martinez Toyota has been developing its hydrogen fuel cell technology since 1992 and has announced they've created a more efficient version of their Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV) named the FCHV-adv. This week, the FCHV-adv SUV succeeded in receiving vehicle-type certification from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport that certifies it as a legitimate and operable alternatively fueled vehicle.
Much like the older model, the Highlander-based FCHV-adv employs Toyota's Fuel Cell (FC) Stack that uses a Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) capable of better mitigating water within each of its cells. The new unit prevents any liquid from interfering with the associated 90-horsepower electrical motor (just like you learned in elementary school, water and electrical appliances don't mix well).
In order to design a better, more efficient hydrogen car, engineers took it upon themselves to thoroughly comprehend the properties of water and hydrogen -- especially in extremely cold weather conditions. FC Stack developers frequently used computer aided visualization tests to help create the complex MEAs.
Significant focus was also given to enhancing the SUV's regenerative braking system in order to improve overall performance of the nickel metal hydride batteries. Engineers streamlined the operation further by shedding weight through the use of aluminum body panels and increasing efficiency with innovative aerodynamic design. The vehicle's other electronic systems were made more efficient as well, to conserve energy.
So far, testing of the revamped components has proved fruitful for Toyota's hydrogen development team. The FCHV-adv is said to be at least 25 percent more efficient than its predecessor and has achieved its goal of improving cruising distance and low temperature starts - two major downfalls of current hydrogen technology.
When outfitted with 70Mpa high-pressure hydrogen tanks, the FCHV-adv is capable of travelling roughly 515 miles on one tank of hydrogen and can be started at temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit). Amazingly, the new FC Stack technology more than doubles the operating range of the original FCHV.
During the hybrid's development, Toyota engineers incorporated knowledge gained from various hydrogen fuel cell studies that were previously undertaken by the American and Japanese governments. The automaker is seeking to improve the FC Stack with the hopes of distributing the technology for mass usage around the world.
Although the vehicle will likely not get the production nod from Toyota execs, much of the technology employed by the FCHV-adv can be expected to make its way to consumers in the near future once sufficient hydrogen infrastructures are established.
The FCHV-adv will serve as a test-ride vehicle at this next month's international Hokkaido Toyako Summit in Japan, where world leaders will discuss the state of the world's pertinent affairs.
American Solutions
American Solutions
By Nate Martinez