No Energy Realism In Bidenland

[Into the Night]

Yea, don't expect Biden to change course either. In Germany "green" energy more than tripled prices, and that's years before the Russians invaded Ukraine. The same has held true for every nation that has gone green on solar and wind.

The only green energy source I know of is vegetation. Horses eat grass. They consume green energy.

 

[Into the Night]

You're cherrypicking a few.

Fallacy fallacy.

The fact is, more around the world are waking up to the current emergency in regards to our climate.

Buzzword fallacy. Define 'climate emergency'.

And more will continue to wake up as the situation becomes undeniable.

Define 'climate emergency'. What situation?

I understand the instinct to stick w/ the status quo or something close to it, but without the planet, none of the other stuff that people debate about will matter.

Earth isn't going anywhere.

 

[Legion]

 

[Into the Night]

We've discussed the bolded. It's your opinion, but if the history of technology & innovation has shown us one thing - it's to never say never.

Sorry dude, you cannot ignore the laws of thermodynamics. You can't ignore the fact that wind and and solar are piddle power. They are the most expensive methods of developing electricity...far more expensive than even a nuclear power plant, watt for watt.

 

[Into the Night]

No, it's not my opinion. It's a fucking fact. The watt density of sunlight cannot be altered. The conversion rate per solar cell cannot be improved on beyond a certain point, and that point is likely 50% at most--that's nearly triple what current systems manage. You can't alter that solar doesn't work when the sun isn't shining, which is about 50% or more of the time for any given location on the planet.

Wind only works when the wind is blowing. It can't blow too hard or too little, but has to be just the right strength for maximum production. Wind turbines are limited in size based on strength of materials and the amount of power the propeller on one can turn into electric power at the generator.

Both produce DC power that has to be converted to AC creating another expense and loss of energy in doing so.

Batteries are limited by chemistry to their ampacity.

All of that creates a hugely expensive system that then has to be duplicated by reliable power output sources like natural gas.

All good points.

 

[Legion]

Once again, Western political and media wonks find themselves in the unfortunate position of denying reality obvious to anyone with eyes, or a wallet. This time, they are lying about the economic and now political crises their “green” energy policies are causing, particularly in Europe.

These lies may damage them even more than their Covid fantasies did, because they are even more obvious to people outside their bubble.

Anyone who drives is aware of the recent spike in oil prices, now nearly $100 a barrel - a rise due in part to DEMOCRAT efforts to discourage American oil production.

But Americans may not know about the catastrophe in Europe’s electricity and natural gas markets. That crisis is even more directly linked to broader efforts to “sustainable” fuels that - so far - have proven distinctly unsustainable.

Unlike the United States, Europe doesn’t have much oil or natural gas. For generations, it has used a mix of fuels - coal, nuclear, imported natural gas and a little oil, and renewables - to power its electric plants. That mix worked just fine.

Anyway, in part because they don’t have much of an oil industry to destroy, for the last 50 years or so, Europeans have been comfortable pushing energy efficiency with high gasoline taxes and high-speed trains and wind farms.

Those are all basically harmless ways to prove they aren’t Americans. (The trains are actually nice.)

The entire European Union now emits less carbon than India and about one-third as much as China.

In fact, if every American and European stopped emitting carbon entirely and went back to living in caves, the world as a whole would still produce more carbon dioxide now than it did 20 years ago.

The point is, the (overwhelmingly white) Europeans seem to want to do the right thing so that the Chinese and Indians can do more of the wrong thing. They think they need to set an example, being white, and all.

So they’ve cut way back on their coal mining and coal-fired electricity production. Weirdly, they also don’t like nuclear energy. In any case, Germany - Europe’s biggest economy - closed three nuclear plants last December and will close the three it has left before the end of 2022.

Which means that Europe has (intentionally) left itself increasingly dependent on the remaining two forms of energy, natural gas and renewables, to make electricity.

Now I’m going to let you in on a little secret about Europe. Don’t tell anyone, especially not Greta.

Europe is pretty far north.

Which means that during the winter - like now, say - Germany can’t rely on all those solar farms that gets people like Greta excited.

Now, it’s possible to ship natural gas around the world in cold storage on tankers. It’s possible. But it’s not much fun. Liquefied natural gas isn’t like oil. Bad things can happen if it’s disturbed. You know how your grandpa's heating oil tank was in the basement but the propane cylinders stayed outside? Just in case? Multiply that by a ship a thousand feet long.

Thus, pipelines are the preferred way to move natural gas. Pipelines over land, or under water (but not oceans). Pipelines from a country reasonably close by.

Lucky for Europe, Russia has natural gas to spare. It provides about 35 percent of all of Europe’s natural gas, and that figure was about to increase as a new pipeline called Nord Stream 2 opened up.

35 percent is a lot - especially when your customers have gone out of their way to increase their dependence on you. Europe simply has no substitute for Russian natural gas in the short- or medium-term - meaning not months but years.

The Russians have already taken advantage of this fact. Since last year they have under-supplied their European customers. Natural gas prices have soared. Now electricity prices are about to follow them far higher.

And guess what bungling Biden just did?


Read more @ link: https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/re-gretas-ukraine-has-a-few[

 

[Into the Night]

The bolded is like saying in the '70's that computers would go nowhere because we have had computers for thousands of years (we have - but not like they were in the '70's).

