5/21/17

Anchorage Spends Oodles of Money Moving Snow; Good Sense or Not?

In a way, spending a lot of money to move snow in Alaska is the sort of thing people with too much disposable income might go about. The sidewalk for pedestrians along the Old Seward hwy is often recovered by snow plows just after it's cleared-not a lot of co-ordination. Fuel cell tech has advanced quite a bit (ref. Ballard.com) and the state should have a fuel cell and hydrogen production depart. to deploy and apply new tech to solve old issues such as melting snow where money goes down the drain. Rural villages could use fuel cell products too.

http://www.fuelcellstore.com/ http://www.ahasvc.org/page13.html https://www.norwall.com/products/Generac-Commercial-150kW-(Alum)-NG-240V-Single-Phase.html?cid=google_feed&dfw_tracker=6374-QT15068ANAC&gclid=CLL_zKfV_9MCFcKOfgodCTwCdA 

When the money is gone, at least new hardware should remain. Snow can be made into hydrogen for fuel cell power as may propane.

In comparison to 100% loss of investment removing moving snow with present methods and technology it should be simple to find a reason to innovate new adaptive means. One could charge drivers a user tax for driving winter highways for example. And there is something to say about preferring snow machines over wheeled vehicles. Even hybrid snow machines. 

R.O.I. data...

http://ballard.com/files/PDF/Backup_Power/BUP_EmrgncyEcon_EGen_091712-01.pdf

https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/01/f28/fcto_2015_business_case_fuel_cells.pdf

http://www.fces.de/assets/EuroHeat+Power_Vol.11.pdf

Fuel cells can run on water-hydrogen or propane of which Alaska has plenty of each. City buses could be powered by fuel cells too synergizing saving for transit fuel, and snow plows could be fuel cell powered as are some trucks.

Someone always has to pay for product though. The city and state should buy more efficient combo-plates designed by better energy-chefs.

The Government-financed study lists 50 corporations using fuel cells and describes it as of 2015 as a 2 billion dollar business. Governing Luddites have always resisted progress. Negative engineering seeking ways to make things not progress is characteristic of a can't do national spirit helped along by the Clinton-Obama people.


Defending the economic energy establishment is a conservative bet on what people want. One can only go so far in giving away good ideas. The future ain't like it used to be. Alaska can be profligate with oil revenues , pollution causing, stagnate and on a par with second world nations in the energy sector, and i won't lose sleep over it.

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