we really don't need much in the way of resources.. energy... all energy comes from moving magnets. The simplest form, wind is just

a pinwheel:

with that turns a magnet ,

the magnet turning converts the kinetic energy of motion, into electricity.

the other forms of energy,
nuclear, solar, biochemical, oil, gas, geothermal,coal,
work like this instead:

they heat water to produce steam,

the steam then turns a pinwheel:

with magnet on the spokes,

the magnet turning converts the kinetic energy of motion, into electricity.

That's it. So making a choice between them is essentially about the cost of making the fuel that makes the steam.

Two types of costs… 1. Extraction…. How hard is it to get the energy, and 2. Collateral cost- Cleaning up side products, health problems, aesthetic problems or pollution. 3.Infrastructure costs

Wind

extraction cost 0,

~~cleanup~~collateral costs 0,

infrastructure cost (presently very little exists, but certainly a sound investment)

Essentially a no brainer…. You build a very simple machine, a wind catcher connected to the base unit generator hook it up to a battery so power’s available on slow days, and just let nature bring you power. No clean up, , monitored efficiency measures, and as needed, replace ments of parts

Get Cross references

Solar…

Extraction cost 0,

Collateral costs 0,

Infrastructure cost (Must be invested in two categories, hiring, training and equipment, and some coatings technology must be refined and engineered)…

(presently very little exists, but certainly a sound investment… as it will continue to give with only minimal upkeep costs )

currently solar power is converted by cells into electricity,* ~~though it should be p~~ ~~ossible to use solar directly to heat water into steam.~~ ~~0 extraction cost, 0 clean up cost, equipment cost, and upkeep costs..~~and the only, small caveat is that the cells aren’t that cheap… but the principals are sound, you just have to paint out door surfaces with solar absorbing material, find a way to store it and we will get most of the energy we need from our homes from the sun.

Basically save some of the summer for winter.

Imagine if the house below were completely coated with a solar heat absorbing surface.. and that heat is drawn into a heat sink, or heat battery, stored somewhere nearby.

even in the pool area could be coated… if the panels are doing a good job of drawing off heat, they should be cool to the touch, and they could heat the pool

Who does energy absorbing coatings…. Actually, the US military has a very advanced program, and billions invested in it. Think stealth bombers….

*though it should be possible to use solar to directly to heat water into steam.

Coal..

Extraction cost.. (Human quality of life and labor)

Collateral Costs (destroying mountains to get the coal, additional carcinogens in the air you breathe, in the water you drink)

Infrastructure cost(Minimal as it is largely in place, you just move the apparatus from one mountain to the next, replacement costs and up keep)

…you send poorly paid miners, who will live much shorter lives due to cancer and respiratory damage for their work, deep underground

you mountain top mine, just blast off the entire top of the mountain to get to the coal easier.

Really.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountaintop_removal_mining

Coal burning plants help create smog.. really, just think about burning this..

bituminous coal.jpg

Bituminous coal- the stuff usually burned in coal plants

Or this…

Anthracite… the “cleaner coal” that they normally don’t now use because it is expensive

Pretty much, if the amount of pollutants in the air increases a certain percentage, you will know that a higher number of people in that area will die due to respiratory failure, particularly the elderly, and asthmatics, like my mother and brother.