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I just came back from Japan (Tokyo area) where cars are the exception instead of the rule.  Most people get where they are going by train + walking, or train + biking.  I saw huge bike garages at each train station.  These were covered areas with closely packed individual rails for each bike. 

If Portland had more covered bike parking at MAX stations I for one could commute more often.

Also, people commute with durable cheap steel bikes there.  Much more practical than the expensive bikes seen at bike shops in this country.   (example TREK's Portland commuter bike is $1500)  

posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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Batteries!

The only way to remove Coal, Natural Gas, and other Carbon producing energy is to store your clean energy in batteries. 

Currently we have no batteries in our grid, the technology is still very new.  Without batteries electricity made by wind or soloar must be used immidiately.  This is why they talk about replacing Base-load energy with Base-load energy. 

But what we need to do is add Batteries to the grid and convert Solar and Wind INTO base-load energy.  

for more info read this article in WIRED magazine:

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-04/gp_intro?currentPage=1

What's the point in investing in Solar and Wind if it's not reducing our need for Coal?

posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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