“Dr. Curry noted that wind and solar “won’t work” in addressing future energy and emissions desires and that instead of trying to rely upon renewables new research is needed on better energy options.”
Wind works if you pump water. Solar works if you want to make hot water- as in water for the shower, to heat a swimming pool, etc.
Solar or wind for electrical power, is not viable anywhere on the surface of planet Earth. Mars is more viable than Earth. The Moon is best for using solar power to make electrical energy in the short term- specifically the lunar polar region.
Anywhere on the Moon gives twice as more solar power, the significant of lunar polar region is one can electrical power from solar for more than 50% of the time, but one make solar power network encircling the polar region [and polar region is very small land area] which gives 100% of the time. But in terms small beginnings, there also spots in lunar polar region where can more than 80% of the time- or without any kind grid network solar power quite viable as compared to Earth surface where at best it’s about 25% of the time.
Or a significant part of industrial revolution, is it gave people more time which could had light [sunlight + artificial light]. One could point the issue of machines being able to run near constantly- as more important, but the humans working with the various machines, needed light to see.
So, mostly I would say it was about adding the light to be able to see at night.
Solar or wind for electrical power, is not viable anywhere on the surface of planet Earth.
Come on. Solar and wind power have been used for a couple of decades in places where a grid isn’t available or is extremely unreliable (houses off the grid and remote weather stations, for example).
And they have gotten this power to pretty cheap levels before subsidies. I think it is possible that solar and wind could be competitive on their own merits in a decade or two.
The grid has always been oriented around using the cheapest power sources first. In the past, that was base load which is why there has been such a focus on orienting the grid around base load. In the future, it might be intermittent renewables and we then may see a similar obsession with maximizing the utility of renewable, variable sources. We’ll just have to see what happens.
Costs may level as a niche, as along as you are talking a small percentage of overall production. But, its not scalable to a large share. That’s when the bottlenecks start to impinge.
And, it’s not self-sustaining. You can’t smelt enough aluminum using wind and solar to provide the support structures alone.
It’s not even environmentally friendly. Lots of toxic waste generated in the manufacture. Lots of wildlife habitat spoiled by all the acreage required.
Call it what it is, climate religion, which is the only way she could be a heretic.
Apparently we not only have a “Carbon” problem, we also have a “Nitrogen” problem. *rolls eyes*
50 years ago my brother laughed at me for talking about a nitrogen bomb.
I must send him that link so I can have the last laugh.
It’s a secret Martian invasion! I saw it in this documentary called Mars Attacks! Jack asked why we couldn’t all just get along? We need to all get this love call record.
Ah yes, the sloppy language of climatism religion. “Nitrogen” when they mean nitrates, and “carbon” when they mean carbon dioxide.
Yes, all we need are crops that don’t use the chemical energy supplied by nitrates to fuel their growth…. Oh wait I know! GMO’d crops to short-cut evolution! Simple!
Like calling H2O “oxygen”.
Phosphorous is the limiting element. More of a phosphorous problem.
“Dr. Curry noted that wind and solar “won’t work” in addressing future energy and emissions desires and that instead of trying to rely upon renewables new research is needed on better energy options.”
Wind works if you pump water. Solar works if you want to make hot water- as in water for the shower, to heat a swimming pool, etc.
Solar or wind for electrical power, is not viable anywhere on the surface of planet Earth. Mars is more viable than Earth. The Moon is best for using solar power to make electrical energy in the short term- specifically the lunar polar region.
Anywhere on the Moon gives twice as more solar power, the significant of lunar polar region is one can electrical power from solar for more than 50% of the time, but one make solar power network encircling the polar region [and polar region is very small land area] which gives 100% of the time. But in terms small beginnings, there also spots in lunar polar region where can more than 80% of the time- or without any kind grid network solar power quite viable as compared to Earth surface where at best it’s about 25% of the time.
Or a significant part of industrial revolution, is it gave people more time which could had light [sunlight + artificial light]. One could point the issue of machines being able to run near constantly- as more important, but the humans working with the various machines, needed light to see.
So, mostly I would say it was about adding the light to be able to see at night.
Solar or wind for electrical power, is not viable anywhere on the surface of planet Earth.
Come on. Solar and wind power have been used for a couple of decades in places where a grid isn’t available or is extremely unreliable (houses off the grid and remote weather stations, for example).
And they have gotten this power to pretty cheap levels before subsidies. I think it is possible that solar and wind could be competitive on their own merits in a decade or two.
The grid has always been oriented around using the cheapest power sources first. In the past, that was base load which is why there has been such a focus on orienting the grid around base load. In the future, it might be intermittent renewables and we then may see a similar obsession with maximizing the utility of renewable, variable sources. We’ll just have to see what happens.
Costs may level as a niche, as along as you are talking a small percentage of overall production. But, its not scalable to a large share. That’s when the bottlenecks start to impinge.
And, it’s not self-sustaining. You can’t smelt enough aluminum using wind and solar to provide the support structures alone.
It’s not even environmentally friendly. Lots of toxic waste generated in the manufacture. Lots of wildlife habitat spoiled by all the acreage required.
Call it what it is, climate religion, which is the only way she could be a heretic.
Apparently we not only have a “Carbon” problem, we also have a “Nitrogen” problem. *rolls eyes*
http://e360.yale.edu/features/the-nitrogen-problem-why-global-warming-is-making-it-worse
50 years ago my brother laughed at me for talking about a nitrogen bomb.
I must send him that link so I can have the last laugh.
It’s a secret Martian invasion! I saw it in this documentary called Mars Attacks! Jack asked why we couldn’t all just get along? We need to all get this love call record.
Ah yes, the sloppy language of climatism religion. “Nitrogen” when they mean nitrates, and “carbon” when they mean carbon dioxide.
Yes, all we need are crops that don’t use the chemical energy supplied by nitrates to fuel their growth…. Oh wait I know! GMO’d crops to short-cut evolution! Simple!
Like calling H2O “oxygen”.
Phosphorous is the limiting element. More of a phosphorous problem.