Ahhh, the sheer genius of green technology. In the grand tradition of British windmills that won’t work when the weather is cold and power is needed most, it’s now been discovered that green volcano monitoring devices won’t work when their solar panels are covered with volcanic ash.
The Jakarta Post has the erupting story:
The South Lampung Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) lacked vital information in deciding to evacuate tens of thousands in danger zones near Mount Anak Krakatau, says this article in the Jakarta Post.
“We have taken anticipatory measures because ash continues to flow, while the seismograph used to monitor Mount Anak Krakatau could not provide data on its activities,” said South Lampung BPBD head Abdul Shomad on Monday.
“The observation posts in Hargopancuran, Rajabasa, South Lampung, and Pasauran, Banten, have not yet been able to monitor volcanic activities because equipment installed around the volcano is still out of order.”
“Observation from the naked eye shows volcanic ash and smoke, spewing from Mount Anak Krakatau at around 600 meters high,” said Hargopancuran observation station head Andi Suhardi. “(However), we cannot monitor seismic activities because the seismometers are not working after their solar panels were covered with volcanic ash.”
“Suhardi said his office had learned about the faulty monitoring devices installed on the slopes of Mt. Anak Krakatau on Dec. 27, thus failing to monitor volcanic activities from 6:30 p.m. until noon on Dec. 28, despite the fact that the volcano, located in the middle of the sea, was actively emitting volcanic materials.
Translation: “We don’t quite have all the wrinkles worked out of this green technology yet.”
H/T: IceAgeNow.com
