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Calculating The Full Costs Of Electrifying Everything Using Only Wind, Solar And Batteries
American Thinker ^ | 15 Jan, 2022 | Francis Menton

Posted on 01/15/2022 7:04:13 AM PST by MtnClimber

click here to read article


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To: Sequoyah101

Agree. Lake Mead, the huge lake behind Hoover Dam, can provide roughly 1 DAY of electricity for the entire country if used as storage (of course Hoover Dam couldn’t empty Lake Mead in one day, but that’s beside the point).

The article says that we need to store 30 days of energy to back up wind and solar. So if using pumped storage 29 more Hoover Dams and probably several hundred or so more Hoover Dams to provide the power output needed...oh, sure.

Where would they go? Where is the water for them? About the only place that has any chance is Canada...and I doubt they come close. In reality, NO ONE is talking about Hydro, other than trying to take down existing dams...so that’s a non-starter.

I think people have difficulty grasping THE SCALE of the power numbers we’re talking about. It’s very big.


61 posted on 01/15/2022 11:06:05 AM PST 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: Sequoyah101

I certainly am insane at times. I went through the roof when I heard what they spent.


62 posted on 01/15/2022 11:41:11 AM PST by fireman15
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To: Brian Griffin

“The $20,000 is for solar panel installations and long-distance transmission lines.”

LOL...they’re building a huge battery facility in Northern Australia (although I think a fire slowed them down).

Why did they spend all of that money when a couple of ‘long-distace wires’ would have done the same?


63 posted on 01/15/2022 11:54:04 AM PST 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: Brian Griffin

“They’re called hydroelectric dams and have already been built.”

I hate to break the news to you, but we are THROUGH building hydro dams. And you’re long-wire wet-dream was tried by NYC to get hydro by Quebec. It was rejected by the state of NY.

“Pumped hydro makes up 95 percent of the world’s energy storage”

That doesn’t mean shit. How much pumped hydro is needed for the 30 days of US storage (hint, I know the answer, I do math).

Since you don’t know. The ENTIRE pumped storage capability of the world is enough to supply the US for 3.6 hours. Better than nothing, but not quite 30 days either. Good luck increasing that storage 100 times!


64 posted on 01/15/2022 12:02:34 PM PST 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: Sequoyah101

“Based on our average monthly power consumption and $435 / kwh for battery storage it would cost me $650,000 for such an installation”

You don’t agree that running a couple of long wires to non-existent hydro plants would be cheaper for you?


65 posted on 01/15/2022 12:04:06 PM PST 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: Sequoyah101

“Do the math. The talking points you’ve offered are WRONG.”

The problem is that math gets in the way of fantasies.
(and I’m still trying to figure out how those magic wires work)


66 posted on 01/15/2022 12:05:54 PM PST 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: BobL

Of course it would be! Please tell me where I can’t get them!


67 posted on 01/15/2022 12:17:51 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (Politicians are only marginally good at one thing, being politicians. Otherwise they are fools.I ha)
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To: BobL

And you have heard back not a word in rebuttal right?

Nobody will debate Dr. Malone either. Facts are disturbing things to people who live in a fantasy world.


68 posted on 01/15/2022 12:19:50 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (Politicians are only marginally good at one thing, being politicians. Otherwise they are fools.I ha)
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To: Sequoyah101

“And you have heard back not a word in rebuttal right?. Nobody will debate Dr. Malone either. Facts are disturbing things to people who live in a fantasy world.”

Nothing specific - he’s tried to respond, but not with numbers.

What I like about this site is that (as long as people behave) we’re good with letting them try to make their case, unlike Leftist sites. What’s good about this is that we get to hone our facts to be ready to deal with the real world. In fact, my resident Millennial told me that Pumped Storage is the big thing in his world. I knew about it (being the energy expert that I am), but I had no idea that it was being used this way, where it doesn’t stand a prayer of meeting real-world storage needs. In fact, the total pumped storage of the planet still wouldn’t make 30 days, even in tiny Switzerland (since he mentioned it). Instead it would be good for 10 days.

Nothing wrong with pumped storage, but it’s not going to do the job of storage ON THE SCALE of what is needed to NOT massively disrupt society.


69 posted on 01/15/2022 12:42:54 PM PST 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: MtnClimber

But THEY can still use all the power THEY want!!!!!!!!!!

We are the little people in fly over country.... If we freeze to death, no problem....


70 posted on 01/15/2022 3:33:01 PM PST by buffyt (Bonquisha U.F. )
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To: dfwgator

“What is the problem they are trying to solve with EVs?”

I own an EV. It’s a great COMMUTER CAR. Period.

Short trips are hardest on ICE cars and the mileage is horrible if you only drive for short distances. EV’s are cheap (especially with current Biden gas prices) to run and require almost zero maintenance. Mine is a blast to drive and very comfortable.

That said, it’s not doing a thing for “the earth”or “global warming” or anything else.

Get government interference out of the way and let the free market do its magic.


71 posted on 01/15/2022 3:48:47 PM PST by jdsteel ("A Republic, Madam, if you can keep it." Sorry Ben, looks like we blew it.)
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To: MtnClimber

$433 trillion represents more than 20 times full U.S. annual GDP.
***These greenie weenies don’t care. The future is going to be Nukes, in particular Low Energy Nukes.
https://freerepublic.com/tag/lenr/index?tab=articles


72 posted on 01/15/2022 5:06:30 PM PST by Kevmo (I’m immune from Covid since I don’t watch TV.🤗)
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To: MtnClimber
Even IF the wind speed were constant enough to keep them online 24/7/365, a wind farm large enough to meet 100% of America's energy needs would take a land mass about 10% larger than the state of Nevada. And because of the low-frequency 'thrum' they introduce into the ground, that land would become uninhabitable to humans. So say good-bye to about 4% of the 48 contiguous states' habitable land mass (nobody wanted to live in Nevada anyway, right?).

And the windmills' spinning blades would kill millions of birds, bats, and flying insects every year.

And there are very few places in the continental US with the necessary continuous wind speeds (10-12 mph) to keep them producing electricity 24/7/365.

So there's that.

73 posted on 01/15/2022 5:32:44 PM PST by Paal Gulli
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To: Sequoyah101

Excellent analysis ... especially the observation about the “lower half of the class”, etc.


74 posted on 01/17/2022 7:05:58 PM PST by AFPhys ((Liberalism is what Smart looks like to Stupid people - ® - Mia of KC. Rush - 1:50-8/21/15))
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