patrick.net

I prefer wind as you can still farm with wind power, whereas Solar doesn't allow it.

The CEO of my old company was convinced that nuclear is the best option because it's very efficient and the dangers are overplayed.

I'm not sure myself, but maybe it's true. Or maybe we will get economical fusion soon.

Patrick says

The CEO of my old company was convinced that nuclear is the best option because it's very efficient and the dangers are overplayed.

I'm not sure myself, but maybe it's true. Or maybe we will get economical fusion soon.

Yes nuclear is safe, But there is always a danger.
They have been trying forever to create fusion reactors.I know someone(higher up scientist) who told me it is 30 years away 20 years ago.


I like wind/solar for following reasons.
1) It creates lot of jobs for our blue collar workers. I think wind require much more labor than mining.
2) It creates revenue stream for farmers.
3) Eventually it has potential to loosen control of utilities on power as generation is more distributive.
4) It is clean source. I am common sense environmentalist. I think there are still questions about how much metal etc. you need to mine to build all this... But I believe eventually we will be in good shape if can get rid of selfish interests.
5) I also feel that if we make power cheap, we can build cost effective water desalination plants and resolve water table issues for central valley farmers..(Power should not be used for stupid unproductive things like mining bit coins using nVidia power Hungary chips)

Now may be they can do something about noise pollution.

ThreeBays says

Wind/solar are good. The speed these are being built doesn't seem to be keeping up with the need, so I also think nuclear will be needed. Small nuclear reactors (SMRs) look promising both from a safety point of view and from the economics of financing and operation.

AFAIK, wind farms need 25 times more land than solar.

On paper yes as you need to place wind turbines far away from each other to compensate for air flow disturbance and maximum efficiency.

But actual foot print of wind turbine is low.
If noise is not consideration wind really is best as take very little area .

https://www.americanexperiment.org/wind-power-appears-cheap-because-of-bad-cost-accounting

Booger says

https://www.americanexperiment.org/wind-power-appears-cheap-because-of-bad-cost-accounting

I would be highly surprised that Wind is not less expensive & also better for environment than fossil fuel mining.
Let us not have politics to color our thinking.
When the wind blows "blades" provide cheapest electricity in Texas.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/07/11/texas-authorities-urgently-beg-residents-to-turn-off-air-conditioning-because-there-is-no-wind-to-power-the-windmills/

Amid a heatwave throughout most of Texas, The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, is urgently asking Texas residents to conserve electricity because “it has projected a shortage in energy reserves Monday “with no market solution available.” Voluntary conservation is needed between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday.”

Record high electric demand. The heat wave that has settled on Texas and much of the central United States is driving increased electric use. Other grid operators are operating under similar conservative operations programs as ERCOT due to the heatwave.
Low wind. While solar power is generally reaching near-full generation capacity, wind generation is currently generating significantly less than what it historically generated in this time period. Current projections show wind generation coming in less than 10 % of its capacity.

FarmersWon says

I would be highly surprised that Wind is not less expensive & also better for environment than fossil fuel mining.

With respect to what it costs for wind and solar, you should really add in the additional cost for energy storage. When you add in the cost for all those batteries or pumped storage hydro, renewables become extra expensive in a hurry. Of course you can also use the storage devices as load levelers during normal times to help defray the cost, but that assumes that you have cheap excess electricity available at night, like from a nuclear or coal plant.

i hate wind power. shit murders birds like hitler did jews.

which leads to nature imbalance, lots of fucking bugs everywhere and rodents that birds would eat otherwise. solar might be better.

FortwayeAsFuckJoeBiden says

i hate wind power. shit murders birds like hitler did jews.

which leads to nature imbalance, lots of fucking bugs everywhere and rodents that birds would eat otherwise. solar might be better.

Is there data that it kills birds in meaningful numbers.. to create imbalance?
Many of the huge windmills are very high and spin extremely slowly... I don't think they can kill birds.(Birds can sit of them and treat them like London eye)

The old small fast spinning ones at lower heights should go away.

Booger says

FarmersWon says

I would be highly surprised that Wind is not less expensive & also better for environment than fossil fuel mining.

With respect to what it costs for wind and solar, you should really add in the additional cost for energy storage. When you add in the cost for all those batteries or pumped storage hydro, renewables become extra expensive in a hurry. Of course you can also use the storage devices as load levelers during normal times to help defray the cost, but that assumes that you have cheap excess electricity available at night, like from a nuclear or coal plant.

But fossil fuels also needs transportation and coal ones also have long starting cycle, so need to keep them running even when energy is not needed.
I think 'maths" should win not politics. I prefer cleaner and sustainable fuel.. Nuclear can be option if they can tame fusion.(fission is too dangerous )

https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1550604062403477504
NEW - Wind turbine struck by lighting in Cromwell, Texas.

See, this is an example of a good FarmersWon post.

WTF happened?