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Wind and solar power are ‘bailing out’ Texas amid record heat and energy demand

bluesmoke said:
"primary source" does not mean "only" source. It doesn't even mean "major" source, though it can be. It just means the first source or the source of first choice.

An alternative can be the "most".
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Just by using the term "primary source" implies that there is at least a secondary source, and possibly more sources. So if you interpreted it to mean "only" then the misinterpretation is yours and nobody else's.

I realize the uneducated love to redefine words to suit their agenda, but you should really try obtaining a little education to at least use the words as they were actually defined and not merely what you want them to be. "Alternative" does not mean "most," and it never has. In the context used "alternative" means "one of a number of possibilities."

Don't look now, but your lack of education is showing - again.
 
Artymoon said:
They'll eventually figure out other means of energy. It's inevitable. Just not likely to displace fossil fuels in our lifetime.
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Are you really old? Because they are being displaced everyday. What do you suppose has states trying to figure out replacement funding for gas taxes?
 
Imo both of you are off track regarding primary sources. If I go see a baseball game and then tell you about it, then I am a primary source. If I read about it in the paper and then tell you about it, I am a secondary source. Quite often, secondary sources are more in depth and accurate than the primary source.
 
mrjurrs said:
Are you really old? Because they are being displaced everyday. What do you suppose has states trying to figure out replacement funding for gas taxes?
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Sometimes I feel really old. Fossil fuels are not being displaced. Wind and solar could certainly supplement certain areas but will not in any foreseeable future account for the majority of energy production based on existing consumption. Again though, I am all for wind and solar and they certainly have their places.
 
Electric cars couple with a smart grid would provide a massive amount of grid storage.

And they’re usually parked somewhere during peak demand. And all the modern ones have many times the commute home on board, just sitting there.
 
The decrease in consumption comes from fossil fuels. The increase in consumption occurs in the renewable section. Effectively doubling in a start up position compared to a mature industry? That gives me great hope that by the time 2050 rolls around renewables will be approaching dominance in the energy sector. We'd better hope so.


"A pie chart of US energy consumption in 2012 shows the percentage of each type of energy that was consumed for that year. Renewables 8%, nuclear 9%, coal 21%, natural gas 25%, and oil 37%. A second pie chart of the US energy consumption in 2035 shows the prediction of the percentage of each type of energy that will be consumed for that year. Renewables 16%, nuclear 9%, coal 20%, natural gas 26%, and oil 32%. The history of the energy consumption profile of the United States indicates that petroleum makes the largest part of the energy demand over the past seven decades. Natural gas has taken the second over the past decade with the production of gas from shale. Coal is slowly being replaced by natural gas for power generation over the past decade. Renewable energy is growing at a much faster rate. Among the renewable energy sources, biomass has the larger share followed by hydroelectric energy. Wind energy and solar energy are the fastest growing energy sources."

2.6: Current and Future Energy Sources of the U.S.

eng.libretexts.org
 
We are discussing energy sources, not sources of information. Pay closer attention to the thread.
 
What if...? said:
Electric cars couple with a smart grid would provide a massive amount of grid storage.

And they’re usually parked somewhere during peak demand. And all the modern ones have many times the commute home on board, just sitting there.
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That makes no sense. Why charge the electric vehicles if you are just using them for storage? Eliminate electric vehicles altogether and you eliminate their extra power requirements. Even that would only be a temporary solution. More power-plants are inevitable as the population increases. Denying that reality is stupid. Yet that is exactly the mentality of leftist filth, lower the standard of living for every American by producing less energy as the population increases. The Democratic Party is determined to take the US back to the Stone Age.
 
At least the cost of sunshine and wind haven't massively increased recently. Texas consumers should be grateful, even the Trumpy ones
 
Electric vehicles win. Because they don’t care where the electrons come from. Oil, coal, NG, solar, wind, nuclear, fusion. So a new technology won’t render the entire fleet obsolete.

And they represent a huge bank of grid storage, available at peak to be replaced at night.
 
Ok
ok So you don’t know anything about how energy is produced or distributed. Plants operate at varying outputs. Fuel fed plants play a guessing game trying to make the right amount of power without too much waste. There is no storage, just live production.

