Posted on 05/12/2017 7:49:32 AM PDT by rktman
Actually Tesla is getting it about right. They’re actually trying to make EVs viable, not just suck up subsidies and disappear. I drove a Leaf for 2 years, great car showing there _is_ a market (albeit limited) and can work very well. Tesla Model 3 will be a viable option I’d go for if I can scrape together the cash.
EVs aren’t “zero emission”, but are a whole lot better than burning gasoline in a tiny low-efficiency engine. Powering them with solar is viable. Yes there’s issues with initial manufacture, but still better overall than burning stuff.
Ha, ha! I recently saw an electric car that the driver (presumably) wrote on his rear window: “44,000 miles, used no gas or oil.”
I am not kidding. It’s so perfect, you just plug in your car at night and batteries are magically charged with zero carbon footprint. You don’t even have to say Abracadabra!
In an ideal world, someone will write on the window “Coal-fired!”.
I thought it was the perfect thing to say since most who are rabidly for the wind-farms - just not in their own back yard - are also rabidly anti-gun/hunting.
“I’d have had a spectacular view of them all if built.”
The neat think about the wind farms is the night view. They are all set up to have their flashing red lights all go off/on at the same time. Even the huge farms do this. When you see this on the horizon from a small aircraft at night for the first time; What the heck was that?
Other than that, a huge waste of taxpayers dollars.....
Wind generation accounted for nearly 23 percent of power generation for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) in the first quarter of 2017.
The winter is the windiest time of year in Texas. It is also a season when power demand wanes and many plants shut down for maintenance.
But for 2016, wind produced more than 15% of electic power in Ercot.
They should forget about wind farms. Wind turbines require meticulous maintenance and still tend to break down a lot in high winds. Not to mention they are a major hazard to any bird flying nearby.
Solar panels (and I emphasize flat solar panels), on the other hand, only need a wash with a light mist of water every few weeks. That’s why solar panels on roofs are common sights in California, one of the world’s best places for solar power.
Great summary, and it sounds like you dodged a bullet with the help of a smart city council.
Bfl
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