You can’t run a modern technological civilization of the sort the USA has come to expect on wind and solar, it is a pipe dream. There are a lot smoking that pipe . . .
The above estimates of what it will take to replace fossil fuel energy for the US economy with wind and solar appear valid and realistic. But, since it is more than unlikely this will happen, forget the word “replace”. That would mean that the US economy will not get the 100 Gigawatts of energy on a continuous basis necessary just to keep up with demand.
And as any economy requires energy to continue to exist, the American Economy will be allowed to shut down, and ultimately collapse. With a return to pre-industrial age technology, perhaps we can all wear powdered wigs, carry flintlocks, and have another American Revolution? Seems nostalgic, a bit.
With today's technologies, wind and solar are simply insufficient to meet our energy needs. The Greens simply don't understand this or are willfully ignorant.
Of course they come back with the argument that government subsidies are needed to develop these energies. But if these energies were really viable, private companies would be jumping all over them.
Good question!
I just saw the following and if the UK would need the entire world output of copper for one year what would the US need?
So the UK plans to ban the sale of internal combustion engines by 2030.
Whats seemingly left out of the debate (or more accurately the thinking process) is the sheer amount of commodities that would be required to make this target happen, which is what we are most excited by as investors.
The amount of forecasting by those responsible for coming up with this nice round number of 2030 appears to rhyme with hero. Its as if the Imperial college of London and that clown Neil Ferguson are providing the forecasts.
In order for the UK to meet this target, it needs the amount of copper equal to the entire global supply mined in 2018.
Apologies to the rest of the world the UK, which represents 0.87% of Earths population, is going to require the lions share of global copper just for its cars.
Im sure the rest of the world will be fine with that. Foregoing food production, transportation, construction, healthcare All of it will be worth it so that the UK can drive Teslas.
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How wrong could you be?
I’m not even gonna read this idiotic article I’m just gonna point out some simple facts
This is from a Berkeley engineer who has been in the solar business for 30 years now
Solar panels photovoltaics work. There’s no doubt about
I have systems now that are 40 years old it still work fine
I build systems for 50 years Minimum
You have two choices in life wanted a. 1 to keep paying the utility
2. the others to put in solar panels
In California we now have 40,000 MW of solar panels installed which is approximately 2/3 of the largest utility Pacific Gas & Electric speak load of 60 to 65,000 MW
We now put in very sophisticated battery systems with a Schneider electric 6.8 kW can text ex W pro inverter which AC couples to any solar system and you can have your own operating power system without the utility it will exist in perpetuity
and otherwise you don’t need the utility anymore
My customers have zero or near zero electric cost from the utility
Some of my customers used to have $20-$50,000 electric bills a month
Your typical 300 W solar panel right now cost $150 and the pay back on it is about 1.7 years At I electric cost $.15 a kilowatt hour
Please oh idiot Please please please please argue with any of this argue with any of this
Are we at ‘Peak Copper’? ‘Peak Nickel’? (just kidding)
“Where would all these minerals be processed? You don’t get three guesses.”
We’d only need one guess under Trump, who tried to get mining going to continue our goal of self-sufficiency - in oil and energy.