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The fact is, there’s no horn of plenty when it comes to energy, as well as our current usage, no matter if the whole planet switched to 100% solar power tomorrow, we are going to eventually run out of energy. It might take longer and damage environmental surroundings less (except for heating up the planet), however it will happen. So ‘renewable,’ ‘sustainable,’ and ‘green’ are serious misnomers when speaking about even the most politically correct of energy sources. At the best, we are able to say that alternative energy sources are far more efficient and clean — but win/win solutions, they may not be.
some ppl say that there is no such thing as renewable energy because it takes energy and lots of plastic/ petroleum products to make the solar arrays and turbines...
some ppl say that there is no such thing as renewable energy because it takes energy and lots of plastic/ petroleum products to make the solar arrays and turbines...
I believe any little thing helps.
It takes allot of resources to produce solar cells, which in turn have a very short life expectancy. Most solar cells start to loose efficiency within the first 12 months. Most need to be replaced in 5 to 10 years. So for solar, you have a cycle of constantly building and replacing cells.
Current Wind turbine designs also take a large amount of materials to build. The blades are shipped on trains that run through the center of town. They stretch over 2 train cars each. That is allot of fiberglass and resin. Wind turbines also kill tons of birds and bats. If the entire country switched to wind power, the amount of wind turbines needed to generate that power would put every single bird species on this planet at risk of extinction.
Nuclear power is going to be the only way to generate the worlds power once the dino juice finally runs out.
Sodium thorium reactors will be the key to making nuclear power safe and controllable. However, the steep cost to construct one has kept them out of the market with coal and petroleum as cheap as it is. However in the long term, I'm talking about 50 years from now, it will be the most responsible form of energy production.
It takes allot of resources to produce solar cells, which in turn have a very short life expectancy. Most solar cells start to loose efficiency within the first 12 months. Most need to be replaced in 5 to 10 years. So for solar, you have a cycle of constantly building and replacing cells.
???
Back away from your crack pipe.
After 20 years of constant usage photo-voltaic panels tend to drop to 80% of the manufactured ability.
Nobody replaces panels at 10 years. That is silly.
I have a neighbor who has been on solar power since the 1980s. Same panels.
It takes allot of resources to produce solar cells, which in turn have a very short life expectancy. Most solar cells start to loose efficiency within the first 12 months. Most need to be replaced in 5 to 10 years. So for solar, you have a cycle of constantly building and replacing cells.
Current Wind turbine designs also take a large amount of materials to build. The blades are shipped on trains that run through the center of town. They stretch over 2 train cars each. That is allot of fiberglass and resin. Wind turbines also kill tons of birds and bats. If the entire country switched to wind power, the amount of wind turbines needed to generate that power would put every single bird species on this planet at risk of extinction.
Nuclear power is going to be the only way to generate the worlds power once the dino juice finally runs out.
Sodium thorium reactors will be the key to making nuclear power safe and controllable. However, the steep cost to construct one has kept them out of the market with coal and petroleum as cheap as it is. However in the long term, I'm talking about 50 years from now, it will be the most responsible form of energy production.
Since you are dealing in make-believe on the Solar (and may not even know that?) . . . it also sounds like make-believe on the rest.
It takes allot of resources to produce solar cells, which in turn have a very short life expectancy. Most solar cells start to loose efficiency within the first 12 months. Most need to be replaced in 5 to 10 years. So for solar, you have a cycle of constantly building and replacing cells.
Current Wind turbine designs also take a large amount of materials to build. The blades are shipped on trains that run through the center of town. They stretch over 2 train cars each. That is allot of fiberglass and resin. Wind turbines also kill tons of birds and bats. If the entire country switched to wind power, the amount of wind turbines needed to generate that power would put every single bird species on this planet at risk of extinction.
Nuclear power is going to be the only way to generate the worlds power once the dino juice finally runs out.
Sodium thorium reactors will be the key to making nuclear power safe and controllable. However, the steep cost to construct one has kept them out of the market with coal and petroleum as cheap as it is. However in the long term, I'm talking about 50 years from now, it will be the most responsible form of energy production.
As a Navy nuclear engineer, I can only say you have not a clue about the future of nuclear power. It's so uneconomic today that it takes massive government subsidies to build even a single plant. All the while PV keeps getting cheaper.
Crystalline silicon modules located in extreme climates showed high degradation rates. For very cold climates, panels subjected to heavy wind and snow loads suffered the most. On the other hand, panels in similar climates that were installed in a facade, eliminating the snow load, had very low rates of degradation. At the other extreme, panels in desert climates exhibited large decreases in production over time - close to 1% per year - mainly due to high levels of UV exposure. Panels in more moderate climates such as the northern United States had degradation rates as low as 0.2% per year. Those panels could retain 96% of their production capabilities after 20 years.
So I stand corrected on temperate climates, but guess what, I live in Montana. So what I have been advised by companies that install and sell solar panels is correct here, where winter temps get well below 0, and summer temps can reach 105.
As for birds, you can read it for yourself.
From abcbirds.org
The United States is now the world's leading producer of wind energy, with tens of thousands of wind turbines in operation and many more planned. As a result, bird mortality from collisions is escalating every year, especially in areas where turbines and their associated power lines and towers have been poorly sited from the perspective of bird conservation.
The annual loss of birds from wind turbines was estimated as high as 573,000 in 2012. However, vastly more turbines are in operation now, and more than 1.4 million bird deaths are projected by 2030 or earlier if the U.S. meets its goal of producing 20 percent of electrical energy with wind. If that figure reaches 35 percent, as new Department of Energy projections suggest, up to 5 million birds could be killed annually. These estimates do not include birds that are killed by collisions with associated power lines and towers, which could be in the hundreds of thousands or even millions annually.
From savetheeaglesinternational.org
America’s wind farms are actually slaughtering millions of birds and bats annually
By Mark Duchamp
Originally published by The ECO Report
The Obama administration is issuing 30-year permits for “taking” (killing) bald and golden eagles. The great birds will be legally slaughtered “unintentionally” by lethal wind turbines installed in their breeding territories, and in “dispersion areas” where their young congregate (e.g. Altamont Pass).
By chance (if you believe in coincidences), a timely government study claims wind farms will kill “only” 1.4 million birds yearly by 2030 (1). This new report is just one of many, financed with taxpayers’ money, aimed at convincing the public that additional mortality caused by wind plants is sustainable. – It is not.
Dr. Shawn Smallwood’s 2004 study, spanning four years, estimated that California’s Altamont Pass wind “farm” killed an average of 116 Golden Eagles annually (2). This adds up to 2,900 dead “goldies” since it was built 25 years ago. Altamont is the biggest sinkhole for the species, but not the only one, and industry-financed research claiming that California’s GE population is stable is but a white-wash.
Thanks for all of the personal attacks, makes me feel better knowing that there are plenty of moron's still left on this planet to keep me entertained.
I stand by my original statement that once petroleum and coal are gone, there will be no other way to power large metropolitan areas without nuclear power. It WILL be cost effective at that point. There is simply no other way to transmit the massive amounts of power needed by cities such as New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, etc. Transmission losses over long distances are huge.
I stand by my original statement that once petroleum and coal are gone, there will be no other way to power large metropolitan areas without nuclear power. It WILL be cost effective at that point. There is simply no other way to transmit the massive amounts of power needed by cities such as New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, etc. Transmission losses over long distances are huge.
Won't we run out of uranium fuel? I've heard of breeder reactors, but they seem to be politically unpopular. France had one but it was shut down, if I'm not mistaken.
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