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The news is not all green, and I think the point of these articles is to explain how difficult it is to transform the power supply system of a large industrial nation - it is not easy.
I absolutely agree, and nowhere is the challenge more complex than in the US. Just last week it was reported that due to strife in the midwest reducing oil output there the US has become the #1 oil producer in the world at present.
Nevertheless, the inexorable reduction in renewable energy costs over the last five years or so has now made renewable energy competitive with fossil fuels in at least some venues... and momentum is building to do more, and do it faster.
After all, what choice do we really have but to switch to renewable, non-polluting energy sources?
After all, what choice do we really have but to switch to renewable, non-polluting energy sources?
In the long run, there is no alternative. It will take many decades make the transformation, so the best way is to keep making the change at a steady rate of at least a few percent a year. This helps create enough demand for new power generation technology to level out "boom and bust" cycles, and allows retirement of the oldest and least clean power plants first.
In some states of the US, even the ones with conservative state governments (like KS, TX, AZ and IA) they have embraced solar or wind energy production. This has not happened because they are convinced that carbon emissions must be reduced to reduce the impact on climate change. These conservative states and many of their residents have seen the economic benefits from private investment in wind or solar power generating facilities.
Iowa & South Dakota are leaders in total power from wind, at about 25 to 30 percent. Kansas is third place at about 20 percent, and several other great plains and Midwest states are around 15 percent like MN, ND, OK and CO. The big plus of wind production out on the great plains is that unlike most other forms of large scale commercial energy production, wind turbines don't consume water to produce power. This is a BIG DEAL in in the dry parts of the great plains & southwest, especially where the aquifers are so far below the surface.
This is brilliant news, even though it is not fully sustained or completely green yet, they're doing a far cry better than anyone else! If we were to all follow suit like Germany then we would have a chance at fighting the damage carbon emissions have already done.
Does anyone know similar statistics for the UK? It would be interesting to see how we compare.
Commercially speaking it may be easier to make a transition to green because companies have larger budgets to play around with. That being said there are huge drawbacks in the sense that there are different regulations, higher demands and stricter management requirements to consider. So no, it is not easy for anyone to simply go green.
In autumn i am going to a forum on the UK's power and networks operation (Future Energy Policy Events: Westminster Energy Forum) which i am hoping will offer an overview of what power we have and where it is going so that we can see where exactly we are heading with our power here.
For now though it seems that we need to aspire to the German model with some things!
This is brilliant news, even though it is not fully sustained or completely green yet, they're doing a far cry better than anyone else! If we were to all follow suit like Germany then we would have a chance at fighting the damage carbon emissions have already done.
Does anyone know similar statistics for the UK? It would be interesting to see how we compare.
Commercially speaking it may be easier to make a transition to green because companies have larger budgets to play around with. That being said there are huge drawbacks in the sense that there are different regulations, higher demands and stricter management requirements to consider. So no, it is not easy for anyone to simply go green.
In autumn i am going to a forum on the UK's power and networks operation (Future Energy Policy Events: Westminster Energy Forum) which i am hoping will offer an overview of what power we have and where it is going so that we can see where exactly we are heading with our power here.
For now though it seems that we need to aspire to the German model with some things!
Jeff
I can tell you where the cost is going and that's up................
I can tell you where the cost is going and that's up................
No, not necessarily. It was even reported in this story that the lower cost of the solar energy produced briefly lowered billable costs to consumers.
And see the other thread I started about the dramatic drop in solar energy costs being contracted for by utility companies, and how this could lower rates to consumers.
No, not necessarily. It was even reported in this story that the lower cost of the solar energy produced briefly lowered billable costs to consumers.
And see the other thread I started about the dramatic drop in solar energy costs being contracted for by utility companies, and how this could lower rates to consumers.
It really is time for the naysayers to stop heckling renewable, non-polluting energy sources for being too expensive, as that tide is turning.
I see the tide turn every day I have to juggle generation resources to cover demand because it cannot be met with already installed renewable resources....
I see the tide turn every day I have to juggle generation resources to cover demand because it cannot be met with already installed renewable resources....
But you're still fighting the inevitable. Unless and until there is a practical breakththrough in utilizing the power of nuclear fission, renewable energy based on the sun's energy is the only path that has any real future for mankind.
But you're still fighting the inevitable. Unless and until there is a practical breakththrough in utilizing the power of nuclear fission, renewable energy based on the sun's energy is the only path that has any real future for mankind.
I am completely in favor of both wind power and hydro-electric, both of which ultimately derive their power from the sun. It is the sun's power that creates the winds, and that lifts water to the heights, from which they fall toward sea level in hydro plants. There is no other source for wind and hydro power.
Tide power, yes, you can argue is created by the gravitational attraction of the moon, but it's a minor player in the renewable energy game.
And geothermal, of course, which draws upon the internal heat of the earth's core. But still, in terms of renewable energy we can exploit for mankind's purposes, solar energy is king.
Germany's Energy Poverty: How Electricity Became a Luxury Good
Quote:
Germany's agressive and reckless expansion of wind and solar power has come with a hefty pricetag for consumers, and the costs often fall disproportionately on the poor. Government advisors are calling for a completely new start.
Reality Check: Germany's Defective Green Energy Game Plan
Quote:
Germany pretends to be a pioneer in the green revolution. But its massively expensive Energiewende has done nothing to make the environment cleaner or encourage genuine efficiency. One writer argues: Either do it right, or don't do it at all.
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