False equivalence fallacy.

The amount of time that wind & solar technology have actually been a focus of innovation is a blip.

False equivalence fallacy.

We're not going to agree on this.

Because you deny physics.

There is generally always a "Eureka" moment in any technology that leads to an accelerated leap.

Nope. Unobtainiam is not going to happen.

People will figure out how to better harness and distribute wind & solar,

Sorry dude, you can't create energy out of nothing.

in ways that no one can imagine right now, and likely in ways that most couldn't even comprehend.

Sorry dude, the energy available in wind or solar is not going to just come from nowhere.

 

[American Man]

Pretty backwards, imo.

If anything, the current situation shows exactly why we need to get off fossil. It's not just for the environment - it's for the economy, and national security.

Jim & Jack, blah, blah, blah.

Exactly. Fusion energy is the future and these motherf*ckers are still worried about gasoline (and probably typewriters and cassette tapes, too).

 

[Into the Night]

There is hydrogen, ammonia, 4th gen nuclear fission and further down the line nuclear fusion.

Hydrogen takes up too much volume for the energy you need.
Ammonia takes up too much volume for the energy you need.
You need to make both of these substances. That mean you need to get the energy from somewhere to do it.
Nuclear fission requires shielding that is too heavy for a vehicle.
Controlled nuclear fusion does not exist. You also still need to make the hydrogen.

Neither is wind or solar power. Wind and solar power are piddle power.

 

[Into the Night]

I'm not opposed to anything that can ultimately be clean, domestic and sustainable.

Define 'clean'. Define 'sustainable'.

 

[American Man]

False equivalence fallacy.

False equivalence fallacy.

Because you deny physics.

Nope. Unobtainiam is not going to happen.

Sorry dude, you can't create energy out of nothing.

Sorry dude, the energy available in wind or solar is not going to just come from nowhere.

Alternative forms of energy are already working on a small scale, but the true future is going to be fusion energy. Fusion energy will absolutely revolutionize civilization in the way that writing and the computer did. It will launch us into a post-scarcity society overnight, and except for the Republicans, who seem to hate progress and success, the world will rejoice as poverty and hunger are eliminated.

 

[Into the Night]

Exactly. Fusion energy is the future and these motherf*ckers are still worried about gasoline (and probably typewriters and cassette tapes, too).

Fusion is not solar or wind power.

Controlled fusion does not exist. You cannot power a car with it.

Why are you so afraid of gasoline?

 

[Into the Night]

Nuclear, fission or fusion is the answer to clean plentiful electrical power.

Define 'clean'.

 

[Into the Night]

I might also point out that EVs rely on so many minerals and metals that could vanish if there was a conflict with China over Taiwan.

...or a conflict in Africa.

 

[Into the Night]

Why do you keep trying to convince me? Like I said, we're not going to agree.

The history of innovation has shown us convincingly that things people thought at the time were "impossible" could be done. There are few actual limitations to innovation in any field.

You cannot just ignore physics, dude.

 

[Into the Night]

I mean, just looking at something like the bolded - you can't envision satellite-based solar panels?

Not practical or safe.

That's what I'm talking about.

Still trying to deny physics.

Things we have barely imagined, or haven't even thought of.

It's been thought of. It is not practical or safe, and the power produced is still piddle power.

 

[Into the Night]

From your site. This requires a wholly new means of getting payloads into space at a fraction of the cost, then finding and fixing numerous other issues with this plan.



On the other hand, nuclear is already available and would solve the whole issue at a fraction of the cost. The only thing holding that back is an irrational fear of nuclear power held particularly on the Left, but by the public in general due entirely to a near complete ignorance of how it works and how safe it really is.

What issue needs to be solved? What is The Problem?

People will buy and use the energy the want in the form they want. Manipulating energy markets by government force is fascism.

 

[Into the Night]

Russian fossil fuel, Chinese solar panels. an reliance on Taiwan..do we make anything in the USA anymore? We've outsourced our infrastructure

We make whiners and lawyers.

 

[Into the Night]

Exactly. Fusion energy is the future and these motherf*ckers are still worried about gasoline (and probably typewriters and cassette tapes, too).

Controlled fusion does not exist, dude. You can't power an EV with it.

 

[Into the Night]

Alternative forms of energy are already working on a small scale,

Define 'alternative forms of energy'. Wind and solar power are piddle power. They are the most expensive method of generating electricity.

but the true future is going to be fusion energy.

Controlled fusion does not exist, dude. You can't use it to power an EV.

Fusion energy will absolutely revolutionize civilization in the way that writing and the computer did.

How?

It will launch us into a post-scarcity society overnight,

Controlled fusion does not exist. The cost of implementing it unknown.

and except for the Republicans, who seem to hate progress and success,

You are describing Democrats. It is Democrats that consider capitalism EVIL. It is Democrats that are trying to shut down energy sources and manipulate energy markets. It is Democrats that want fascism and communism. That is not progress nor success.

the world will rejoice as poverty and hunger are eliminated.

Fusion does not produce money for the poor nor food for anyone. Controlled fusion does not exist. The cost of implementing it is unknown. You can't power an EV with it.