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Fossil fuels are already costing the country in a negative manner.
America is overly reliant on fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil. This dependence is costly to everyday citizens, and sends valuable dollars overseas and out of the domestic economy.
The United States depends on fossil fuels for 85 percent of our energy supply.
In 2006, American consumers and businesses spent $921 billion – or close to 7 percent of America’s gross domestic product – on fossil fuels, more than the nation spent on education or the military. In 2008, national expenditures on fossil fuels likely topped $1 trillion for the first time ever. Each year, more than 70 percent of this money is spent on oil.
In 2007, America spent more than $360 billion importing fossil fuels, with the vast majority of that money spent on crude oil. That money is a direct transfer of wealth from American consumers to oil companies and foreign governments.
For every dollar that an American household spends each year, about 10 cents is likely to go toward the purchase of energy, with most of that money spent on fossil fuels.
Burning fossil fuels is costing us more than new energy solutions in many ways that most here don't appear to realize.
That was a brief spike - the Reality is that we import very little oil these days and when you combine all fossil fuels including the growing LNG industry -- we are a net exporter of Fossil Fuels.
I don't understand why use way outdated figures and all of the LINKS to Advocacy websites instead of News websites or even examples of what others have tried, and failed to do. It's not very persuasive to promote "scientific" data from over a decade ago.
Yeah, but the Texas grid is connected to Mexico. When we need dirty, that's where we get it.
When Oklahoma or New Mexico need an energy boost -- they get it from Texas, is that also "dirty" or is it only "dirty" when Texas needs to supplement for some reason??
Point is ..... Texas does not connect to the US Grid for ANY import.
That is why the Texas Grid is controlled by Texas ONLY. We can (and do) export to other States, IF we need to import electric power, we get it from Mexico so that the Federal Government can't take control of the Texas Grid.
Point is ..... Texas does not connect to the US Grid for ANY import.
That is why the Texas Grid is controlled by Texas ONLY. We can (and do) export to other States, IF we need to import electric power, we get it from Mexico...
Getting power from Mexico? That needs to stop. We need to build a wall
EVERY MW of nameplate generation of solar and wind MUST be backed up by a MW of natural gas generation. There is NO EXCEPTION because solar and wind generation are NOT reliable generation. Even in California, everywhere they put up wind farms and accounting for all the solar, they had to build natural gas fired turbine plants to back up that energy. That is a net GAIN in natural gas usage, not a net loss.
I swear, GOD as my witness, what I am saying is 100% true. There are no options. Coal fired plants, nuclear plants... NOTHING can ramp up and down, to match the unreliability of solar and wind like natural gas can. I take that back. Propane could also do the same except LP liquid propane is typically shipped, not piped to the place it is consumed. Nothing else will ramp up or down fast enough to balance the grid. That is why ALL peaking plants, the electric generation plants used during excess peak loads or during a catastrophic failure like a generation plant going down are ALL, 100% natural gas fired plants.
I believe what you are saying is true; you are obviously someone who has worked in that field. What I am trying to understand is this:
When the sun is shining, or the wind blowing, and those renewable generators are making electricity, are the gas-powered back-up generators also working at full capacity, churning out power? If so, you're right, that makes no sense. What happens to the excess electricity?
Or, are the gas-powered back-up generators on stand-by or idle, only to be fired up when needed because the sun or wind have abated? Every hour that the gas-powered generator is idle (because the renewables are generating enough power) represents that much less gas that needs to be burned.
Or is your point that existing coal plants need to be shut down and replaced by gas plants, because only gas can serve as the back-up? I'm OK with that - coal is down to only 27% of our electricity, and hopefully will fall to zero in the future.
I bet when Ford did that automobile thing folks were not feeling it and refusing to give up their horse and buggy. Some folks never gave up their horse and buggy and they co-exist with those that have never been in a horse and buggy.
Even when NYC residents were confronted with 2.5 million pounds of horse poop and 3 dead horses a day. wonder what it took to clean that up?
I bet when Ford did that automobile thing folks were not feeling it and refusing to give up their horse and buggy. Some folks never gave up their horse and buggy and they co-exist with those that have never been in a horse and buggy.
I guarantee no one was forced to pay for Fords horseless carriage or fund its development.
Who built the roads for the horseless carriage to ride on? It wasn`t Henry Ford.
Red herring anyone?
Because ford developed this great advancement in transportation and no one ever would have thought to improve exisiting roads or create new ones, and his newfangled creation would just sit in the barn or out in the field with nowhere to go.
I believe what you are saying is true; you are obviously someone who has worked in that field. What I am trying to understand is this:
When the sun is shining, or the wind blowing, and those renewable generators are making electricity, are the gas-powered back-up generators also working at full capacity, churning out power? If so, you're right, that makes no sense. What happens to the excess electricity?
Or, are the gas-powered back-up generators on stand-by or idle, only to be fired up when needed because the sun or wind have abated? Every hour that the gas-powered generator is idle (because the renewables are generating enough power) represents that much less gas that needs to be burned.
Or is your point that existing coal plants need to be shut down and replaced by gas plants, because only gas can serve as the back-up? I'm OK with that - coal is down to only 27% of our electricity, and hopefully will fall to zero in the future.
Are you gaslighting us? The internet is your friend.....
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