Take THAT Dirty Coal!

[52weekbreak]

Renewables rising: Global clean energy capacity leaves coal in the dust

An interesting article about the growth and use of renewable energy (wind and power) vs new coal plants. A nicely balanced article.

BTW New Atlas is a great science & technology mag with a great section on automobiles and motorcycles. Free on the net!

 

[niner]

That's all fine and dandy but I work outside everyday. I can tell you in the last 30 days we have had 3 days of sunshine. And maybe 2 breezy days. So if all we had was wind and solar power my deep freeze would have thawed out. Problem with electricity is it's very hard to store.

 

[team dirt]

Ya anD a whole bunch more oil and natural gas was burned in the production of the panels and wind mills. Oh ya mining for raw materials and transportation of all the components to create the panels and windmills. If we would just burn all the diesel used to create wind and solar in a generator we would be leaps ahead of stupid wind and solar. I install solar systems and have been doin so for about 10 years. My cabin runs on solar as I have no grid conection available. It's sh!itty at best so I make sure I always have a Gerry can of gas to keep my Yamaha generator going or I run out of power. Especially winter time. How can this power be classified as a source of renewable energy unless they have figured out perpetual motion as the output will never exceed the input. Just sayin!!

 

[rzrgade]

I have multiple friends / customers who went the solar route ( $$$$&) all have sooner or later switched back to the grid .....lol

It's interesting to note that our upcoming tax is on ALREADY existing emissions... In stead we should be investing in carbon capture emissions!!
* see Brad Wall.
The tax will of course just be passed onto consumers , this doing zero to reduce emissions, while once again making us less competitive globally...!

Give tax breaks to companies who can think of new ways to reduce emissions , rather a than taxing companies for having to increase costs to consumers....
This happens though when you have a part time drama teacher in charge of our economic future .


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[rightsideup]

Frankly as it has been pointed out the solar and wind technologies are not reliable or cost effective. Alberta has some of the cleanest coal in the world most plants built from the 70's on took other steps to have even less environmental impact. Monitoring how much electricity is going thru the transmission wires is not a easy undertaking. China for example has very dirty coal and it's a illusion to think they are as aggressive as Notley is to solar or wind. If you put her in power again watch your power rates double.

 

[S.W.A.T.]

I don't think the idea is to say go solar not petro. Yes solar cells are made of by products and effectively that is awesome, turbines are made of metals and that is awesome to. If you think about the bigger picture it is really a win win for everyone in all industries. I think once the storage is figured out solar and wind power will go along ways. I fail to understand why people are so critical of solar/wind energy...........

 

[S.W.A.T.]

Frankly as it has been pointed out the solar and wind technologies are not reliable or cost effective. Alberta has some of the cleanest coal in the world most plants built from the 70's on took other steps to have even less environmental impact. Monitoring how much electricity is going thru the transmission wires is not a easy undertaking. China for example has very dirty coal and it's a illusion to think they are as aggressive as Notley is to solar or wind. If you put her in power again watch your power rates double.

Not picking a fight but why have those coal plants not been converted to natural gas, even cleaner yet....

 

[rzrgade]

I don't think any one is anti solar / wind or hamster cage wheel for that matter.. When you sit on the natural resources Canada does , you use that to your advantage until no longer required...
Simply put , don't throw the baby out with the bath water!
All new forms of energy take time and to a much much larger degree , enormous sums of $$$ prior to becoming economically viable ...
To penalize us during this transition period is absolutely nonsensical shortsightedness !


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[ferniesnow]

We have come a long way!

How many of you remember the small power stations in every little town. I know where I grew up (SK) those power stations were before NG and must have run on coal. Think of the emissions back then.

 

[Ronaha]

In Canada we use a lot of energy to stay warm.Maybe we should all switch to wood and chop every tree down.

 

[FernieHawk]

Ya anD a whole bunch more oil and natural gas was burned in the production of the panels and wind mills. Oh ya mining for raw materials and transportation of all the components to create the panels and windmills. If we would just burn all the diesel used to create wind and solar in a generator we would be leaps ahead of stupid wind and solar. I install solar systems and have been doin so for about 10 years. My cabin runs on solar as I have no grid conection available. It's sh!itty at best so I make sure I always have a Gerry can of gas to keep my Yamaha generator going or I run out of power. Especially winter time. How can this power be classified a source renewable unless they have figured out perpetual motion as the input will never exceed the out put. Just sayin!!

