Solar is now cheapest electricity in history says IEA

Nithavela

our world is happy and mundane
Apr 14, 2007
27,994
19,440
Comb. Pizza Hut and Taco Bell/Jamaica Avenue.
✟488,901.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Single
Um, battery storage?
Not feasible for the amount of energy needed to power cities.

At the moment, the usual way energy is stored is by pumping water in a high basin and then releasing it when the energy is needed, powering a water plant. But such a thing can't be done everywhere, because of geography.
 
Upvote 0

Whyayeman

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2018
3,856
2,490
Worcestershire
✟158,758.00
Country
United Kingdom
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
Wouldn't it would be nice for everything to stay the same, with Americans and other OECD countries burning enormous quantities of fossil fuel to maintain their luxury lifestyle?

We have little time to learn the hard lesson to leave fossil fuels in the ground. Fortunately, solar and wind energy are becoming cheaper every year, while the fossil fuels are getting much more expensive as the resources run out.

Now is actually a good time to make the switch to renewables as the economic arguments flip and international finance disinvests from big coal and big oil.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: ArmenianJohn
Upvote 0

Desk trauma

Front row at the dumpster fire of the republic
Supporter
Dec 1, 2011
20,189
16,168
✟1,172,964.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Others
Now is actually a good time to make the switch to renewables as the economic arguments flip and international finance disinvests from big coal and big oil.
At the risk of repeating myself, when that happens electrical utilities will switch based on profitably as they did when gas turbines became more economical than coal.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: ArmenianJohn
Upvote 0

ArmenianJohn

Politically Liberal Christian Fundamentalist
Jan 30, 2013
8,962
5,550
New Jersey (NYC Metro)
✟205,242.00
Country
United States
Faith
Oriental Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Democrat
Using toilet paper is causing deforestation and destroying the environment.

Coronavirus pandemic worsens environmental damage from toilet paper

The only solution I see is that you all should just wipe with your hands and then wash them. Obviously, I won't be doing this....that's gross....but you all definitely should if you're serious about the environment. Switching to solar is nice....but it won't matter if we destroy all the trees.
So in your world the only alternative to using toilet paper is to "just wipe with your hands and then wash them"??? Really? I am afraid to ask of your other ideas of personal hygiene.

Oh and FYI this thread is not about personal hygiene, it's about solar energy providing the cheapest electricity in history.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: pitabread
Upvote 0

Whyayeman

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2018
3,856
2,490
Worcestershire
✟158,758.00
Country
United Kingdom
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
At the risk of repeating myself, when that happens electrical utilities will switch based on profitably as they did when gas turbines became more economical than coal.

Why would companies switch away from burning fossil fuels when they can pass on rising costs to consumers? There are too many factors inhibiting the switch to renewables. Electrical generation has been shackled to coal for many years; there is always the need for short term profits to keep share prices buoyant; many boards are averse to risk and hesitate to invest in new technology; and sheer inertia holds companies - and comsumers - back.

The change to clean energy requires political will. Governments must put higher taxes on fossil fuel, incentives to switch in the form of tax relief, investment grants, subsidies on electric vehicles and the provision of charging points. Governments should encourage thermal insulation of old buildings and installation of heat pumps for domestic and commercial premises.

This is an issue that cannot be left to the market. It has been market forces which have got us into this mess.
 
Upvote 0

grasping the after wind

That's grasping after the wind
Jan 18, 2010
19,458
6,354
Clarence Center NY USA
✟237,637.00
Faith
Lutheran
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
The idea along those lines I find most interesting is a Manhattan Project like effort to make fusion power a realty.

A non-starter in this political climate.

The current political climate is a far bigger danger than the changing climate is.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Desk trauma
Upvote 0

Whyayeman

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2018
3,856
2,490
Worcestershire
✟158,758.00
Country
United Kingdom
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
The current political climate is a far bigger danger than the changing climate is.

The climate crisis is the most urgent item on the international agenda. All else is insignificant in comparison.
 
Upvote 0

rambot

Senior Member
Apr 13, 2006
24,489
13,107
Up your nose....wid a rubbah hose.
✟361,494.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
CA-Greens
Where does one pick of a multi thousand megawatt capacity battery?
Why does it need to be a system?

There are plenty of net zero houses that store their own solar and wind generated energy.

EVEN up where I live in Edmonton Alberta.

That said, this looks like a cool idea (not to say it can be scaled up to a city...just a clever idea).
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

rambot

Senior Member
Apr 13, 2006
24,489
13,107
Up your nose....wid a rubbah hose.
✟361,494.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
CA-Greens
So in your world the only alternative to using toilet paper is to "just wipe with your hands and then wash them"??? Really? I am afraid to ask of your other ideas of personal hygiene.

Oh and FYI this thread is not about personal hygiene, it's about solar energy providing the cheapest electricity in history.
Uh....that is literally the East Indian bathroom culture as far as I know.
 
Upvote 0

Desk trauma

Front row at the dumpster fire of the republic
Supporter
Dec 1, 2011
20,189
16,168
✟1,172,964.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Others
Why does it need to be a system?
Because the majority of people live in cities. Unless we go full year zero we have to build out energy infrastructure to support that kind of life style.
 
