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We don't need to do that. What is the benefit of reducing the output of the "primary source," which is cheap, with something vastly more expensive?
Except, the "primary source" of energy is a principle reason why the Chinese govt has pumped so much money into solar....
China's environment: An economic death sentence
"The World Bank estimated, in a 2007 report, that pollution caused 5.8% of China’s GDP in premature deaths, health care costs, and material damages. Air pollution alone is estimated to kill 700,000 people a year. A 2012 MIT study estimated that air pollution in 2005 cost the Chinese economy $112 billion in lost labor and healthcare costs, roughly five times higher than it was in 1975.
In 2010, airborne microscopic pollutants caused an estimated 8,600 premature deaths in four major Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Xian.
According to a Chinese vice minister of environmental protection, the water quality in five of the nine bays along China’s coast was “extremely poor.” Results from monitoring stations along 10 major river basins show that 40% of the water is polluted. And 55% of the underground water in 200 cities is polluted. On top of that, about 300 million rural residents do not have access to safe drinking water.
Soil pollution is endangering China’s food chain. Roughly 10% of the country’s arable land has been contaminated by heavy metal, based on scientific studies conducted in the late 1990s. In 2006, the Chinese government began a nationwide survey of soil pollution. However, it has not released the results, most probably because the findings are too alarming for the government to release.
Given decades of environmental neglect and China’s heavy reliance on coal — which produces 70% of the country’s energy — it would be difficult to produce a dramatic improvement quickly."
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This notion that we need to reduce our dependence on conventional sources is misguided. It is based on faulty "science" (actually it isn't based on any science at all) and it is totally unnecessary.
You do realize the sun has more energy than the Earth can produce. You do realize the sun fuels the Earth.........
You do realize the planet has 7 billion people and growing..... If China, a country of a billion, is having an environmental disaster then what's going to happen to the other billions in developing countries who rely on coal?
And there is no mining or gathering of raw materials to create solar panels?
No caustic, poisonous chemical by products for manufacturing solar panels?
Of course there are. But unlike the materials for solar panels, once you get done mining and extracting the product you don't have to combust it and release the by-products into the atmosphere.... Then repeat the process....
It's just takes a little bit of intelligence to see the benefit....
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No habitat disruption or danger to wildlife building, installing and operating solar arrays?
I'm not one of those individuals who will get all up and arms over installing solar arrays over a horned lizards' home.
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I suppose solar panels just pop up out of the ground like magic.
No it can't. We will never be able to depend on solar.
Never say never!
Sun is always shining in space.
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We can look at the calendar and plan to have more coal-fired or nuclear powered electricity available on any given day, at any given hour, that is impossible with solar or wind. We cannot ramp our baseload power plants up and down according to the fickle nature of cloud cover and the weather.
Wow! No one has ever thought of this! You are the first! Quick, call the press!
Of course there are. But unlike the materials for solar panels, once you get done mining and extracting the product you don't have to combust it and release the by-products into the atmosphere.... Then repeat the process....
It's just takes a little bit of intelligence to see the benefit....
I'm not one of those individuals who will get all up and arms over installing solar arrays over a horned lizards' home.
Sure why not....
What else ya got? Keep it coming.
The larger solar arrays are actually roasting birds alive, and even the arrays for homes and industrial use have short circuits that lead to fires.
Nothing is perfect, no matter how the proponents of green energy try to make people believe.
Wow! No one has ever thought of this! You are the first! Quick, call the press!
The maturity level around here just plummeted. This always happens when your side has nothing left to add to the discussion. When will the name calling and insults begin, prey tell?
BTW, how many billions will it cost per kilowatt for your satellite beamed sunlight?
The economics of residential solar seem pretty clear. Solar City will now install an array on your roof and provide all your power needs a $0.10 per kwh. That represents a liittle more than a penny a kwh less than the power company.
That says Sun City believes they can make a reasonable return at 0.10 per kwh.
The way I see it you may be able to get that for $0.05 per kwh in 5 or 6 years.
So I think the day of solar competitiveness is here.
Note that any form of time of day billing will just make solar more competitive.
The maturity level around here just plummeted. This always happens when your side has nothing left to add to the discussion. When will the name calling and insults begin, prey tell?
Well try being honest with your claims instead of stating baseless claims like "green proponents want people to believe solar is perfect".
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BTW, how many billions will it cost per kilowatt for your satellite beamed sunlight?
Not a clue. Just responding to your baseless claim of us never being able to depend on solar....
Did you learn your lesson about making absolute statements?
The larger solar arrays are actually roasting birds alive, and even the arrays for homes and industrial use have short circuits that lead to fires.
Nothing is perfect, no matter how the proponents of green energy try to make people believe.
Bird deaths occur on any development. there is a minor increase due to the high light intensity zone near the target. Doubt it will prove to be a big deal.
The equipment will become almost bullet proof over time. This is not difficult electronics. We know how to build this stuff. China has been cheating a bit on quality...they will either get it right or lose market share.
And how much wildlife were killed extracting coal or o&g?
Show me links to this claim of green energy being perfect..... Because that is just a partisan lie.
Partisan lie? LOL Whatever, so now this is political?
Just read any article promoting solar, they detail all the "dirty" aspects of coal, even you. I'm only pointing out that no form of energy is perfect, including solar and wind.
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Originally Posted by dv1033
I have no doubt there are quite a few coal companies that due their diligence when it comes to the environment, but there are still millions of acres of habit destruction, thousands of miles of buried streams, creeks, other small waterways, hundreds of tons of heavy metals unearthed, etc. Unfortunately, the coal industry on the global scale is quite dirty.
...as if the mining and manufacturing and operation of solar panels on the global scale is NOT quite dirty.
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