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If it is just as reliable and even cheaper than LNG/coal, then awesome, sign me up.
I don't honestly GAFF where my electricity comes from, just that when I flip light switches, the lights come on, and when I pay my bill, it's the least amount of money possible. If solar and wind give me 100% reliability and are cheaper, then yay for solar and wind.
Most people in America fall into my category. They don't give a flying rat's patootie about how the electricity is freaking generated, they just want 100% reliability when they flip switches in their houses, at ANY TIME OF THE DAY, and they want it at the lowest freaking price. That's the market.
If it is just as reliable and even cheaper than LNG/coal, then awesome, sign me up.
I don't honestly GAFF where my electricity comes from, just that when I flip light switches, the lights come on, and when I pay my bill, it's the least amount of money possible. If solar and wind give me 100% reliability and are cheaper, then yay for solar and wind.
Most people in America fall into my category. They don't give a flying rat's patootie about how the electricity is freaking generated, they just want 100% reliability when they flip switches in their houses, at ANY TIME OF THE DAY, and they want it at the lowest freaking price. That's the market.
If Germany is any indication, electricity rates will skyrocket if we add large amounts of solar and wind capacity to the grid. Why? Mainly because we will have to maintain two power generation systems instead of just one. We will have one system for when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, and one system for nights with no wind. Maintaining two whole systems won’t be cheap.
If Germany is any indication, electricity rates will skyrocket if we add large amounts of solar and wind capacity to the grid. Why? Mainly because we will have to maintain two power generation systems instead of just one. We will have one system for when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, and one system for nights with no wind. Maintaining two whole systems won’t be cheap.
I totally understand that. My response was a general "whatever" to the sanctimonious folks who decry all forms of power generation other than pure renewables, as if anyone disagreeing with them are troglodytes.
The point is NOBODY CARES WHERE THEIR POWER COMES FROM, just that is 100% reliable and as cheap as possible. OK, some of your more hyper Sierra Club types are "ren3wablez 4 lyfe" and the dedicated coal miner might be "c0al 4 lyfe!" ad all that, but in general, the 98% of people in the middle of the issue don't freaking care either way. Just satisfy the following three conditions, and people won't care if it is squirrels running on wheels making AC powah:
I don't have to do any work to make the electricity happen
I have 100% guarantee that when I flip the switch, the power is there
The electricity is the cheapest possible.
Poll a thousand or a million, and I bet the people having those three requirements is >95%, and none will GAFF what tech actually generates the juice. Not even a little bit.
You and I know that renewable plants require on-demand backups powered by fossil fuel or nuclear to provide anywhere close to 100% reliable power to the grid, and that makes it more expensive, not less. But if it could be done at lower cost and still be close to 100% reliable on the grid, then nobody would effing care.
If it is just as reliable and even cheaper than LNG/coal, then awesome, sign me up.
I don't honestly GAFF where my electricity comes from, just that when I flip light switches, the lights come on, and when I pay my bill, it's the least amount of money possible. If solar and wind give me 100% reliability and are cheaper, then yay for solar and wind.
Most people in America fall into my category. They don't give a flying rat's patootie about how the electricity is freaking generated, they just want 100% reliability when they flip switches in their houses, at ANY TIME OF THE DAY, and they want it at the lowest freaking price. That's the market.
I agree, but will say that if all things were equal, I'd rather use solar or wind. Every couple years we look into solar panels - over and over. They're still unaffordable when compared to our current costs. It takes way to long to recoup the initial layout of money, our location isn't ideal given the still-existing inefficiencies of solar....
Even with the Chinese dumping their solar, we still couldn't justify the expense. Coal and other fuels aren't going anywhere. At least not by 2020.
The real problem here, we are not privy to ALL the possible energy alternatives, the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951 has suppressed numerous energy related discoveries.
If we really want the free market to work, de-classify all this stuff they keep secret and watch problems get solved, even if that may be a bad thing for some industries.
Problem is, the money is not in the production of Solar cells... its in installing it.
In the US, 2000 work producing them, while 260.000 work installing and servicing them.
Solar is finaly getting its shot, because the Chinese need clean energy, massively subsidizes by the EU in its infancy, overproduced solar cells, making the cost of panels plummet like a rock. Continued improvements in efficiency and MASSIVE production, the cells are becoming cheaper and better every year.
Putting a 30% tariff, will make sure fewer Solar plants will be built in the US. Lucky coal miners..
Way too many people still want to diss solar and wind power production. The market will always win, and with those being or becoming cheaper than any other type of electrical power production.
What we do want to do is have realistic conversations about it.
Any form of energy that costs less, and allows greater access to energy is very good for all of us.
The issue has always been forcing more expensive forms of energy of people for the sake of some governmental social experiment.
Problem is, the money is not in the production of Solar cells... its in installing it.
In the US, 2000 work producing them, while 260.000 work installing and servicing them.
Solar is finaly getting its shot, because the Chinese need clean energy, massively subsidizes by the EU in its infancy, overproduced solar cells, making the cost of panels plummet like a rock. Continued improvements in efficiency and MASSIVE production, the cells are becoming cheaper and better every year.
Putting a 30% tariff, will make sure fewer Solar plants will be built in the US. Lucky coal miners..
uhm,... Al Gore thought the tariff on Solar panels from China was a GOOD IDEA.
Way too many people still want to diss solar and wind power production. The market will always win, and with those being or becoming cheaper than any other type of electrical power production.
It doesn't matter how cheap they get. Wind and solar cannot replace plants powered by gas, coal, nuclear or hydro. They may idle them at times, they cannot replace them. Since the capital costs to build an maintain these facilities cannot be eliminated your electricity rates will necessarily rise.
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