I think you meant the output will never exceed the input...but agree totally with your point.

 

[DaveB]

I fail to understand why people are so critical of solar/wind energy...........

A. Storage IS the problem. We would need giant fields filled with batteries to come close to running exclusively on solar/wind electricity.
B. Heat. Electric heat uses a lot of amps/watts. An electric car that advertises 80 km range on electric (Chevy Volt)will only get about 25 at -20C unless you wear your parka and scrape the inside of your window while you drive.
C. Gov't subsidies. No large-scale alternative energy project has EVER stood on it's own without subsidies. Even Nevada is stopping the subsidies as the industry should be able to stand on it's own by now...and it can't. If it won't work in Nevada, what hope does solar have in cloudy Alberta with 6 hrs of sunshine on a good winter day? Nevada starts to pull the plug on solar subsidies | Fox News

 

[Cat401]

as usual....good solid info from DaveB

 

[team dirt]

I think you meant the output will never exceed the input...but agree totally with your point.

yes you are correct. Will fix. Typing on a small phone at work in the good old patch of southern Alberta. Making gas and oil to keep the solar and wind farms in fuel so they can continue to be produced. Cheers!!

 

[S.W.A.T.]

Your thinking too cut and dry, absolutely to instantly convert the whole country to renewables over night would be nothing short of a joke. But as a progression on a individual level it is there. 9 months a year Nevada runs air conditioners, huge drain on power, but imagine the return rather then subsidizing the solar deals they put up wind turbines out in the dessert? I think there is some sort of kick back in Hawaii for people who add solar to the roof tops. Not a perfect plan by far but it is a start. We burn wood for heat, ironically my outdoor stove requires power, I am currently looking for a system capable of handling its power requirements on its own. Rate of return just isn't there YET but its coming.

A. Storage IS the problem. We would need giant fields filled with batteries to come close to running exclusively on solar/wind electricity.
B. Heat. Electric heat uses a lot of amps/watts. An electric car that advertises 80 km range on electric (Chevy Volt)will only get about 25 at -20C unless you wear your parka and scrape the inside of your window while you drive.
C. Gov't subsidies. No large-scale alternative energy project has EVER stood on it's own without subsidies. Even Nevada is stopping the subsidies as the industry should be able to stand on it's own by now...and it can't. If it won't work in Nevada, what hope does solar have in cloudy Alberta with 6 hrs of sunshine on a good winter day? Nevada starts to pull the plug on solar subsidies | Fox News

 

[ippielb]

Southern Saskatchewan is one of the only places where wind/solar is possible... Lots of sun and LOTS of wind... Always wind... Was debating on getting some panels and windmills to try out. But the batteries is what makes it so friggen expensive.

And in my shop i run a wood stove... Too bad we dont have any stupid trees around here!

 

[Eagle]

We can all see who voted NDP on here. Maybe all you tree huggers should take Nothead and move to some other province like Quebec. I cannot believe how ignorant some people are. I suggest you anti-resource people change your houses over the solar or wind energy and see how long it takes before you go broke. This renewable energy is not cost effective. I am a electrician and I can tell you don't waste your money. People need to do some research other then the media on our energy resources. This picture explains it clearly.

 

[S.W.A.T.]

We can all see who voted NDP on here. Maybe all you tree huggers should take Nothead and move to some other province like Quebec. I cannot believe how ignorant some people are. I suggest you anti-resource people change your houses over the solar or wind energy and see how long it takes before you go broke. This renewable energy is not cost effective. I am a electrician and I can tell you don't waste your money. People need to do some research other then the media on our energy resources. This picture explains it clearly.

Who is saying anti anything? Saying no to looking into renewable sources is very ignorant. Obviously one hand has to help the other but that's how progressing works.

 

[rzrgade]

What JT / knothead is doing is not a transition.... We are closing sectors right left and center!
We have no plan or infrastructure built to replace that energy , let alone the cumulative fiscal negative effects....
Forcing a carbon tax .
Refusing to get our energy to market.
Buying oil from countries that sign onto zero climate agreements, while watching our economy implode due to lack of resource revenue ......
That is not a transition to cleaner energy ..no sir !
That's an agenda ...


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[S.W.A.T.]

Wasn't making any sort of comments or any discussions about what current governments are doing or not doing. Was only discussing renewable energies.