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Pssst---no snow in most of CA, and very little in NM & AZ (not counting Flagstaff, where passive solar still works in the wintertime, in spite of the blizzards). Solar panel conversions were so effective and popular in AZ, that the state had to shut down the program. The conventional utility companies were losing too much revenue to people making their own electricity from the sun. Homes in Native communities in northern AZ have dependable electricity year 'round from their solar panels.
Sorry to disappoint you, old bean. Maybe solar panels wouldn't work in Maine up upper NY State winters, but then--neither do conventional electrical systems, which tend to get blown down during storms. Maybe the NE should go back to wood stoves. Oh, I guess in Maine they've never given them up. Good back-up plan for those unreliable electrical grids.
Ever heard of PG&E, pal? Talk to someone from CA to see how well hydroelectric has been working there, the last few years...
Yes, dear. The rational side in this discussion takes the position that alternative energy has its niche where it makes sense. The other side feels it's the exclusive solution in all cases.
..and Phil, France's decision is based on politics, not science & economics. Funny that France is going in that direction when GB & Germany are already going back the other way.
Yes, dear. The rational side in this discussion takes the position that alternative energy has its niche where it makes sense. The other side feels it's the exclusive solution in all cases.
..and Phil, France's decision is based on politics, not science & economics. Funny that France is going in that direction when GB & Germany are already going back the other way.
More of the comic page info?
Germany Electricity Production from Nukes, Coal and Lignite are all WAY down, while Production from Renewables are WAY up.
Here are the numbers and charts. Pretty colors, even.
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0.37 U.S. dollars per kilowatt hour plus value added tax.
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See that last part? Taxes.
Germany pays taxes. wow. It is how they pay for nice things.
Germany also has a Federal Budget Surplus, good transportation, and good education.
US on the hand, has the World's Largest Debt EVER, massive military overspending, a few Billionaires and leads the developed world in Childhood Poverty.
I gotta admit-- you're right on that one. Germany sits free and secure while they rely on the US to foot their defense bill. They're way behind on their NATO obligations. We spend $billions each year to maintain their economy with the money our militry adds to their economy. Tell me-- Do you really think the 10,000 troops we station there is anything more than a sacrificial lamb should the Russians decide to invade?..We won't even bother asking where theyd be today if it weren't for the Marshal Plan. ... A whole country living on US welfare checks....That is smart. We are stupid.
In regards the role of taxes vis-a-vis power prices in Germany-- Yes, about half of the 31c/kWhr is due to taxes, still making their energy costs very high, even without the tax, and they couldn't provide the power without the taxes to support the industry. ..Either way, they pay more than 3x what we pay-- and it's failing anyway. They need to rely on the rest of Europe to dump their excess on when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, and they need to build more back-up & rely on Russian NG for when they aren't.
I gotta admit-- you're right on that one. Germany sits free and secure while they rely on the US to foot their defense bill. They're way behind on their NATO obligations. We spend $billions each year to maintain their economy with the money our militry adds to their economy. Tell me-- Do you really think the 10,000 troops we station there is anything more than a sacrificial lamb should the Russians decide to invade?..We won't even bother asking where theyd be today if it weren't for the Marshal Plan. ... A whole country living on US welfare checks....That is smart. We are stupid.
Yes, that is the US v. Soviet / Cold War Strategy. I was a US Army Troop and Officer back at the end of that era. That was the intent. We called it, "DIP" for Die. In. Place.
Same as when we used to keep some 30,000 US Troops near the border / DMZ in South Korea. We intentionally stationed them to be killed in the opening artillery barrage from the North, so we could justify amplifying to a near Total War scenario.
It is classic US faux Victim Routine. Part of what Sun Tzu called the Moral Law. (not that it is "Moral" in any common sense of the word -- more like what we now call a "Casus Belli" -- a "legal" cause for war.)
Per Sun Tzu -- “The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.â€
Same thing 9-11 was intended to be under the Project for a New American Century (PNAC). (and the USS Maine, Lusitania, and Pearl Harbor). Have to kill some 1000(s) Americans in some big drama to justify US going to "War!" without any regard for Critical Thinking, Analysis nor Sanity Check. US Aircraft Carriers fulfill that role now. Some 1000(s) of slow moving US Sailors and Marines as "Targets."
