Are Green Power Programs a Scam?

I remember that the Auto companies quickly bought up public transport to lobotomize it. Likewise, when there was going to be a major "Liberal" voice on "Talk Radio" the big companies sabotaged that.

I've looked into these books, and noticed:

1. The DIY crowd can take an old washing machine, rip out it's motor and even use some of the metal housing for part of the blades, and make a working windmill that can generate quite a bit of power.

2. The companies that sell kits charge $25K for similar models that might put out more power, but are almost guaranteed to break down just after the 5 year warranty. In short, more money for less power, despite a "Free" source to exploit depending on wind conditions.

Sorry, but a washing machine is a far more complex electromotive device, esp. handling fluids, a reasonable +- one household windmill setup should be mass-producable at the cost of a washer, one or two at least. A washer already has the power converter setup, variable speeds, overload tolerance, etc.

So, we have to be VERY careful of "GreenWash" and "EcoSuckerExploitation" by companies just out to make a buck. They are forward thinking enough to sabotage competition, but not enough to guess that just maybe there is a danger they are ensuring by doing so.

I signed up for Tennessee's green power switch program and like a sucker paid an extra $8/mo to support it for two years. Then I went to the Tennessee Valley Authority website and analyzed their power makeup. Less than 0.03% came from wind power and solar and most all of the solar was PRIVATE installations and they own ONE wind farm. So the $8 contribution was to their profit only and I stopped my contribution in disgust.

I live in Fairfield County, CT, where we have a free, weekly "alternative" newspaper that features, among other things, a community bulletin board for postings of local events of interest to the readers. Some 10 or more years ago I saw an announcement for a "green energy" tour that included numerous projects in towns close to me. We had purchased a 60-year old cape that needed some major renovation, and I was actively researching "green" improvements and upgrades. One of the tour sites I visited was the home of a local architect who specialized in energy conserving building methods such as low-e, argon-filled, double-hung windows; solar panels; heat pumps; environmentally friendly construction materials, etc, etc. And he had a card table displaying free literature and brochures. One brochure that caught my eye was for Green Mountain Power (I hope I have remembered the name correctly, and am not confusing it with the legitimate Vermont energy utility) that said we could sign-up for their clean energy and opt-out of Connecticut Light & Power, which operates some of the dirtiest coal-fired plants in the Northeast. It would cost only a modest amount more than our current CL&P rate, and solve our planet's problems (OK, I exaggerate, but you can imagine how righteous were the brochure's claims). I like Vermont, I have family up there, I was thrilled when Senator Jim Jeffords abandoned the Bush Republican party to become an independent (remember, I live in Connecticut and we have Joe Lieberman--but that's another story). I thought about signing up with this Green Mountain Power outfit. Fortunately, first I looked a little deeper.

It turned out GMP was a mailbox drop in Vermont. They actually were a Texas-based business, and were investigated in Vermont for fraudulent activity. And here's the real kicker: the guys running the scam were the same guys who ran the swiftboat campaign smearing John Kerry. Remember them? How different, and no doubt greener, the planet would have been without the Bush regime.

I think we should be wary, very wary, of these proposed claims to fix things. Not all are scams, of course; some are just the result of inadequate thinking. How many acres of tropical rain forest have been cleared to make way for the planting of "biofuel" species, and with what disastrous consequence?

We burn 20 million barrels of oil a day in this country. You want to change the effect Oil is having on our climate? on our country? on our world?

Something like 70 to 80% of this oil is burned in transportation. We need new liquid fuels, new or modified engines, and new attitudes about travel.

This is a dead serious problem that has the potential to change the political power base of our entire planet. Peak Oil is approaching and if you're not familiar with the theory do some research online... you will be shocked at the situation we all are in.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/182989-economist-jeff-rubin-talks-tough-...

Mr. Obama needs our voices in his ear to muster the political clout. Use your money to send your views to every elected politician.

Mr. Obama, think big on Energy.

lol at the comment above me. "Tax on stupidity" = classic.

Personally, I think that not enough is being done to raise funds to create actual projects - too much rev generation and not enough actual "doing." Green companies need to step it up. Less talk, more action.

To be able to reduce carbon emissions, we should be able to reduce use of fossil fuels and switch to the use of renewable energy such as electric cars. But it seems that hope is still far from expectations because there are still many people who use fossil fuels.

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