Deaths per kilowatt

[Gob]

Energy Source Mortality Rate (deaths/trillionkWhr)

Coal – global average 170,000 (50% global electricity)

Coal – China 280,000 (75% China’s electricity)

Coal – U.S. 15,000 (44% U.S. electricity)

Oil 36,000 (36% of energy, 8% of electricity)

Natural Gas 4,000 (20% global electricity)

Biofuel/Biomass 24,000 (21% global energy)

Solar (rooftop) 440 (< 1% global electricity)

Wind 150 (~ 1% global electricity)

Hydro – global average 1,400 (15% global electricity)

Nuclear – global average 90 (17% global electricity w/Chern&Fukush)


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/ ... ways-paid/

[MajGenl.Meade]

"See kid, from now on it's Deady Kilowatt. Power at the switch of a flick"

[oldr_n_wsr]

Anyone have the death of bird totals for the different types of power generation especially wind?

A hundred-acre wetlands to be flooded by a new dam is worth more to the planet than a barren hundred-acre strip under a solar array in the Mojave

Even the desert is not "barren". I am sure there are many life/plant forms that will be adversely affected by a solar array that blocks the sun from reaching them.

[wesw]

early surveys of bird death are no longer accurate. the turbines are slower now. I m pretty sure we can figure out how to deter birds from bashing into spinning blades anyway,if they haven t already figured it out on their own.....

[oldr_n_wsr]

early surveys of bird death are no longer accurate. the turbines are slower now. I m pretty sure we can figure out how to deter birds from bashing into spinning blades anyway,if they haven t already figured it out on their own.....

Birds fly into closed windows, I doubt they can be trained not to fly into blades.

And what about the critters (snakes, lizards, bugs....) in the soon to be covered desert? They have adapted to life in the hot sun. now they will have shade forever. What kind of impact will that have on them? We need a full EPA review before they let this happen.

[Guinevere]

No we don't. I've looked at the data, in the context of a local wind turbine case and an environmental permitting appeal (I represented the municipality that wanted to install the turbine). The data is fairly thin -- bird strikes for wind turbines are no greater than bird strikes for telephone poles, cars, windows, and other man-made objects.

I also live in a town with TWO turbines. There are not piles of dead birds around the towers - and I'm pretty sure regular surveys were part of the permitting requirements.

[wesw]

so, no more windows?

I ve said before, somewhere, that solar is the answer. we have all these roof spaces doing nothing but shedding water, which is great, but they need to step up and produce some power too. that way, the snakes and lizards can keep spending their days searching for shade from the deadly sun...

[oldr_n_wsr]

No we don't. I've looked at the data, in the context of a local wind turbine case and an environmental permitting appeal (I represented the municipality that wanted to install the turbine). The data is fairly thin -- bird strikes for wind turbines are no greater than bird strikes for telephone poles, cars, windows, and other man-made objects.

I also live in a town with TWO turbines. There are not piles of dead birds around the towers - and I'm pretty sure regular surveys were part of the permitting requirements.

My post about the birds was done "tongue in cheek". I have seen the data on birds strikes on wind farms.

I was a little perturbed about the "barren" comment for the desert. Deserts are not barren and have a lot of life that has adapted to the harsh conditions and they too need to be part of the equation when thinking about covering many acres of land with solar panels.

[rubato]

Solar and wind are both growing exponentially. The biggest problem for wind is a lack of distribution infrastructure. The Chinese government is paying for 50GW of installed solar; the equivalent of 25-50 nuclear power plants at peak output.


yrs,
rubato

[Econoline]

Solar (rooftop) 440

??? People falling off of their roofs?

[Guinevere]

Solar (rooftop) 440

??? People falling off of their roofs?

Must be. The article mentions maintenance workers falling off wind turbines as their death cause. I'm sure it's similar with solar panels on top of buildings.

[Sue U]

Solar (rooftop) 440

??? People falling off of their roofs?

Must be. The article mentions maintenance workers falling off wind turbines as their death cause. I'm sure it's similar with solar panels on top of buildings.

I would guess accidental electrocution figures prominently in that stat, too.

[Guinevere]

I'm not shocked by that idea, either.

[rubato]

There is always the potential.


yrs,
rubato

[Beer Sponge]

You all seem well grounded on this subject.

[Gob]

We're down to earth people.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Irrational fear of electricity: ohmophobia

[rubato]

Irrational fear of electricity: ohmophobia

Putting up resistance again, eh?


yrs,
rubato

[MajGenl.Meade]

Impulsive, no?

[Gob]

Watt's the problem?