Larry Brown's

Message # 8 for T. Boone Pickens

Re: www.PickensPlan.com
Date Sent: 10/28/2008
Modified (web site): 11/04/2008
Subject: HydroElectric Power
Directory: FreeEnergy

Dear Mr. Pickens,

This message is the third a series of 6 messages on the energy sources that you enumerated on the You Tube video explaining "The Pickens Plan."

See hydroelectricity for extensive narrative on hydroElectric power which is one of the three energy sources enumerated in the PickensPlan employing free energy and as such does not consume any mass for the production of electric power. The Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the system is, therefore, infinite. The power produced from falling water, so in the final analysis the power source is gravity and is available 24/7 as long as there is water flowing in the stream, creek, or river. On a volume basis hydroelectric power is 7735 times more effective than wind because water is 7735 times denser than air (62.43 compared to 0.08071 pounds per cubic foot).

As an example, a 1.5 MW hydro electric plant might look like this (on my website, www.emref.net, there is code to allow the viewer to change the parameters):

                         

Electric Power (P): KW ( MW)     Efficiency (E): ( %)
Height (H): feet      Flow (F): cubic feet per second
Velocity (V): feet per second ( MPH)

Size (S): feet (square pipe) feet diameter (round pipe)
Annual Electric Power Output (AP): MWH
Initial Cost (C): Kg Au (US$)     Ave. Annual Maint. (M): Kg Au
See Foot Note regarding Kg Au.     US$ per Troy Ounce of pure gold (AuTOz):
US$ per Kilogram (AuKg):    31.103481 grams = 1 Troy Ounce

Design Life (L): years
Annual Value of Electricity (AV): Kg Au (at US$ / KWH)
Break-even (BE): Years

Formula: P = EHFK
where K is a constant that converts the hydraulic power into electrical power units (= 62.43 * 0.746 / 550 = 0.084678).

The main disadvantage to hydroelectric power is that the site location is restricted to where water flows 24/7. Moreover, the environmentalists want to remove dams because they mistakenly believe that migrating fish will go to the spawning beds used many generations ago by their species if the dam is removed, but actually fish do not have written records of previous spawning beds. New small hydroelectric plants can be built without the need for dams and the impoundment of large amounts of water.

Most of the rivers with large flows have already had the available hydroelectric sites developed, but there are thousands of potential small hydroelectric sites that could be developed if the state (and local) governments will allow it (Dr. Arthur Robinson built such a plant, but the State of Oregon has yet license it for use).

The energy crisis cannot be completely solved as long as energy production depends upon the consumption of material (mass). HydroElectric Power is one energy source that can be part of of the long term solution to the energy crisis.

I have more to say, but this is probably already too long. My next message will be on BioFuels.

Larry Brown
Your Eyes and Ears in SW Oregon
Now using a Mac Mini (Apple)

P.S. I saw your plan in two different You Tube videos. As a Caltech grad (MS in EE, 1954), I was impressed. IMHO, we, as a nation, should consider all of the energy sources that you enumerated along with any new, "out of the box" technologies, but the "playing field" should be leveled. All government interference in the energy markets should be stopped. This will allow all technologies to compete--the market will select those technologies that are most cost-effective. It was government regulations, subsidies, and taxes that brought us the "energy crisis."


e-mail your comments