John Engel's Blog
Michigan lacks vision. A prime example is the shortsightedness of citizens in Bay City and Midland as considerations for spending Billions on"Clean Coal Power Plants" are discussed. The only thing clean about coal is leaving it in the ground. But you won't hear that from the coal industry.
As I drive around Bay County, I have noticed huge tracks of land under the giant power line towers that run from the Kern plant outward. The hundreds of lesser power line poles that branch out also cover huge tracks of land. Why not employ hundreds, perhaps thousands, and start strategically installing solar-voltaic panels under those power lines and on the lower portions of the towers? And what about smaller, more numerous wind turbines strategically placed along those same lines? The electricity produced would go directly into the lines overhead.
And how about this idea. Private land owners could offer land, or rooftops for more solar surface or wind collection. The company installs, maintains and upgrades the equipment and the landowner gets an energy rebate or the electricity directly. Installation, maintenance, upgrades, and even removal would continuously employ hundreds for decades and beyond.
Upgrade the present power plants. As alternative sources increase, the plants use of coal would decrease until they are completely off line. Keep the plants as backups for emergency situations. Is that beyond our capability?
John Engel
Michigan lacks vision. A prime example is the shortsightedness of citizens in Bay City and Midland as considerations for spending billions on"Clean Coal Power Plants" are discussed. The only thing clean about coal is leaving it in the ground. But you won't hear that from the coal industry.
As I drive around Bay County, I have noticed huge tracks of land under the giant power line towers that run from the Kern plant outward. The hundreds of lesser power line poles that branch out also cover huge tracks of land. Why not employ hundreds, perhaps thousands, and start strategically installing solar-voltaic panels under those power lines and on the lower portions of the towers? And what about smaller, more numerous wind turbines strategically placed along those same lines? The electricity produced would go directly into the lines overhead.
And how about this idea. Private land owners could offer land, or rooftops for more solar surface or wind collection. The company installs, maintains and upgrades the equipment and the landowner gets an energy rebate or the electricity directly. Installation, maintenance, upgrades, and even removal would continuously employ hundreds for decades and beyond.
Upgrade the present power plants. As alternative sources increase, the plants use of coal would decrease until they are completely off line. Keep the plants as backups for emergency situations. Is that beyond our capability?
John Engel
As I drive around Bay County, I have noticed huge tracks of land under the giant power line towers that run from the Kern plant outward. The hundreds of lesser power line poles that branch out also cover huge tracks of land. Why not employ hundreds, perhaps thousands, and start strategically installing solar-voltaic panels under those power lines and on the lower portions of the towers? And what about smaller, more numerous wind turbines strategically placed along those same lines? The electricity produced would go directly into the lines overhead.
And how about this idea. Private land owners could offer land, or rooftops for more solar surface or wind collection. The company installs, maintains and upgrades the equipment and the landowner gets an energy rebate or the electricity directly. Installation, maintenance, upgrades, and even removal would continuously employ hundreds for decades and beyond.
Upgrade the present power plants. As alternative sources increase, the plants use of coal would decrease until they are completely off line. Keep the plants as backups for emergency situations. Is that beyond our capability?
John Engel
Posts By Month
Michigan Blogs
- Statewide:
- Black Bear Speaks, Great Lakes Environmental News
- Blogging for Michigan
- Bloggin.OUT (Triangle Foundation's Generation.OUT)
- Blog O'Queer
- Capital Viewpoint
- [Con]serving Michigan (Michigan LCV)
- DailyKos (Michigan tag)
- Democratic Underground, Michigan Forum
- Jack Lessenberry
- LeftyBlogs (Michigan)
- Media Mouse
- MIbLAWg (Michigan Supreme Court)
- Michigan Coalition for Progress
- Michigan Messenger
- Michigan Young Democrats
- Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan
- Republic of M, Gay Michigan
- State Action Blog (Center for Policy Alternatives)
- The SuperSpade
- West Michigan Rising
- Upper Peninsula:
- Keweenaw Now
- Save the Wild UP
- Northern Michigan:
- Benzie Dems
- Manistee Talks Politics
- Northern Michigan Caucus
- Western Michigan:
- coit avenue
- Democratic Edge
- Great Lakes Guy
- Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott
- In The Middle of it All
- Mostly Sunny with a Chance of Gay
- My Left Pinkie
- West Michigan Politics
- West Michigan Rising
- WMU College Democrats
- Mid-Michigan:
- Among the Trees
- Blue Chips (CMU College Democrats Blog)
- Christine Barry
- Conservative Media
- Far Left Field
- Graham Davis
- Honest Errors
- ICDP:Dispatch (Isabella County Democratic Party Blog)
- Liberal, Loud and Proud
- Livingston County Democratic Party Blog
- Mid-Michigan DFA
- Multi Media Netroots
- Pohlitics
- Random Ramblings of a Somewhat Common Man
- Waffles of Compromise
- YAF Watch
- Flint/Bay Area/Thumb:
- Blue November
- Genesee County Young Democrats
- Greed, Eggs, and Ham
- Saginaw County Democratic Party Blog
- Stone Soup Musings
- Voice of Mordor
- Southeast Michigan:
- A Jared Manifesto
- arblogger
- Arbor Update
- The BiWonkette
- Democracy for Metro Detroit
- Detroit Skeptic
- Detroit Uncovered (formerly "Fire Jerry Oliver")
- Grosse Pointe Democrats
- I Wish This Blog Was Louder
- Kicking Ass Ann Arbor (UM College Democrats Blog)
- LJ's Blogorific
- Mark Maynard
- Michigan Progress
- Motor City Liberal
- North Oakland Dems
- Our Michigan
- PhiKapBlog
- Polygon, the Dancing Bear
- Rust Belt Blues
- Slouching Toward Youngstown
- Trusty Getto
- Unhinged
National Blogs
- AmericaBLOG
- American Prospect
- Antiwar.com
- Billmon
- Blog for America
- BRAD Blog
- BuzzFlash
- Campus Progress
- CommonBits
- Common Cause Blog
- Common Dreams
- Crooks and Liars
- Daily Kos
- David Sirota
- DU
- Digby
- EchoDitto
- Eschaton
- Gadflyer
- Huffington Post
- Media Matters
- Matthew Gross
- MoJo Blog
- MoveOn ActionForum
- MyDD
- NDN Blog
- NewsHounds
- Of, By and For
- O'Franken Factor
- Political Wire
- Randi Rhodes
- Raw Story
- Street Prophets
- Talking Points Memo
- TPM Cafe
- TalkLeft
- Think Progress
- Truthout Blog
- Wonkette
Highest Rated Blogs
Lefty Blogs

Posts






