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A Little Arithmetic: The Costs Of A Solar-Powered Grid Without Fossil Fuel Back-up
Manhattan Contrarian ^ | 29 Jul, 2021 | Francis Menton

Posted on 08/01/2021 4:57:39 AM PDT by MtnClimber

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To: MtnClimber

A simplistic analysis by someone who has not education or experience in the field of power generation, but as a retired Harvard-trained lawyer now has time to blog abot things he knows nothing about.

I’m sure I’d hire a professional engineer with an MSEE when I need to sue a stockbroker.

Francis J. Menton, Jr. is a partner in the Litigation Department and Co-Chair of the Business Litigation Practice Group of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York. Mr. Menton specializes in complex and technical commercial litigation, principally contract and securities claims. He has a nationwide trial practice, and has tried cases in state and federal courts including Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Puerto Rico, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.


41 posted on 08/01/2021 7:50:43 AM PDT by bigbob
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To: MtnClimber

Revert to Standard Time to alleviate about a third of problem without a significant cost.


42 posted on 08/01/2021 7:51:34 AM PDT by monocle
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To: MtnClimber

“Any reader can feel free to check my math. I just can’t believe that anybody talks about this as something remotely connected to reality.”

The reason he can’t believe that anyone takes this seriously is that he doesn’t understand who the people in charge are, or what their true motivation is. So I’ll help:

1) As to who they are - they are America-HATING Leftists who now run the Democrat Party. And unlike RINOs and other Republics, the Democrats literally want this country destroyed and anyone here who hasn’t figured that out might as well leave this site.

2) As to their true motivation - What their primary goal is, at this point, is the COMPLETE SHUTDOWN of baseload power plants (you know, the kind that reliably produce electricity). They know, EXACTLY, that their math doesn’t add up regarding renewables, but that doesn’t matter, as the media won’t report it and only a relatively tiny number of people are able (or willing) to do the math themselves...so their ‘net zero’ crap gets public support and distracts people from what is REALLY taking place, which is the tearing down of base load power plants.


43 posted on 08/01/2021 8:16:47 AM PDT by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's, I just don't tell anyone, like most here.)
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To: Robert A Cook PE
? 35 was the writer’s (rough) average for each hour of the 24 hour-long day.

I copy/pasted what the author wrote: an average of 35 GW per day. He multiplied by 24 to get the Gigawatt Hours (GWH) number. I understand now that a GWH is a smaller unit (1/24) of a GW. The way the paragraph was written, I missed it. Other folks understood it. If others got it, the error is in my comprehension.

44 posted on 08/01/2021 8:33:48 AM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: BobL

The way to get people to ‘do the math’ is to post the calculations in an on-line accessible spreadsheet in Excel.

Then they can play around with the numbers all they want.


45 posted on 08/01/2021 9:04:19 AM PDT by Kevmo (Right now there are 600 political prisoners in Washington, DC.)
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To: BradyLS

No, not a problem. I’m proud of your courage to ask - because sometimes the writer does make a similar (but reversed) error - and I’d much rather be able to check myself by addressing a possible problem before it promulgates through the twists and turns of the web.


46 posted on 08/01/2021 9:12:09 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (Method, motive, and opportunity: No morals, shear madness and hatred by those who cheat.)
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To: MtnClimber; 100American; 11B40; A Balrog of Morgoth; A message; ACelt; Aeronaut; AFPhys; AlexW; ...

It would simply be better to extend the state sales tax to power consumption, from whatever source derived, to encourage conservation. Trying to go all-solar like that is wacky and will throw us into Third World conditions.

Global Warming PING!


47 posted on 08/01/2021 9:28:28 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Florida: America's new free zone.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Taxes are NEVER the solution to anything.


48 posted on 08/01/2021 10:25:46 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: MtnClimber

My wellis over a thousand feet up a mountain from my house and it would have been enormously expensive to run electricity all the way up the hill, so I solar Powered my Well

1 Magnum 240volt/ 24 volt Grid Tie Inverter
1 MPPT digital charge controller
8 6 volt 225 amp batteries
8 300 watt 24 volt solar panels
Backup Generator just in case

it cost about $5k to do it myself and the well works great for over 10 years now.

You can go completely off grid with Solar for about $50K for a 2000 sq ft house, you still need a backup generator for those cloudy and rainy days though, unless you refrain from using electricity til the sun comes out again.

It really isn’t worth it, the well was, but not the whole house.


49 posted on 08/01/2021 10:47:21 AM PDT by eyeamok (founded in cynicism, wrapped in sarcasm)
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To: ps425dc

The purpose of the Covid and climate crises is tyranny. Rats will exploit either/both until they achieve one party supremacy. Sad.


50 posted on 08/01/2021 3:25:45 PM PDT by Jacquerie (ArticleVBlog.com)
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To: MtnClimber

It’s truly delusional that if we build it, they will come.

No wonder Hollyboob types believe in this crap. Pure fantasy. It’s also coming from people who have no consequence for their ideas, much as did Stalin, Mao. Pol Pot, Castro, Chavez, etc.

Is that extreme? Hardly. They acted on an idea that had clear consequences but hoped for the best, anyway, then simply ignored the damage and applied force to squash anyone who pointed out that things weren’t as expected.

Power is the fundamental human impulse. That’s why Jesus is so radical.


51 posted on 08/01/2021 4:14:00 PM PDT by nicollo (I said no!)
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To: eyeamok; Tolerance Sucks Rocks; Kaslin

Almost every “solar power success story” economically and effectively comes under both of your circumstances: A long ways from existing power lines (or an isolated site like up a hill or on an island) that only requires a little power at irregular intervals. (Or one that can reasonably accept functionally irregular power generation like a work shed, vacation cabin, or single family dwelling occupied by people willing to accept the inconveniences.)

Solar power has its place in the world. Just NOT for businesses and cities and towns. NOT for routine power in places above about 35 degrees latitude.


52 posted on 08/02/2021 8:29:24 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (Method, motive, and opportunity: No morals, shear madness and hatred by those who cheat.)
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