How far away are we from not using oil, coal, and nuclear and instead ethanol, wind, and solar?

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Greetings, Bullseye. :2wave:

I also looked into solar several years ago and even posted the results of that meeting here on DP, since I was somewhat shocked and disappointed at the time. The people you contacted at least discussed the costs of solar with you! When the company I contacted came to meet with me they were very professional and quite nice, but they were also quite honest in explaining that we do not receive sufficient sunshine in this part of NE Ohio to consider going totally solar! I didn't expect to hear that, and after taking the time to explain the reality side of solar to me, I thanked them for their honesty in running their business and yes, I would definitely call them again.

Just so you know, a BOX of THIRTY 128 watt THIN FILM PEEL AND STICK solar panels costs about four thousand bucks.

That's 3840 watts, a 4kWh system.

EBAY

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

I originally saw a box of 30 136 watt panels but I can't find the eBay listing anymore but I know it's somewhere, but even the 128 watt thin film panels are pretty good deal.

 

[JustHanging]

A whole lot of prattle. Not much understanding of what the real limitations of renewable energy are...

Solar is great for Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, etc. In some states sun doesn't shine but a fraction of time as those.

Example,

San Diego... >150 days of sun shine.
Seattle... <60 days of sun shine.

Limited geothermal.

Wind farms have had issues to include deaths of thousands and thousands of birds. High maintenance costs, etc.

The usual utopian pie in the sky nonsense.

Sucks to be you. In my world, 95% of our electricity comes from a renewable resource.

 

[Fledermaus]

Sucks to be you. In my world, 95% of our electricity comes from a renewable resource.

And that would be where?

BTW - I have had solar quite a while. Enough capacity that SDGE refunds me each year ar.

 

[Tim the plumber]

About 10 years ago, when we lived in AZ, some company put in a large solar system next to a convenient access to the grid and an existing peaking plant and in a farming area, on short poles. A few years later, it was gone, somebody bought it..

Anyway, it seems to me that hot and dry locations could do double duty next to farmland. Mount the panels on taller poles so farm critters can have some shade. Lots of places I have traveled in the southwest have cattle and horses crowding each other under he one tree per acre that they can find.

The issue it that the more randonly dispersed your solar is the more costly it is to service and install. For effective opperation with the loest cost you want a massive single site with all the storage sheds and maintenance guys there.

 

[UtahBill]

The issue it that the more randonly dispersed your solar is the more costly it is to service and install. For effective opperation with the loest cost you want a massive single site with all the storage sheds and maintenance guys there.

A massive single site means a grid to deliver the power which means line losses. As for storage sheds, what is there to store?

 

[Tim the plumber]

A massive single site means a grid to deliver the power which means line losses. As for storage sheds, what is there to store?

The shed would be for storing the tools and spare parts etc.

To have a small supplier means that supplier needs the relavent phase tied rectifier and special meter etc. Whilst they are not that expensive it does involve repeated cost per installation.

The losses with long distance transmission of AC are not that high. That is the thing with electricity. That's why we use it.

 

[longview]

How much progress has been made? How much progress remains before we can use ethanol, wind, and solar instead of fossil fuels? What is still standing in our way?

The largest limitation is storage, and high density packaging.
We could be very close, if we change our frame of reference a bit.
Think of hydrocarbons as Nature's battery (Energy storage device), If we use the same device,
then our energy storage has almost no limits.
Surplus alternate power, could be stored as hydrocarbon fuels for both transport, and for backup power generation.
Most of the infrastructure is already in place, and the processes could be adapted to modern refineries.
https://www.sunfire.de/en/products-and-technology/sunfire-synlink
https://www.nrl.navy.mil/news/releases/nrl-seawater-carbon-capture-process-receives-us-patent
We have not seen what the Exxons and Shells of the world are working on, but the CEO of Exxon has
said he would favor a carbon tax.
I think this could happen very quickly, when the economics become viable (roughly $90 to $100 a barrel oil).