Fair enough but the popular view of the masses is that an electric car is an absolute zero emission machine.Originally Posted by Doug Garson
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Fair enough but the popular view of the masses is that an electric car is an absolute zero emission machine.
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Agreed, and as the grid becomes greener that comes closer to being true, in BC where I live 98% of electricity is from renewables, the other 2% is from natural gas and we are a net exporter of electricity. Currently about 68% of Canada's electricity and 25% of US electricity is from renewables and that % is growing in both countries. Most of our renewable electricity is hydro.
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The long term goal is to have almost all electricity produced by renewable sources, such as solar and wind. In the meanwhile, we have to begin converting the automobile fleet from gasoline to electricity. If we were to wait until all electricity was renewable, we'd have a very long time before the fleet was electric. It makes sense to begin converting the cars on the road to electric now.
It may work out that when we're 90% renewable electricity, we're also 90% electric vehicles (well, automobiles anyway).
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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If they don't find a means to produce solar panels and wind turbines that last longer then they do today the cost of electricity will not be affordable in the future.
Today we cannot feed ourselves without fossil fuel and when the economy of scale of fossil fuel is reduced the cost will not provide affordable meals on the table.
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I don't know about wind turbines but the solar panels installed on my house are guaranteed for 20 years. That means that within those 20 years, the production will not fall below 90+ percent of what they would produce when new. That doesn't mean that I will have to replace them in 20 years, just that my production of electricity will be less than when they were new.
The microinverters are also guaranteed for the same 20 years.
I don't remember the exact percent in the guarantee, but it was over 90 percent. That's a pretty good lifespan, as far as I'm concerned. The biggest problem I have with them is dust and dirt collecting on the panels which reduces the electricity generated. I clean them about once a year.
For solar panels, once you get past the amortization of the capital cost, the ongoing variable cost is very low.
I don't know anything about wind turbines and their lifespan.
The problem I see is not the lifespan of the solar panels (and maybe the wind turbines) but the cost to store electricity for times when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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All of the nation’s coal-fired power plants but one are less cost-effective to operate than constructing new solar or wind facilities in the United States, according to a study published Monday by the firm Energy Innovation.
Analysts also found that the savings from transitioning to locally produced solar energy could be used to add 137 gigawatts worth of batteries across all plants and at least 80 percent of the capacity at one in three existing coal plants. In other words, they wrote, “the economics of replacing coal with renewables are so favorable that they could fund a massive battery storage buildout to add reliability value along with emissions reductions.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-en...20new%20solar.
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Again, it makes sense for some today. Not for me. I know a number of folks who drive EVs. They do so largely to signal virtue or because they think it elevates their status. This is by their own admission. Not a single party has said "I did the math and this really makes economic sense for my lifestyle". Instead, they're like Vegans or CrossFit participants, making sure you know all about their life choices within minutes of striking up a conversation. I say drive what you want. Me or them. My automobile choices are more fuel efficient than any cars we've ever owned. I'm doing my part and won't be shamed into choosing something I don't want. It's bad enough I have to help pay for other's cars (see link). I'll likely be dead before big brother will tell me what to drive. 'Murica!
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new...main-expensive
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
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137 gigawatts as far as providing load capability is meaningless without a time period associated with it. Do we get 137 gigawatts of battery power for a day, a hour, a minute....
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Good point, I think that is a typo in the report, since it was describing battery storage, I would assume it should be 137 gigawatt-hours of storage. I think the key takeaway from the article is the quote " the economics of replacing coal with renewables are so favorable that they could fund a massive battery storage buildout to add reliability value along with emissions reductions.”
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I think the key word there is TODAY. Yes we can't feed the world today without using fossil fuels but what happens if we continue to use fossil fuels at today's rate for another decade? According to the IPPC " Observed climate change is already affecting food security through increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and greater frequency of some extreme events (high confidence). "
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I think the linked article is biased and totally misses the main point of switching to EVs. It is not to save money, it is to fight climate change. Why would you not want taxpayer funds to subsidize the fight against climate change? And why does the article ignore subsidies to oil companies which are comparable to the EV subsidies?
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I'd say it likely that the Texas Public Policy Foundation has a bias given that it is from a major oil state.
While the EVs may possibly enjoying some degree of enhanced subsidies, States (and other jurisdictions) have been offering government incentives for many years to corporations to locate a plant in their area making virtually anything you can think of - not just EV components. These are done to boost local employment and general revenue.
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Biased? Really? What exactly is climate change? I’m old enough to remember multiple times we were warned we were freezing, boiling, about to be killed by ozone, then lack of ozone, then acid rain, then some other hysterical issue designed to drum up grant money and tax rates. It’s hogwash. A hoax. This planet has been pummeled by all manner of celestial objects, volcanos, storms, etc. We tried to poison the atmosphere with coal in the Industrial Age. Mother Nature is a tough broad and anyone who thinks we’ll have an impact on climate by driving a Tesla is delusional.
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
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Will you be able to re-roof without uninstalling the panels?
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So it's you against EXXON Mobile
"ExxonMobil: Oil giant predicted climate change in 1970s - scientists. One of the world's largest oil companies accurately forecast how climate change would cause global temperature to rise as long ago as the 1970s, researchers claim."
https://www.google.com/search?q=oil+...hrome&ie=UTF-8
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