If they had storage they would have load leveling without unnecessary firing up of extra turbines.
 

Me too. I lost a big saguaro, almost lost 3 big ficus trees and three vines that had grown for many years on our back wall.

Every year just before monsoons start I have a crew climb up in my mesquite tree and two palo verde trees and trim the hell out of them.

It’s worth the money.

I have two 55 gallon rain barrels I use to water plants, veggies and vines.
 
beefheart said:
Who said you need to be off the grid 100% of the time?

Last time I looked, our sun still had many of millions of years of shining ahead of it, and wind isn't just going to stop.
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Arizona could be/should be leading the nation in solar technology, design, and integration, but of course we aren’t, for political reasons.

We can’t compete with dark money going to the AZ legislature and the Corporation Commission.
 
I just heard this on CNN with Erin Burnett, 'In Greenland, unusually warm temperatures are causing six billion tons of water to melt every day".
I know she didn't say it the right way, but I know what the point was. The point is that global warming cannot be denied any longer, or it's too late. Actually, some climatologists feel that it's already too late to reverse the inevitable.
 
We got lucky and only had constant light rain. The heat in the Aileron area has been annoyingly hot but even the wet bulb temperature hasn't exceeded 100°. There have been no blackouts in my system.

I've found that just maxing the dehumnifier function can make the house very bareble because it removed the humidity. It feels like a very comfortable 75°.
 
Lord Snot,
Bully for you and TX renewables.
Are you going to guarantee that the sun is always shining and the wind is always blowing?
Where are the batteries to store the electricity these miracles tools produce?
And how do the exalted EV cars get charged at night? From fossil fuels, right?
 
The answer is ADAPTATION AND NOT MITIGATION!!

We learn how to live the changing climate because China, India, and Russia don't give a shit about chaning the planet's temperature.
They care more about giving their citizens electricity and heating at night.
 
Yes, you and I will be long dead when the sun expands and engulfs the earth. Such anger against new tech.
 
All Capps, too funny....
 
If Electric vehicles win, why are they not used in Alaska?

Alaska, which is 2.5 times bigger than Texas (3 times bigger at low tide), has a grand total of ONE charging station in the entire State.

Electric vehicles will never be popular in northern States because they can't handle the cold. Lithium-ion batteries need to stay between -20°C (-4°F) and 60°C (140°F) or they lose their charge. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries subjected to those temperature extremes will become ineffective after 9 to 12 months. Lastly, they don't have the range to go anywhere more than a few miles before requiring a coal power-plant to recharge them.

Electric vehicles actually pollute more than vehicles with internal combustion engines when you factor in their recharging source. Nobody would be buying Electric Vehicles at all if not for the heavy subsidy that government places on them to barely make them affordable. It is a bad investment.
 
Pollution is not weather or climate. You are confusing two very different things.
 
A constant light rain is just about all we get from July through September. There is a light rain outside as I type this. It is currently 58°F, but will be dropping to ~50°F in about four hours, around mid-night. The current humidity is 40%, but they are predicting it will reach 60% by tomorrow morning (with more light rain of course).

Thankfully, it never really gets hot enough to warrant air conditioning or a dehumidifier. We broke a 46 year record on July 4, 2019 when the temperature reached 90°F, but normally it does not get any warmer than ~80°F by mid-June. I also keep my home in a comfortable 70°F to 75°F range.
 
I had a quick thunderstorm roll through NE-Ohio about 9:30-10:00pm. Now its cooler (75°) but its about 95% humidity. UGH! I'm sure that the corn and soybeans love it,. The winter wheat has been harvested already. The constant humidity makes a dehumidifier necessary, especially in my basement or it would be covered with mold. It generates about 5 gallons of water a day.
 
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It so different here in NY. We were having work on our electrical panel and wiring. A rep for O&R (our utility) stopped by to unlock the meter and check out our solar system. He thanked us and said it was a help especially on peak days. The $5,000 tax credit over 3 years when I got the stystem installed was also very helpful. Made it a no brainer and a hedge against future increases.
 
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