REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo
MY RECOMMENDATION: YES
AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Arizona ReporterWEB ADDRESS: http://www.azreporter.com/news/BLOG DESCRIPTION: Since 1998 - Quality Arts, Entertainment Culture and... Arizona
Featuring Award Winning Columnists:
Harvey Karten, Ph.D. "Harvey Critic"
Founder, New York Film Critics Online
Susan Granger - "Granger Reviews"
Member, New York Film Critics Online
Quality Interviews, Local Flair, Local Music from Symphony to Rock Editorials, Television, Public Media, Events, Blogs... and oh yea, did we mention movies!
MY REVIEW: This is an excellent blog to keep up on what's happening in Arizona. In addition, the author is four-square with the Governor in her efforts to stop illegal immigration, so that makes this blog okay in my book. [It is frightening how many people dont seem to realize there's a difference between
legal and
illegal immigration. Moreover, it seems that illegal immigrants don't see themselves as illegals, but as people moving back into a country that Mexico used to own - 400 years ago - and they're just taking it back. And if the gringos are stupid enough to pay them welfare and free heatlhcare on top of everything else, why not?]
The blog doesn't dwell much on this issue, of the 20 articles which fed into my Kindle after I subscribed, only one reports on the issue, and one talks about it obliquely (Gulf Disaster Ramifications). The others are about local films and events.
Recommended.
Sample post:
Could Arizona Export Clean Energy?
TUCSON, Ariz. - A pair of Tucson-based scientists has developed a plan for Arizona’s energy future that proposes a dramatic increase in the use of solar and wind energy.
They say the plan, if pursued aggressively, would have Arizona generating all its electricity using 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2040 and exporting excess electricity to other states.
Richard C. Powell is a professor emeritus in optical sciences and former vice president for research at the University of Arizona; he works with the solar energy initiative for Science Foundation Arizona. Richard Wiener is a program officer for Tucson-based Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), a private foundation that has funded basic research in the physical sciences for nearly a century. Both men are physicists by training.
The full plan, entitled "Arizona Clean Energy Vision - 100% by 2040," is available on the web HERE (PDF) and HERE (PDF).
The two cite independent studies predicting Arizona must develop its peak load electricity generating capacity from about 19 gigawatts (GW) today to roughly 38 GW to accommodate growth in demand. A gigawatt is one billion watts; the peak output of Hoover Dam is just over 2 GW) "Currently there is no clear vision for the future of energy in Arizona similar to those developed by other states such as Texas, New Mexico and California," Powell says.
Wiener says the problem with fossil fuels, aside from pollution issues, is that while coal, oil and natural gas are relatively cheap today, they may not remain so as demand for these fuels continues to rise in a prospering global economy. What’s more, if a global "peak oil," scenario were to occur - global oil production begins to decline in an era of increasing demand - oil prices would likely become even more volatile and the cost of all fossil fuels would rise. Also, the negative consequences of over reliance on fossil fuels could be amplified by federal controls or additional taxes on CO2 emissions, he warns.
"In our view," Powell says, "Arizona should consider an energy future counting primarily on its renewable resources, and exporting our energy surplus, because our resource base provides a competitive economic advantage in projected pricing stability of electricity."
The report notes that 40 percent of all U.S. energy goes to produce electricity, and that the technology to generate electricity cleanly, from non-fossil fuel sources, "is well developed and quickly improving. Arizona has more than sufficient resources to produce 100 percent of its electricity with minimal use of fossil fuels."
RECENT POSTS:--Gulf Disaster Ramifications Far Outweigh Arizona Immigration
--Achieving the "New Normal"
--Could Arizona Export Clean Energy?
--Yea, For Off Shore Oil Rig Drilling?
--DOGTOOTH (Kyno∆onta∑)
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Ms. Cairo writes three blogs of her own:
Topical Murder and Dated DeathWinged Victory: Women in Aviation Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
