Wind & solar combined with batteries will solve sustainable energy for Earth

[T. A. Gardner]

Here's the reality of solar commercial generation. These are real numbers from operating plants. It shows you just how insanely stupid solar is. All money is calculated for 2016 dollars to make things constant.

Solar Star I / II is the largest PV solar array in the US.
The nameplate capacity of this array is 579 MW.
The capacity factor is 32.8%
It sits on 3,200 acres of land
It produces 1663 GW/year based on actual output
It cost $2.5 billion to build

Palo Verde Nuclear the last large reactor plant in the US to be constructed.
It's nameplate capacity is 4000 MW
The capacity factor is 94%
It sits on 4,000 acres of land
It produces 32,300 GW / year
It cost $11.5 billion to construct

So, it would take about 20 Solar Star plants sitting on 64,000 acres (about 100 square miles) at a cost of $50 billion to match the output of Palo Verde. Since Solar Star doesn't produce 24/7 we'll need storage capacity too for around the clock output. Now, we could build natural gas or a nuclear plant to supplement Solar Star's output when it's offline.

Or, we could use batteries as a certain retard here suggested. The cost per KW/hr of batteries right now is about $225. So, let's say we install 20 hours of capacity for an output over that period of the about 3750 MW our system would generate. That means we need 75,000 MW of battery capacity to meet that need. That comes to a mere $1.7 trillion dollars.

This example shows how totally asininely insane trying to use solar to meet our energy needs is. Only a braindead, retarded, moron would think otherwise. But we have lots of greentards on the radical Left that want to ignore the math and reality and force this shit on us anyway. Fuck them in the left eyeball!

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Elon Musk tweeted a few hours ago.

In 2022, wind and solar together generated more electricity in Europe than coal and gas, respectively and this is just the start.

Except when there was no wind and the sun wasn't shining... That's happened regularly enough there now that talk of more coal plants to back up wind and solar is common.

 

[BartenderElite]

Here's the reality of solar commercial generation. These are real numbers from operating plants. It shows you just how insanely stupid solar is. All money is calculated for 2016 dollars to make things constant.

Solar Star I / II is the largest PV solar array in the US.
The nameplate capacity of this array is 579 MW.
The capacity factor is 32.8%
It sits on 3,200 acres of land
It produces 1663 GW/year based on actual output
It cost $2.5 billion to build

Palo Verde Nuclear the last large reactor plant in the US to be constructed.
It's nameplate capacity is 4000 MW
The capacity factor is 94%
It sits on 4,000 acres of land
It produces 32,300 GW / year
It cost $11.5 billion to construct

So, it would take about 20 Solar Star plants sitting on 64,000 acres (about 100 square miles) at a cost of $50 billion to match the output of Palo Verde. Since Solar Star doesn't produce 24/7 we'll need storage capacity too for around the clock output. Now, we could build natural gas or a nuclear plant to supplement Solar Star's output when it's offline.

Or, we could use batteries as a certain retard here suggested. The cost per KW/hr of batteries right now is about $225. So, let's say we install 20 hours of capacity for an output over that period of the about 3750 MW our system would generate. That means we need 75,000 MW of battery capacity to meet that need. That comes to a mere $1.7 trillion dollars.

This example shows how totally asininely insane trying to use solar to meet our energy needs is. Only a braindead, retarded, moron would think otherwise. But we have lots of greentards on the radical Left that want to ignore the math and reality and force this shit on us anyway. Fuck them in the left eyeball!

Like literally every other technology in the history of mankind - it needs time.

 

[Into the Night]

Elon Musk tweeted a few hours ago.

In 2022, wind and solar together generated more electricity in Europe than coal and gas, respectively and this is just the start.

It's not enough. The energy shortages are immense. I suppose you are ignoring all the protests over it.

 

[Into the Night]

I suspect that Europe has now had enough experience with super expensive energy, energy shortages, and unexplained lack of wind to be skeptical.

Some have. Germany is rebuilding it's coal energy sources, for example.