Upvote 0

rambot

Senior Member
Apr 13, 2006
24,489
13,107
Up your nose....wid a rubbah hose.
✟361,494.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
CA-Greens
Because the majority of people live in cities. Unless we go full year zero we have to build out energy infrastructure to support that kind of life style.
But if individual houses are able to keep themselves in spades, then certainly neighbourhoods could too. I could see certain industries would need more than solar and wind could generate but in situ battery storage is feasible on a large scale (if not full scale)
 
Upvote 0

ArmenianJohn

Politically Liberal Christian Fundamentalist
Jan 30, 2013
8,962
5,550
New Jersey (NYC Metro)
✟205,242.00
Country
United States
Faith
Oriental Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Democrat
Uh....that is literally the East Indian bathroom culture as far as I know.
It may be but it's still not the only alternative to toilet paper.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

ArmenianJohn

Politically Liberal Christian Fundamentalist
Jan 30, 2013
8,962
5,550
New Jersey (NYC Metro)
✟205,242.00
Country
United States
Faith
Oriental Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Democrat
I guess there's the new bidet craze.
I don't know if THAT is my scene though.
Possibly the biggest alternative and it's very big and growing. And it proves my point to the other poster who says the only alternative to toilet paper is using and washing hands. There are many other alternatives, anyway.
 
Upvote 0

grasping the after wind

That's grasping after the wind
Jan 18, 2010
19,458
6,354
Clarence Center NY USA
✟237,637.00
Faith
Lutheran
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
The climate crisis is the most urgent item on the international agenda. All else is insignificant in comparison.


I completely disagree. The climate will continue to change no matter how many wealth redistributive policies the international agenda proposes nor how many dollars government dolls to favored interests to fund expensive proposed solutions that do nothing more than enrich charlatans preying on the fearful . You see the climate doesn't much care about the distribution of wealth around the planet or the amount of money given to companies to not solve the climate problem. So it won't stop changing in response to an international agenda prioritizing the redistribution of wealth via government spending and taxation. I understand why so many people are invested in trying to appease the climate by advancing a political ideology that prioritizes wealth redistribution and wasting money over real solutions.
 
Upvote 0

Gene2memE

Newbie
Oct 22, 2013
4,094
6,289
✟272,305.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
I completely disagree. The climate will continue to change no matter how many wealth redistributive policies the international agenda proposes nor how many dollars government dolls to favored interests to fund expensive proposed solutions that do nothing more than enrich charlatans preying on the fearful . You see the climate doesn't much care about the distribution of wealth around the planet or the amount of money given to companies to not solve the climate problem. So it won't stop changing in response to an international agenda prioritizing the redistribution of wealth via government spending and taxation. I understand why so many people are invested in trying to appease the climate by advancing a political ideology that prioritizes wealth redistribution and wasting money over real solutions.

You're operating off an assumption that the response to climate change is about "wealth redistributive policies" and an "international agenda prioritizing the redistribution of wealth via government spending and taxation". It isn't. It's about preventing what is already a (man made) problem from becoming a catastrophe.

Also, climate scientists (and those with anything more than a passing understanding of climatology) understand and acknowledge that climate will continue to change. As it has always done.

What is concerning about climate change is the rate and consistency in direction of the change being experienced at present, and the rate and consistency in direction that the data indicates the climate is headed in.

Simply put, the world is heating up more rapidly than at any other point in human history. And, the data shows that this heating up will continue to accelerate, potentially for at lease another century. At least 90% of this change is due to the emissions humans are putting into the atmosphere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pommer
Upvote 0

Pommer

CoPacEtiC SkEpTic
Sep 13, 2008
16,347
10,241
Earth
✟137,487.00
Country
United States
Faith
Deist
Marital Status
In Relationship
Politics
US-Democrat
You're operating off an assumption that the response to climate change is about "wealth redistributive policies" and an "international agenda prioritizing the redistribution of wealth via government spending and taxation". It isn't. It's about preventing what is already a (man made) problem from becoming a catastrophe.

Also, climate scientists (and those with anything more than a passing understanding of climatology) understand and acknowledge that climate will continue to change. As it has always done.

What is concerning about climate change is the rate and consistency in direction of the change being experienced at present, and the rate and consistency in direction that the data indicates the climate is headed in.

Simply put, the world is heating up more rapidly than at any other point in human history. And, the data shows that this heating up will continue to accelerate, potentially for at lease another century. At least 90% of this change is due to the emissions humans are putting into the atmosphere.
Gaia has an infection of psychotic apes and will have a fever to get rid of the infection, one way or another.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Gene2memE

Newbie
Oct 22, 2013
4,094
6,289
✟272,305.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
Gaia has an infection of psychotic apes and will have a fever to get rid of the infection, one way or another.

It won't though.

Humanity as a species, in all likelihood, will survive global warming.

However, the situation we find ourselves in - as a species - at the end of global warming very much depends on what we do now and over the next 20 to 30 years roughly.

I think of it this way: Are we willing to sacrifice a modicum of comfort and 'prosperity' now, in order to ensure that future generations will have a standard of living that approaches our present one?
 
Upvote 0