Solar and wind power : Do you believe in ? (Massachusetts, 2013, rates)
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Solar has many of the same issues that wind has when it relates to where you can get it reliably vs where the energy is needed. Distances require build out of new energy grids.
Then there is the inefficiencies. Solar power is not efficient. AND it takes a lot of land to generate enough electricity to impact the national usage. That scale means lots of cost with build out.
Then you have issues with damage done to weather events.
Solar Panel manufacturing has come up with some interesting new twists of late. There are new methods that are decreasing costs of construction and there are new efforts to get beyond the need for silicone in the solar cells but these are not perfected yet. As it is, Solar is very expensive.
Not necessarily. A combination of various technologies is the future. Germany, for example, has had a steady supply of nuclear energy (about 21K MW-h), and most of its energy comes from Thermal (which has seen reduction as renewables have caught up).
Solar energy production in Germany was just 76 MW in 2000, which is now at about 8.9K MW* (2009). Hydro is another supplemental energy source. The biggest growth is going to be in the renewables, considering the challenges all around, except, may be, if fusion technology is perfected.
Also worth noting is that Germany is not the best location for solar power but still meets a hefty chunk of its energy requirement with it. And as solar technology progresses, it will only have a greater impact.
I do agree that between wind and solar, Solar has the greatest potential. there are real technology break thru's happening with Solar.
Solar can be integrated into the actual buildong materials... I'm not talking about the huge black pipes on the roof, but actually in the materiasl were a good deal of the area of a buildiing can generate tis power. couple that with wind and you can have a solid option that once economy of scale comes into play can be produced for pennies / watt.
With the 10 year build period, 10B plus cost, electric rates increasing several 100 percent and a short lifetime, the economics of Nuclear will NEVER make sense. do the math you could make every home in the service area on a free alternative with no waste issues.
China is working to create a new industry with renewables and become the world leaders in these technologies. Since they seem to be able to identify good bets with business m,aybe we should take a lesson, since much of the technology comes from us.
For those that say it isn't efficient enough you need to update your information. These sources of energy are not what they were just 2 years ago. They are growing by leaps and bounds and the cost is falling like a rock.
I don't hold much faith in the geothermal as I am concerned it may affect the stability of a region.
The mass solar stations work but I think it is outrageous to give the power of the sun and wind to a power company. eliminate them from the equation.
imagine no ugly power poles spanning the countryside. limited power outages, nothing widespread any more.
No electric bill. the ability to leave a light on.
The potential for solar and wind are great and it is here and now.
Solar can be integrated into the actual buildong materials... I'm not talking about the huge black pipes on the roof, but actually in the materiasl were a good deal of the area of a buildiing can generate tis power. couple that with wind and you can have a solid option that once economy of scale comes into play can be produced for pennies / watt.
With the 10 year build period, 10B plus cost, electric rates increasing several 100 percent and a short lifetime, the economics of Nuclear will NEVER make sense. do the math you could make every home in the service area on a free alternative with no waste issues.
China is working to create a new industry with renewables and become the world leaders in these technologies. Since they seem to be able to identify good bets with business m,aybe we should take a lesson, since much of the technology comes from us.
For those that say it isn't efficient enough you need to update your information. These sources of energy are not what they were just 2 years ago. They are growing by leaps and bounds and the cost is falling like a rock.
I don't hold much faith in the geothermal as I am concerned it may affect the stability of a region.
The mass solar stations work but I think it is outrageous to give the power of the sun and wind to a power company. eliminate them from the equation.
imagine no ugly power poles spanning the countryside. limited power outages, nothing widespread any more.
No electric bill. the ability to leave a light on.
The potential for solar and wind are great and it is here and now.
AONE, I agree that Solar has potential but I find nothing about Wind to be that incurring. At least not on a mass scale.
I don’t really know about the micro scale with wind but from what I have seen, you still run into the same issues. It requires a large turbine, it produces during off peak periods and it is expensive to install.
Solar really looks like a micro answer at least in the next 5 years or so, costs are coming down. However, from everything I have seen, while we have found ways to move away from the inefficient silicone, the alternatives are very expensive. That expense isn’t going anywhere because the materials used are rare in nature.
So while solar has promise, it is still some time away before it is available.
One thing that often gets overlooked is reduction of demand. Closed cell foam insulation is dollar for dollar a better “first step” for people at home who want to cut their energy cost.
What I find hard to believe is that as a nation we have spent over 3 trillion dollars of tax payer money subsidizing wars for fossil fuel companies, in addition to the the other tax subsidies they were receiving; and not to forget the priceless loss and pain our service men have suffered along with their families for building up infrastructure for people who would suicide bomb us given a shot.
What is even harder to swallow is the slightest thought of moving government investment and subsidies toward renewable, non-nuclear (well fusion could be a worthy endeavor) sources of energy that will not eventually run out, or updating our grid to handle new and up and coming technologies, some will say, we just don't got the money, or its too big or even cry socialism.
For all our support for the fossil fuel cartel, they have recently rewarded us with price gouging at the pump and the destruction of our ecosystem (which by the way, they will strive to get tax payers to foot the bill for).
Lets end the strangle hold the fossil fuel gang has over our civilization. Lets put our manpower, time and resources where it belongs: building up the nation for the 21st century.
do you have anything more recent than the early clinton era?
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