 

[Into the Night]

Funny how the right wing racists in Congress don't appear to bother you.

Calls to expel Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene after speech at white nationalist event

Republican leadership condemned for failing to discipline Georgia congresswoman for speaking at far-right summit
Republican leaders are facing fresh demands to expel the Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, after she spoke at a conference of white nationalists and sympathisers with Vladimir Putin.

Association fallacy.

 

[Hawkeye10]

Some have. Germany is rebuilding it's coal energy sources, for example.

i saw a claim that the German People, the Street, are rapidly deciding that getting rid of nuclear was a mistake.

Too late of course, but that is still something.

 

[Into the Night]

Anyone predicting that the sun won't come up and the wind will never blow again is not going to be right.

No one is predicting that.

Let me rephrase. Anyone predicting those things will be ON the right, just not correct.

YOU are the only one that brought up the subject.

When it comes to Musk, he makes lots of promises and hasn't met a lot of them in the time frame he says he would. In 2019 he predicted humans would land on the moon within 2 years. Then in 2021 he said SpaceX would land men on the moon in 2024. (Nasa's current plan is to not land anyone until 2028.)

Redefinition fallacy (prediction<->promise).

Solar power is the most expensive method of producing power, watt for watt. Wind is 2nd most expensive.
Even a nuclear power plant is MUCH cheaper!

Neither solar power nor wind power is reliable either. That makes it even worse. Power generation must be matched to the load on the grid second by second. There is no storage capacity.

 

[Into the Night]

But it makes YOU GUYS hate Musk too! He doesn't toe your line that fossil fuels are the ONLY ANSWER.

LOLOL.

How does it feel?

Fossils aren't used as fuel. Fossils don't burn.

Elon Musk HAS commented on the importance of oil and natural gas fuels, remarking how much they are needed.

No one here ever said oil and natural gas are the only answer, dumbass. Word stuffing.

 

[Into the Night]

Yeah, Musk does have some wild ideas. He also believes we'll put men on Mars, which I don't.

But when it comes to EVs and energy, he's usually been right.

Since you deny what he's said about EVs and energy, you have no idea if he's right or not.

 

[Into the Night]

Germany has spent something like $700 billion to transition to "Green Energy" and has gone in reverse so far as co2 goes, and will spend another $200 billion over the next four years.

That's a problem.

The only people that care about atmospheric CO2 is the Church of Global Warming (or those mocking them).

No gas or vapor has the capability to warm the Earth.

 

[Into the Night]

Like literally every other technology in the history of mankind - it needs time.

Time will not change this.

 

[Hawkeye10]

The only people that care about atmospheric CO2 is the Church of Global Warming (or those mocking them).

No gas or vapor has the capability to warm the Earth.

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the main goal of the "Save the Planet" creeps is to hurt humans, the planet is nothing but an excuse.

 

[Hawkeye10]

COVID has proven that our leaders are at best immune to human suffering, if they are not outright driven by it.

 

[Celticguy]

In theory.

The truth is you would have to ramp up mining dramatically to produce such devices. Considering it takes 17 years to clear regulatory requirements th8os8e mines would not be available until 2040 if the clock started today.

And the clock has not started.

We could get there with a fraction of the mined minerals and regulatory time with modular nuclear and on a dramatically smaller footprint and dramatically less emissions (from all the diesel powered equipment to mine and transport minerals). And they last 3 times longer than solar or wind.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Like literally every other technology in the history of mankind - it needs time.

It has had over a century now. How much more time does PV require?

 

[PostmodernProphet]

but in which decade?.......will sustainable energy be viable by 2099?......

 

[PostmodernProphet]

but in which decade?.......will sustainable energy be viable by 2099?......remember, the oceans will rise and flood the earth by 2015......

 

[Into the Night]

but in which decade?.......will sustainable energy be viable by 2099?......

It already is. Of course, the oceans have already risen and flooded the Earth, so it's too late!

 

[Saint Guinefort]

Fossils aren't used as fuel. Fossils don't burn.

Give it a rest, Francis.