[ale] Microsoft tries to reverse Vista's Impact on the environment

[Sean McNealy]

I'll help you take that truck analogy one step further:

The key is that since it's AC you get the energy back when you go
downhill (it's a stretch, but actually works well for the analogy
where uphill is a phase angle, maybe only by coincidence).

Net effect is that you required a slightly more HP engine to maintain
the same speed on the uphill.  But got it all back on the downhill, so
you didn't use more fuel (or generate more watts!).  Just had some
friction drag on the system due to larger engine parts.  Not a big
problem.

-Sean

On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 5:14 PM, Drag0n<dragon at atlantacon.org> wrote:
> In basic forms yes, but as the situation becomes more complex, the
> results change. in a pure electrical equasion, you are right. but
> electricity isn't generated by electricity.
> This is more akin to one truck having twice the load, but half the angle
> on the hill, while the other truck having the steeper hill, but less
> load. work out which truck will use more fuel. CF requires the power
> company to push the smaller load up the steeper hill.
> ideally (this is where LED's come in) you want the smaller load AND the
> smaller hill.
>
>
> Drag0n
>
>
>
> Sean McNealy wrote:
>> This kind of logic reminds me of Circuits class, where someone asked,
>> "Can you power things with imaginary power?"  It's a funny question,
>> since it makes a lot more sense in your head when you're first
>> learning this stuff... until you ask it out loud.
>>
>> The load is higher in your example, but only due to transmission loss
>> because you're drawing more current.  It's not like you multiply the
>> wattage by power factor to get the actual load.  Nobody has to
>> generate imaginary power.  It's just not real.
>>
>> -Sean
>>
>> On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 4:08 PM, Drag0n<dragon at atlantacon.org> wrote:
>>> The irony of that statement is, with the introduction of compact
>>> fluorescents, there was no reduction in power usage, just a shift to
>>> where the cost is. With CF bulbs using less KWH of power, but increasing
>>> the load on the power providers, the meter at the house spins less
>>> costing you less, but the generator at the station has to work harder to
>>> push that energy down the wire so they have to spend more to generate
>>> it. It is odd that the truly energy efficient light source gets no real
>>> air time ,LED lighting is many times more efficient and has a lower
>>> power factor than even CF or incandescent bulbs.
>>>
>>>
>>> Drag0n