Nickname: Richard

Review: Interesting facts www.energyfromportugal.com

Date reviewed: Jan 22, 2009 1:01 PM

Nickname: Portg

Review: Dear Carol Matlack The word "historically" was not appropriate, because you are talking about a county with 863 years of history. If you had any historical knowledge, you would know that until the 19th century Portugal was one of the richest countries. So, your concept of "historical" is much reduced, which should be in accordance with your brain. Next time be intelligent enough to do more research about a country's history.

Date reviewed: Oct 25, 2006 5:34 PM

Nickname: Ousa

Review: The air in Portugal has as much carbon dioxide as any place. Photosynthetic organisms grow well in Portugal. They take carbon dioxide out of the air when the sun shines. Heat (without air) on residues will result in useful carbon and liquids. Carbon reacts with oxides and salt to make 20 different metals or alloys. Electroforming will change chunks of metals into useful tools or electricity. Electricity should be generated very close to where it is used, and from those metals, made from carbon that is in the air.

Date reviewed: Oct 25, 2006 4:57 PM

Nickname: António

Review: Defining Portugal as a historically poor country is a nonsense, which may, or may not, reflects some prejudices. And trying to support this view by stating that Portugal for several decades has been the poorest country in Western Europe is using false evidence, as in 1994 it had a GDP per capita superior to Greece. Best Regards António

Date reviewed: Oct 25, 2006 3:32 PM

Nickname: Carol Matlack

Review: I'm the author of this article, and I'd like to respond to some of the commments posted. First, I'm quite familiar with Portugal and have been there a number of times. Second, why did I refer to Portugal as a "historically poor" country? Of course the term "poor" is relative. A person who is considered poor in the United States or France might be considered rich in some other countries. But it is certainly true that Portugal for several decades has been the poorest country in Western Europe. According to the latest statistics, it's the 32nd-wealthiest country worldwide, just behind Slovenia. That makes it all the more impressive that Portugal is a world leader in alternative-energy development.

Date reviewed: May 16, 2006 10:52 AM

Nickname: Benneti

Review: "...in this historically poor country..." This is only stating the complete absence of historical knowledge this Carol Matlack has and, as is not true, it's not acceptable. Next time, please do some research ;) and avoid nonsense phrases. Oh, and doing some research myself, I found that is not Cataventa but Catavento.

Date reviewed: May 13, 2006 3:22 AM

Nickname: Luísa

Review: If you people are concerned about local development in Portugal and Portuguese speaking countries you should access www.cooperaremportugues.org.

Date reviewed: May 11, 2006 2:56 PM

Nickname: Joao

Review: Unfortunately, the author is right, the country is economically poor when compared with most other European countries, let alone our nearest neighbor Spain. What is more upsetting is that the collective intelligence of the Portuguese people is also extremely poor--take a visit to a pediatric hospital and you will be horrified with the lack of processes and humane care; take a look at the modern footbal stadiums in Lisbon and understand our lack of investment priorities; take a walk in our major cities and watch in horror the intrisinc unconscious selfishness of most car drivers that make pedestrian side walks their free car parking habit. I look forward to any sort of "renewable energy," taken in its broadest sense. In particular, the one that would help Portuguese accept who they are and find a more intelligent way of living for themselves.

Date reviewed: May 11, 2006 12:54 AM

Nickname: Bud

Review: A huge glowing article about how wonderful Portugal is, and you are obsessed with two throwaway words in it, which you don't even really disagree with. You must be a miserable person, really.

Date reviewed: May 10, 2006 9:37 PM

Nickname: Max

Review: Sokal forgets that electricity from conventional generating plants cost 15 times more in the 1930s than today. Costs have fallen through large scale deployment. The same process is happening with renewable technologies. However, they have the big advantage compared to conventional generation that fuel costs are zero and will remain absolutely certain into the future. Wave power is particularly promising as its opening costs at this initial stage of development are lower than for all preceeding energy technologies. By the way, Portugal is a very rich country, particularly in its indigenous renewable energy resources. The challenge is simply to harness this wealth and reduce dependence on imported energy, which is bad for Portugal's economy and balance of trade.

Date reviewed: May 8, 2006 5:43 PM