Why solar power is the only viable power source in the long run

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨SteveKLord@slrpnk.net⁩ to ⁨energy@slrpnk.net⁩

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2495031-why-solar-power-is-the-only-viable-power-source-in-the-long-run/

Solar power has been on the rise for years, and for good reason. It has become one of the cheapest ways to generate energy almost everywhere, and it is one of the best options for combatting climate change.

Yet it still has its detractors. US energy secretary Chris Wright has claimed solar couldn’t supply all the energy the world needs. This is wildly and embarrassingly wrong, as many have pointed out. In fact, in the long run, solar – including wind, which captures the sun’s energy through a different mechanism – is the only power source that can meet growing energy demand without frying the planet.

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Glytch@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
This article is reductive to the point of uselessness. By this logic, burning human bodies for steam power would count as solar because we are all star dust.

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- calcopiritus@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Except for nuclear (fusion and fission) an geothermal, every form of energy comes from the sun eventually.
  
  Fossil fuels used to be living forms, that got their energy from either other life forms or photosynthesis. Maybe geothermal for deep sea creatures.
  
  And even fission and geothermal you could argue it’s solar. Not from our sun, but from other stars, that formed the atoms. Both the radioactive ones and the ones that are hot inside the planet.
  
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  - Glytch@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    Yes, that is the point I was making.
    
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- poVoq@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Given how much of our food is grown with fossile fuel made fertilizers, I would say burning humans is definitely not a renewable energy source 😅
  
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- SteveKLord@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Did you have any feedback on the rest of the article ?
  
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AngryishHumanoid@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Obvs we need to move towards renewable energy, but let’s be specific about our terms: solar energy and wind energy are not the same thing. Both are renewable but no, wind is not solar, despite their argument that solar energy “causes” wind. It’s a nitpick sure but a weird thing to state in the article.

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- Mandarbmax@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Ya, by that logic oil is solar energy too because the ancient algae photosynthesized to grow before it died and was converted into oil. Ridiculous! Nuclear energy is solar because the uranium was formed in a supernova!
  
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  - agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Ultimately every energy source is the product of solar energy, so might as well cut out the middleman.
    
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- SteveKLord@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  
  It’s a nitpick sure but a weird thing to state in the article.
  
  I agree with both points in this sentence. I appreciate your feedback. The author cold have elaborated on that point more but it’s such a minor part of the article and I’m surprised to see people focusing only on that one line and some being outraged by it. That one line seems a bit negligible to the larger points presented in my opinion.
  
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  - AngryishHumanoid@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Oh agreed 100%, people tend to speak up more about a perceived error than the rest of the article they would otherwise agree with. It’s like that meme about how it’s easier to get a correct answer on the Internet by first posting an incorrect one, heh.
    
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blarghly@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Sign in wall

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furrowsofar@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
You know this is over blown since “only” is used. Sure important. Not only.

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HubertManne@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Actually geothermal may give it a run for its money especially with the laser drills. Its sorta the ideal heating/cooling and baseload to pair with solar.

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princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

solar – including wind, which captures the sun’s energy through a different mechanism

This is the world’s biggest reach…

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- girsaysdoom@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  For real. It’s almost like saying this includes biomass generation too since that uses sunlight through photosynthesis.
  
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