Imagine the highways and freeways gone. No cars, no trucks, no exhaust pollution, no noise pollution, no dead animals lying on the sides of the road. Imagine no huge Cal-Trans budget and tax burden because the roads are gone. Imagine no more CHP tickets and no more fossil fuel cars. Imagine all the money saved if California had a state-wide mass transit system that fueled itself with electricity generated by the Sun. Imagine the thousands of acres of highway road beds turned into forests and organic farms and quiet villages where people and animals can safely cross underneath a quiet electro-magnetic monorail system where the monorail itself contains a thousands of miles long solar collecting system that catches, stores, and releases electricity from the sun supplying all the power needed to run both passenger and freight monorail trains throughout California. This is the future. This is the promise of the Solar Rail System for the 21st Century. I came up with the Solar Rail concept in 1976 and in 1980 went to a Solar Energy Fair in Ukiah or Willits to promote the notion as it was a new concept then and seems to be still new. Somebody had thought of solar powered flatcars on tracks but that's as far as it went. The solar monorail idea needs to be pursued. |
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The Solar Rail System
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About Me
- Steve Lewis
- Prophesy bearer for four religious traditions, revealer of Christ's Sword, revealer of Josephine bearing the Spirit of Christ, revealer of the identity of God, revealer of the Celestial Torah astro-theological code within the Bible. Celestial Torah Christian Theologian, Climax Civilization theorist and activist, Eco-Village Organizer, Master Psychedelic Artist, Inventor of the Next Big Thing in wearable tech, and always your Prophet-At-Large.
8 comments:
I think it's a marvelous idea but what if you want to catch a midnight train to Georgia?
California will have enough sunshine days to not have to worry about nighttime or rainy days with stored electricity. A transcontinental solar train through the southern states would work. You could take that midnight train to Georgia in Steve's World, coming to a universe near you.
Exanaplanatooch!
The only way I know to store electricity converted from the sun is with batteries. Batteries are expensive and would have to be quite large to run a railroad system in the evening, but the savings of using the solar generated electricity to run trains during daytime and switching to conventional electricity methods during evening would save quite a bit of fossil burning fuel.
Solar cells are still an expensive method to generate electricity but if the government can spend billions of dollars to go to war for oil. We would be better served by them covering our Southwest desert with solar panels. Let Halliburton have the contract if that’s what it takes to get it done.
I'm thinking the monorail train hauls a battery car, like the old coal car behind the locomotives. And because electrical storage is crucial to non-polluting electric driven vehicles I think the bodies of cars, perhaps our mythical monorail are hollow-walled storage compartments, making the whole framework the battery.
Also, extra electrical storage from the solar monorail system might be stored separately in strategic locations along the way, like water towers for steam trains. And isn't there a way to store electricity in saltwater pools?
I think we need to think like Bucky Fuller used to do--that is seeing problematic things in the world as resources and energy levers not being utilized.
One question. Will the homeless be able to ride for free? Will the rides be catered? can I bring my pets? Will the toilet paper be in unlocked cabinets so we homeless can help ourselves to as many rolls as we can stuff in our loot filled backpacks?
Get a job, Plaz.
MANDATORY RENEWABLE ENERGY – THE ENERGY EVOLUTION –R8
In order to insure energy and economic independence as well as better economic growth without being blackmailed by foreign countries, our country, the United States of America’s Utilization of Energy sources must change.
"Energy drives our entire economy." We must protect it. "Let's face it, without energy the whole economy and economic society we have set up would come to a halt. So you want to have control over such an important resource that you need for your society and your economy." The American way of life is not negotiable.
Our continued dependence on fossil fuels could and will lead to catastrophic consequences.
The federal, state and local government should implement a mandatory renewable energy installation program for residential and commercial property on new construction and remodeling projects with the use of energy efficient material, mechanical systems, appliances, lighting, etc. The source of energy must by renewable energy such as Solar-Photovoltaic, Geothermal, Wind, Biofuels, etc. including utilizing water from lakes, rivers and oceans to circulate in cooling towers to produce air conditioning and the utilization of proper landscaping to reduce energy consumption.
The implementation of mandatory renewable energy could be done on a gradual scale over the next 10 years. At the end of the 10 year period all construction and energy use in the structures throughout the United States must be 100% powered by renewable energy. (This can be done by amending building code)
In addition, the governments must impose laws, rules and regulations whereby the utility companies must comply with a fair “NET METERING” (the buying of excess generation from the consumer), including the promotion of research and production of “renewable energy technology” with various long term incentives and grants. The various foundations in existence should be used to contribute to this cause.
A mandatory time table should also be established for the automobile industry to gradually produce an automobile powered by renewable energy. The American automobile industry is surely capable of accomplishing this task.
This is a way to expedite our energy independence and economic growth. (This will also create a substantial amount of new jobs). It will take maximum effort and a relentless pursuit of the private, commercial and industrial government sectors commitment to renewable energy – energy generation (wind, solar, hydro, biofuels, geothermal, energy storage (fuel cells, advance batteries), energy infrastructure (management, transmission) and energy efficiency (lighting, sensors, automation, conservation) in order to achieve our energy independence.
"To succeed, you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality."
Jay Draiman, Energy Consultant
Northridge, CA. 91325
1-15-2007
P.S. I have a very deep belief in America's capabilities. Within the next 10 years we can accomplish our energy independence, if we as a nation truly set our goals to accomplish this.
I happen to believe that we can do it. In another crisis--the one in 1942--President Franklin D. Roosevelt said this country would build 60,000 [50,000] military aircraft. By 1943, production in that program had reached 125,000 aircraft annually. They did it then. We can do it now.
The American people resilience and determination to retain the way of life is unconquerable and we as a nation will succeed in this endeavor of Energy Independence.
Solar energy is the source of all energy on the earth (excepting volcanic geothermal). Wind, wave and fossil fuels all get their energy from the sun. Fossil fuels are only a battery which will eventually run out. The sooner we can exploit all forms of Solar energy (cost effectively or not against dubiously cheap FFs) the better off we will all be. If the battery runs out first, the survivors will all be living like in the 18th century again.
Every new home built should come with a solar package. A 1.5 kW per bedroom is a good rule of thumb. The formula 1.5 X's 5 hrs per day X's 30 days will produce about 225 kWh per bedroom monthly. This peak production period will offset 17 to 24 cents per kWh with a potential of $160 per month or about $60,000 over the 30-year mortgage period for a three-bedroom home. It is economically feasible at the current energy price and the interest portion of the loan is deductible. Why not?
Title 24 has been mandated forcing developers to build energy efficient homes. Their bull-headedness put them in that position and now they see that Title 24 works with little added cost. Solar should also be mandated and if the developer designs a home that solar is impossible to do then they should pay an equivalent mitigation fee allowing others to put solar on in place of their negligence.
Installing renewable energy system on your home or business increases the value of the property and provides a marketing advantage.
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