Posted on 11/17/2019 10:03:58 AM PST by Erik Latranyi
Three decades, massive subsidies and yet intermittent wind power’s contribution to world energy needs remains little more than a rounding error.
Electricity that can’t be delivered as and when it’s needed has no commercial value; massive subsidies are the only ‘value’ that attracts investors to wind and solar. Cut the subsidies and wind and solar investment would evaporate, overnight.
As Gail Tverberg explains below, chaotically delivered wind and solar have never worked in the past. So, there’s no reason to expect that they’ll ever work in future. In a sane and rational world, we’d call it a ‘failed experiment’, clean up the mess and move on.
(Excerpt) Read more at stopthesethings.com ...
oops and Germany is cutting down and burning forests for wind and solar
Have you seen how much real estate in the Midwest has been sacrificed to the wind mills? A few years ago we flew our small plane from Colorado to Wisconsin and we went miles and miles over these wind farms. Most of them were not even turning and many in several pieces laying on the ground. Talk about a blight on the land!
And Los Angeles city leaders and the DWP just Triple Downed on STUPID:
Under the 25-year deal with developer 8minute Solar Energy, the city would buy electricity from a sprawling complex of solar panels and lithium-ion batteries in the Mojave Desert of eastern Kern County, about two hours north of Los Angeles. The Eland project would meet 6% to 7% of L.A.’s annual electricity needs and would be capable of pumping clean energy into the grid for four hours each night.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-09-10/ladwp-votes-on-eland-solar-contract
Your typical Lithium Ion Battery only has about 500 Charges before it is useless, this is going to eat those batteries up in 1 year if they don’t blow the Mohave Desert up first.
I like the thought of using tectonic plates as a power source.....not the cost tho
The problem with using battery power instead of hydrocarbon chemical power is that it is not as thermodynamically efficient and it is economically uncompetitive by a wide margin. The laws of physics and economics are not going to change because some people don’t believe in them.
“Your typical Lithium Ion Battery only has about 500 Charges”
I wonder if it’s feasible to refurbish large batteries, or at least use the materials in the depleted ones to make new ones?
Overall I agree that solar and wind power won’t replace the major sources today, but solar has uses. Wind much less. I’m a nuclear guy.
and everyone of them has a house sized concrete and steel base under ground ,removing those will be a very big problem
Socialism, delivered full time, hasn’t worked either.
So, yeah...
We are in those times. Men will not listen to reason, only what they want to believe. Hard to believe how God has put up with humanity for so long, we are such fools. He destroyed it once and said He would not do it again. And one wonders why there is so much suffering and evil with humanity as stupid as it is. Simple, sin and human nature are the problem. God must really love us to put up with foolish humans. We deserve nothing.
The reality, one created by the enviro-wackos themselves.
Lithium ion batteries can be recycled, so I imagine the ones in the desert will be stolen and sold on the Mexican side of the border.
Well they have managed to kill millions of birds. I have to believe there will be some unforeseen consequence to that.
However to run something larger, such as a factory, hospital or office building "carefully conserved small amounts of electricity" just do not cut it. You need large amounts of totally reliable electricity. And sometimes your demand will suddenly jump meaning that an excess supply has to be there.
I get calls EVERY day about putting solar panels on my house and how much I’ll save. I always yell at them “This is Pennsylvania! We don’t have no sunshine!!”
I believe a simple windmill to pump water into a storage tank works. I believe solar heating of water in certain climates makes sense. Solar energy to charge small systems/batteries in remote areas...sure. Other than that....fossil/nuclear are what we got now. of course, if you are into killing birds, try modern windmill and steam heaters. They are great!
During the recent not last power shutdown in N. California.
A small winery/vineyard with so called Solar and wind power had to be shut down for an extra 3 days. That included the few neighbors on the same little grid.
Discussions with some people, who understand this issue said that bringing that little grid back on with solar, wind and PG&E was/is a complicated issue.
The owners are hard working liberals. The wife is a UC Bezerley grad, whose religion is reducing their carbon footprint.
Their two electric vehicles couldn’t be recharged and their vineyard only, old gas powered pickup can’t be driven off their vineyard as it does not meet green air standards.
All of these renewable energy subsidies are nothing more than legalized money laundering. The folks that make or broker these deals are nothing more than donors, who are getting their money back and then breaking off a little bit to the politicians that approve the subsidies, grants and loans.
The problem with using battery power instead of hydrocarbon chemical power is that it is not as thermo dynamically efficient and it is economically un competitive by a wide margin. The laws of physics and economics are not going to change because some people don’t believe in them.
Lived off grid for ten years, still off grid capable and it does work fine on the small personal scale. But even with very good regular maintenance the batteries need to be replaced about every 5-6 years. Central heating and A/C was out of the question.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.