[pct-l] Windfarms and hydropower

[Jeffrey Olson]

Read Cadillac Desert, then Where the Waters Divide.  Then read When the 
Rivers Run Dry, and then Water Follies.  Dams and hydro-power and wind 
energy are totally political and have little these days to do with 
floods or irrigation or real "clean" power need...

Jeffrey Olson
Martin, SD

On 1/13/2012 4:31 PM, Timothy Nye wrote:
>> Jim,  assuming the global warming theory is correct, it then makes the
>> misallocation of resources in favor of turbins and against dams even more
>> stark. Please bear in mind that I'm just using hydropower as one example.
>> Hydropower is in reality merely a byproduct of a reservoir whose main
>> purpose is water storage. With a reduced snow pack we would need greater
>> storage.  I guess we'll need to erect more turbins so we can generate more
>> 'clean' energy to pump water in from Oregon or across the Great Basin.
>> California is already causing large tracts of farmland to lie fallow given
>> the absence of water for irrigation when the rains and snowpack fail..
>>
>> A cynic might suggest that a  major reason dams are disfavored is
>> that they represent a major fiscal outlay that would go to a public project
>> which minimizes the opportunity to enjoy the political benefits.  A dam
>> would not in turn generate 'campaign' contributions for the politicians
>> arranging the appropriation such as those that could flow from those
>> private entities that benefit from alternative energy projects, public
>> employment, etc.
>>