Re: Reply to Christopher Beyer

[azapantis@mgdestmx01.erin.gov.au]

It is a brave man who uses the word "never". I can go out tomorrow and spend
$31,000 (Australian) on a "solar power kit" which will provide my house with
"free" power 365 days per year for 20 years, at which time the batteries will
need replacing. I would not have to decrease my use of power and would actually
be able to sell power back to the grid for much of the year.

The only thing which stops solar power generating facilities from being
incorporated into new houses as a matter of course is cost. As the technology
improves, costs will come down and the use of solar power will become
economically viable in most of the world. It's not a matter of "if", but a
matter of "when".

I don't foresee vast arrays of solar cells providing power for large populations
as current utilities do. Rather, I think that solar power may be used on a
smaller scale to supply power to smaller communities, perhaps even at the
individual house level.

Nonetheless, this is a long way off and in the meantime, coal and nuclear power
will remain the dominant power generating methods. Given the choice, on
environmental grounds, I would prefer nuclear power to coal fired power.

These have been my thoughts only and do not necessarily represent the views of
the Australian Commonwealth Government!!!

_______________________________________________________________________________
Subject: Reply to Christopher Beyer
From:    radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu at mgdestmx01
Date:    10/12/96  6:02 PM

Christopher, 

You seem like an intelligent individual.  That being the case why don't you
do some personal investigation into the feasibility of using solar and wind
power versus nuclear energy.  I think (I know) if you did an honest
evaluation you would find that solar and wind will NEVER replace the
use of fossil fuels in our society.


Alex Zapantis                                  
Environmental Radiation Officer     
Office of the Supervising Scientist		
40 Blackall Street 														
Barton ACT 2600 AUSTRALIA 
            
Email: azapantis@mgdestmx01.erin.gov.au
Fax : (int+) 61 6 274 1519
Phone: (int+) 61 6 274 1642

The Office of the Supervising Scientist is a Branch of the 
         Federal Environment Protection Group