"The planned construction is NOT for an electrical generating station"
...."then generate electricity from this stored water during the day"

So which is it then, storage or generation? The whole point of storage, as
stated below, is to delay generation until the time of peak electricity
cost - the day time. This is clearly storage AND generation, as point 2
stated, even thought the pre-amble suggested otherwise.

Having lived and worked in California I take a keen interest in all manner
of news stories from over there, even though I am now back in the UK. HG/PG
pilots will face an uphill struggle to get any support on this issue from
the wider, non-flying, community. Ask yourselves is it worth the bad press,
given that the almighty dollar always wins in the US?

The bodged electricity privatisation is partly to blame, as is the insane
level of consumption of all energy forms in the US. Under 5% of the world's
population and 25% of the CO2 production speaks for itself. I'll bet that
within the US the figures for California are about the worst per head (yes,
that's a guess!).

I deeply sympathise with anyone faced with losing a single site, let alone
one as renowned as Lake E. Just don't lose site of the bigger picture.

Paul J
UK

"Shark" <skyshark@att.SpamDefense.net> wrote in message
news:jAsC6.22850$IJ1.1884708@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Hi Craig. You have several good points, but I have two for you to think
> about.
>
> 1. You don't live anywhere near Elsinore, and it consequently doesn't
mean
> anything to you. You don't have memories there and it's not your "home"
> site, so of course it's easy for you to say "oh well, screw it." But how
> would you feel if Elsinore WAS your home site? What would you say if
someone
> was about to erect power lines in your flying site?
>
> 2. The planned construction is NOT for an electrical generating station.
> It's for an electrical STORAGE station, which is totally different. They
> want to use the cheaper electricty at night to pump water into a storage
> resevoir, then generate electricity from this stored water during the day
> when electricity is ungodly expensive.
>
> Net result? Extra power loss, and another group of greedy millionares.
>
> It's imporant to note that this plant will actually cause a futher loss
of
> grid electricity. There is friction involved in pumping water and that
> corresponds to system ineffeciencies. I'd estimate that only 80% of the
> power they put into the system during the night could be reclaimed during
> the day. The other 20% will be lost as friction. And that figure is being
> extremely lenient in their favor, actual ineffeciencies may be higher.
>
> So the net effect is, a huge plant springs up and makes someone ungodly
> rich, but doesn't do a darn thing to help the power shortage. In fact,
they
> make it worse!
>
> Oh yeah, and pilots can't fly there anymore as a byproduct.
>
> I live in Ohio myself and have never been to California, so I can't say
it
> affects me directly. I even wondered since there are so many flight parks
> already in California, what impact would one less make? But that's not the
> point. I may want to fly there someday, in the "awesome air of Elsinore."
> Wouldn't you want that possibility too? Don't be so near-sighted that you
> miss the whole picture here.
>
> When I hear of a site in Virginia that is in danger of being closed due
to
> something just as stupid, tell me how I should feel about it. I'll
remember
> your response here so do word carefully. Should I disregard you, contest
> your convictions, or help protect your home flying site?
>
> The point is that our land is disappearing, and it's disappearing for a
> very unethical reason here.
>
> Regardless, I am glad the USHGA posted the article. Pilots should be
> advised about what is going on and they should be able to petition with
> their fellow man if they want to.
>
> It would only make us stronger if we stood together, and weaker if we
stood
> idle. And it would ultimately destroy us to allow our sites to be taken
over
> one-by-one.
>
> Regards,
> Mark
>
>
>
> "Cragin Shelton" <cragins@shell.cais.net> wrote in message
> news:9bd2um$30rn$1@allthetime.news.cais.net...
> > Save the E? The WRONG message!
> >
> > April 15, 2001
> >
> > Editor, Hang Gliding Magazine
> > Board of Directors, US Hang Gliding Association
> > An open letter to all USHGA members and other recreational
> > Pilots... [snip]
>
>
>

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