So to your question -- the US Doctrine was the US Troops in Europe would be largely wiped out in the opening rounds, and then we had planned and trained for what was called "Reforger" (Return of Forces to Germany) in the Counter-Strike. Whole thing was completely retarded from the start, as Russia had and has no intent to Invade Europe. It is just pud-wacking to keep Adult-Children-for-Life Generals and Military Contractors grifting money from US.
But in all that -- the problem was and is not that Germany = Smart.
Problem is US = Unbelievably Stupid. Now as then -- SSDD, Same Story, Different Day.
Quote:
In regards the role of taxes vis-a-vis power prices in Germany-- Yes, about half of the 31c/kWhr is due to taxes, still making their energy costs very high, even without the tax, and they couldn't provide the power without the taxes to support the industry. ..Either way, they pay more than 3x what we pay-- and it's failing anyway. They need to rely on the rest of Europe to dump their excess on when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, and they need to build more back-up & rely on Russian NG for when they aren't.
Germany is doing fine on this. IF US were just smart enough to copy (we are not), they are cleaning Electrical Generation and their Grid, FIRST, and doing fine on that.
And then housing (heat) and transportation (going Electric) is next.
US (again Unbelievably Stupid) are just pissed about the Russian Gas Pipeline because it means they do not need our moronic Frack Gas.
UK has introduced legislation to mandate that all new-build housing from 2022 have an EV charger. Offices, 1 charger per 5 spaces. Major remodels will also be included.
US (again Unbelievably Stupid) are just pissed about the Russian Gas Pipeline because it means they do not need our moronic Frack Gas.
I'll cut you some slack because it must be hard to see from where your head is stuck-- but our objection o their reliance on Russian NG has to do with strategic concerns...,Where's northern Europe going to be when Russia decides to turn the screws one winter? The Germans & Brtis can't keep up now with power poduction and yet they want everyone to drive EVs & heat homes with electricity? You may need toi know calculus to be an engineer, but how did you miss the basic arithmetic?
I'll cut you some slack because it must be hard to see from where your head is stuck-- but our objection o their reliance on Russian NG has to do with strategic concerns...,Where's northern Europe going to be when Russia decides to turn the screws one winter? The Germans & Brtis can't keep up now with power poduction and yet they want everyone to drive EVs & heat homes with electricity? You may need toi know calculus to be an engineer, but how did you miss the basic arithmetic?
It is because you do not understand the Solution to the problem.
So when you do not understand the Problem Statement, nor the Solution -- the Answer would not make sense.
Let me slow you down to understand this?
First is the Problem Statement -- How to stay warm for the Winter?
Next is the Solution -- Olde School was to throw another log on the fire, right? More Heat, as it were.
Which would lead to the Answer: Get more Logs. (or Gas, or whatever).
===============
Now, in this Century, German is following a different Solution -- which is to need less Heat.
This approach is sometimes jokingly called Negawatts, or Energy no longer needed.
Germany is reworking their buildings to need MUCH less Heat / Energy.
This is area outside of general energy use, or electricity, or transportation, which we have covered on here, but I do not think we covered this much on here? Building heat required can be dropped to 1/10th of commonly used.
This area goes into a specialty domain called Building Science (and yes, it is some Serious Science). If this is a new area for you, this video below is not a bad starting point. Shows a 5000 square foot house in Canada that can be heated with a 1500 Watt hair dryer.
By the time Germany has updated its buildings, they will have dropped to a fraction of their present energy use.
Any idea what it costs to retro-fit an existing building with improved insulation and heatimg system, if it even if it can be done for particular buildings?..simply cost prohibitive.
We could turn your Yugo into a Rolls Royce by removing one part at a time and replacing it with RR parts. It'll cost a little bit, tho.
Forty y/a, few American autos would get 20 mpg. Most got 8-15. Average weight of a car was around 4500 lb.....Over the years, thousands of dollars of cost were added to autos by "improved" computerized engines, etc, but 90% of the improvement in gas mileage has been simply due to the building of 2500 lb vehicles....But we didn;t take 5000 lb-ers and turn them into 2500lb-ers. We waited until the big ones were worn out, then replaced them with smaller cars....Not so easily done with buildings that have useful lives of 100 yrs +.
I keep saying here that eventually we will run out of fossil fuel. Premature retirement of the paradigm is quite inefficient and not at all necessary. They don't pose the problems that certain political groups insist they have and there is no urgency about switching to other energy sources-- particulary the inefficient wind & solar sources that carry their own heavy baggage against the environment.
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