[wordup] Saving energy without derision.

[Adam Shand]

This is a pretty good book on how one guy made relatively small changes  
around his house for significant improvements in the amount of energy  
his family consumed over a year.  It has lots of examples,  
recommendations and data about what helped and how much as well and is  
fairly easy reading (I skimmed it stopping to read the bits I found  
most interesting).

He talks quite a bit about solar power, and I have a question for the  
floor.  One of the critiques of solar power that I've never been able  
to prove or disprove is that the amount of energy required to construct  
a solar panel is more then the energy that a solar panel will generate  
over an average lifetime.  Thus they can be a very efficient way of  
"transporting" energy but will always run at a net loss.  Can anyone  
point me at relevant information?

Thanks,
Adam.

From: http://www.boingboing.net/2004/09/18/saving_energy_withou.html
More:  
http://www.zelicoff.com/SMLR/#Environmentally_Friendly_Energy_Systems
Book:  
http://www.socialtext.net/brightgreen/index.cgi? 
saving_energy_without_derision

Saturday, September 18, 2004
Saving Energy Without Derision

BoingBoing reader George W. Maschke says,

Saving Energy Without Derision (5 mb PDF) is a new (and free) e-book by  
former Sandia National Laboratories senior scientist Dr. Alan P.  
Zelicoff. This book is intended to be a real-world, no-nonsense,  
thoroughly documented collection of easy-to-implement recommendations  
to help the average thoughtful person to pick the "low-hanging fruit"  
of conservation and renewable energy. The author is after the easy 75%  
of actions we can all take (but almost uniformly ignore) that most  
certainly make a difference in energy costs (after all that's what most  
people care about) and adjuring a bit of unnecessary adverse impact on  
the environment (which a few folks actually think is important beyond  
the mere dollar valuation).

The author (who welcomes comments at zalan8587 at qwest.net) intends to  
continuously update the book (consistent with readership interest) and  
address many new topics. For example, next on his list is an analysis  
of the economics and scientific basis of fuel-cell vehicles powered by  
hydrogen. (Bottom line, he maintains, is that it's a cruel hoax and  
energy disaster, and far less useful than, for example, heavy hybrid  
automobiles that get about 50 - 60 miles on an electric charge alone --  
which accounts for more than 85% of driving in the US and elsewhere on  
a daily basis -- and which are available now.)