831 KWh in a month? You guys are a bunch of pikers! I can't remember the last time my utilization was that low. If I only use twice that in a month (not counting air conditioning in the warmer months), I'm doing good. Of course, we have large-screen LCD TVs, 8 computers, 3 console gaming machines, 3 fridges, a large freezer, etc. Most of which is on all of the time.
As for most of our energy being produced by coal... c'est la vie. Nuclear is the only other significant source of electrical power, and we haven't built a new plant in this country in over 30 years! Solar and wind are a joke. We've all seen the articles about how it takes a solar panel the size of a door just to power a laptop. How many would it take to power all of the other stuff in your house? Wind turbines can produce a decent amount of power, however, they are noisy, need frequent maintenance, must all be tethered together to collect their power into the grid, and they wear out fast. Remember all that crap about Picken's plan? Whatever happened with that? He lost a butt-load of money before it even got off the ground, that's what happened.
The bottom line is that we need a revolution new form of energy to replace fossil fuels. Something like zero-point energy, or fusion, or even just self-sustaining extraction of hydrogen from sea-water. Until that happens, nuclear power is our best bet. And not just one or two plants, but hundreds. If we're not willing to do that, then we must accept the status quo. Because no one I know wants to live an 18th century lifestyle.
Facebook
Twitter