I counted over 30 wind turbines while driving through a valley in central Pennsylvania heading towards Penn State earlier this summer. Only 2 were barely rotating.
While we chase unicorn farts, China is preparing to take over the world...
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sist...eactor-n570540
Yesterday, the Chinese dropped the core module into the world’s first commercial small modular nuclear reactor.....
....…Once completed, the reactor will produce one billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually to power 526,000 households. In addition to providing carbon-free energy, the reactor will provide additional benefits such as urban heating and cooling, steam production, and seawater desalination. This is expected to fresh water in areas where conventional reactors are not feasible.
Battery technology today is not a practical solution. There are some technologies in development (i.e. iron oxide) that are promising but have yet to deliver. Wind & solar have there place today but it is very specific to certain locations & environments. It currently is not a viable alternative for developed countries such as the U.S. where we have high demand and developed infrastructure. It is mind blowing to see some of the statistics that show solar as being cheaper than all other energy sources. Lends credence to that fact...50% of all statistics are made up.
I have no issue with solar/wind/wave or any other alternative forms of energy but they have to come into their own and we aren't there yet for developed countries. They are perfect for isolated communties or under developed countries.
This issue is similar to self-driving cars. There was a recent article about an engineer who left the automotive industry and moved to agriculture because the autonomous vehicle systems he was working on are a ways off for main stream automotive but could be put to use right now for agriculture. Many of these alternative energy systems are similar. They have a niche market right now but are not ready for widespread deployment.
And that is the point. It works in some cases but not in all cases. Right now there are a lot of people who have been led to believe that electric vehicles and alternative energy can replace every fossil fueled system on the planet and it isn't anywhere close to being true. Niche markets.....
The new Ford electric pickups are currently getting racked over the coals (pun intended) because they aren't coming close to performing as touted. If you want to look cute on your 10 mile commute to work and back they are great. Want to use it as a work truck like your old F150 and you are gonna be dissappointed.
And your point? Wait until you have to change the battery in it, you could buy a civic and drive it 50,000 miles and break even the equivalent financially of what you did. If electric was worth it, the government wouldn’t have to subsidize it. They wouldn't give you a tax credit, bc it would be smart fiscally and everyone would do it…but it’s not so they have (we) have to subsidize the cost. That wall you plug it into isn’t run off the sun or wind either.
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